Naosuke Sugai | Horse Racing Free Tips

Rulership Colt Gives Rivals ‘More’ Than They Can Handle In Royal Cup

Fresh off an Aug. 20 newcomers' victory going 1500 metres at Sapporo, Dolce More (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) subdued longtime leader Granite (Jpn) (Danon Ballad {Jpn}) to take the G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup at Tokyo on Saturday.

Sent off as the 5-1 second choice, the colt settled in an ideal perch, as 39-1 longshot Granite ran off and hid from the field, spotting them at least 10 lengths. However, his lead began to look shaky with 400 metres remaining, and Dolce More was gaining on his erstwhile rival with every stride. Five jumps from the wire, the leader succumbed to Dolce More's determined rally, and the margin on the wire was 1 1/4 lengths. The 7-1 third choice, Silver Duke (Jpn) (Silver State {Jpn}) sat third the whole way around and maintained that finishing position, 2 1/2 lengths off of Granite. Favoured Nocking Point (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), who was 40 cents on the dollar, closed from near the rear of the pack to take fourth, another length back.

Pedigree Notes

King Kamehameha (Jpn) horse Rulership, who won the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, now has 25 stakes winners (16 group) to his name, with the winner's victory on Saturday. Most of them 18/25 or 72%, are out of mares by Sunday Silence or one of his sons, including both of Rulership's Group 1 winners–Mer De Glace (Jpn), who won the G1 Caulfield Cup, and G1 Japanese St Leger hero Kiseki (Jpn).

The fourth foal and third winner produced by G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) heroine Ayusan (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Dolce More has a half-brother by Rey De Oro (Jpn) born this spring. Ayusan is a half-sister to two-time stakes winner Saki To Me (Fusaichi Pegasus), and a full-sister to G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies third Mau Lea (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Third dam Buy The Firm (Affirmed) claimed the GI Top Flight H., and also threw the GIII Ben Ali S. hero Storm Broker (Storm Cat) and the French listed scorer Royal Arrow (Dayjur) among her quintet of winners.

Saturday, Tokyo, Japan
SAUDI ARABIA ROYAL CUP, ¥63,060,000, Tokyo, 10-8, 2yo, 1600mT, 1:33.40, fm.
1–DOLCE MORE (JPN), 121, c, 2, by Rulership (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Ayusan (Jpn) (G1SW-Jpn, $1,664,039),
                                by Deep Impact (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Buy the Cat, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Buy the Firm, by Affirmed
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Three H Racing;
B-Shimokobe Farm (Jpn); T-Naosuke Sugai; J-Kazuo Yokoyama.
¥33,322,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Granite (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Danon Ballade-(Jpn)–Intiwatana
(Jpn), by Fusaichi Concorde (Jpn). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST
   GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Mill Farm; B-Yoshiaki Saruhashi (Jpn);
¥13,092,000.
3–Silver Duke (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Silver State (Jpn)–Vanadis (Jpn),
by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK
   TYPE. (¥40,000,000 Ylg '21 JRHAJUL). O-Toshihiko Tabata;
B-Hiroshi Okita (Jpn); ¥8,346,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2HF, 1. Odds: 5.80, 39.40, 7.80.
Also Ran: Nocking Point (Jpn), Meiner Celerius (Jpn), Boukephalas (Jpn), Miscela Dorata (Jpn), From Now On (Jpn), Red Solid (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.

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Japan: All-White Sodashi Makes The Switch To Dirt In Dec. 5 Champions Cup

All-white cult horse Sodashi is set to try dirt for the first time on her next start in the Champions Cup under a change that could open more options for the Classic winner.

Having registered two G1 wins on turf, including the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) in April, Japan's 'idol horse' will switch surface to contest the G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo on Dec. 5.

Trainer Naosuke Sugai is taking the route knowing she is bred from a family of dirt winners. Her sire Kurofune won the Japan Cup Dirt in 2001, and her mother Buchiko also scored all four wins in the dirt.

Sugai referred to her pedigree in announcing he would “try it once” and “keep an eye on it” with the race set be run over her ideal distance of 1,800m [9f], adding there would be more options for her if the switch proves successful.

Sodashi, also referred to as a 'unicorn', has become one of Japan's most popular horses, not just because of her rare color but on the track where she has established a record of six wins from eight starts.

She became the first officially white horse to win a G1 during an unbeaten two-year-old campaign and, in addition to winning the Oka Sho, defeated Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Loves Only You in the G2 Sapporo Kinen in September.

She suffered her two defeats in the Japan Oaks and Shuka Sho last time out when she banged her mouth on the starting gate and subsequently had a tooth removed.

This story was reprinted with permission by Horse Racing Planet. Find the original piece and more content here.

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White Filly Sodashi Back To The Winner’s Circle In Japan

The all-white Sodashi defeated elders for the first time in her career on Sunday, capturing Japan's Grade 2 Sapporo Kinen by three-quarters of a length over the favorite, Arc hopeful Loves Only You, reports racingpost.com.

The 3-year-old daughter Kurofune made headlines as the first white Thoroughbred to succeed at racing's top level when she won the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December, but disappointed with her first loss earlier this year when eighth in the Japanese Oaks in May. Sunday's Sapporo Kinen was her first start since, and the Naosuke Sugai-trained filly responded well off the three-month layoff.

It was the 100th graded stakes win for owner Makoto Kaneko, also the owner of the late legendary sire Deep Impact.

Winning jockey Hayato Yoshida told racingpost.com: “I am relieved. She had the outside stall so I thought the start was important. She maintained her rhythm in the race and her response was very fine, it was like she was saying, 'I can move any time on your command.'

“The ground was right for her, and I had confidence we could quicken and get the front-runners from the home turn.”

Champion White Filly Sodashi Remains Undefeated With Oka Sho Triumph To Kick Off Japanese Classics

Undefeated champion filly Sodashi, Japan's trailblazing white Thoroughbred, launched her 2021 at Hanshin Racecourse on Sunday with a neck victory over Satono Reinas in the 81st running of the Group 1 Oka Sho, the Japanese 1,000 Guineas that kicks off the series of classic races for 3-year-old fillies.

The daughter of the grey American-bred Kurofune set a new course record of 1:31.1 for the 1,600 meters (about one mile). Owned by her breeder, Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd. and trained by Naosuke Sugai, Sodashi was ridden to victory by Hayato Yoshida. She was the second choice in the wagering behind Satono Reinas, a Deep Impact filly ridden by Christophe Lemaire.

Sodashi broke quickly and was prominent throughout the Oka Sho, traveling along the rail in third or fourth position on the right-handed course while Satono Reinas did not get away cleanly and was far back in the field 18. After reaching the straight, Yoshida shifted Sodashi off the rail and found a seam in the three path, taking command with about 300 meters remaining and then just having enough to withstand the late run of Satono Reinas, who was flying in the final yards and just missed.

The Oka Sho is the first leg of the fillies' Triple Crown in Japan, which continues with the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks at 2,400 meters) and the Shuka Sho (2,000 meters). Six fillies have swept the series, most recently by Daring Tact, who became the first undefeated filly to complete the sweep last year.

“It's a great feeling,” said jockey Yoshida. “There was a lot of pressure with many doubting how strong a white filly could be, so I'm thrilled we were able to prove them wrong. I was a bit worried that the fast track would be a disadvantage, but she responded beautifully and ran well holding off the others closing in on us which I saw and made me drive her to the wire. Her potential is limitless and I look forward to her future starts.”

Sodashi, produced from the white King Kamehameha mare Buchiko, is now undefeated in five career starts.

With Japanese racecourse attendance still limited, only 3,137 were on hand to witness Sodashi's victory. Wagering on the Oka Sho totaled roughly $166.7 million and the day's handle was $247.7 million.

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