More Than Ready Colt All The Way in New Zealand Trophy

Given a perfectly rationed ride from the front by the evergreen Yutaka Take, Jean Gros (More Than Ready) became the first winner at group level in Japan for his legendary sire in Saturday's $841,637 G2 New Zealand Trophy at Nakayama, a steppingstone to next month's G1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo Racecourse.

The 6-1 third favourite off a stalk-and-pounce success in listed company over 1200 metres Feb. 27, the full-brother to MGSW & GISP Tom's Ready was kicked straight into the lead from gate six and led through reasonable fractions of :23.5 for the opening quarter-mile and :46.8 for the first 800 metres. Going comfortably on the single right-handed turn, Jean Gros turned for home after six furlongs in 1:10.5 and finished strongly to cross the line a head better than favoured Matenro Orion (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}). The latter, drawn gate one, was maneuvered to the outside past halfway and was forced to take the overland route on the bend. He kicked hard in the stretch, but could not quite overhaul the leader in the dying strides. Lubeck (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), a full-brother to the globetrotting Deirdre (Jpn), was third. Take was riding his first winner of the race since landing the 2004 renewal–also for trainer Hideyuki Mori–atop fellow American-bred Seeking the Dia (Storm Cat). The 2021 winner was Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), upset winner of the G2 Godolphin Mile Mar. 26.

Pedigree Notes:

Jean Gros is the 98th worldwide graded/group winner for WinStar's More Than Ready, still going strong at the age of 25.

Blackstone Farm acquired Goodbye Stranger carrying the foal that would become Tom's Ready for $40,000 at Keeneland January in 2013 and also bred the stakes-placed Wrong Color (Gemologist) from the mare before selling her to Nursery Place for $120,000 with Jean Gros in utero at KEEJAN in 2019.

Entered for but withdrawn from the Keeneland November Sale  eight months after his foaling date of Mar. 2, Jean Gros was bought back by John Mayer's operation on a bid of $130,000 at Keeneland September the following fall. Turned over to consignor Al Pike, the bay was knocked down to Mori for $265,000 at last year's OBS March Sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat.

Mori, whose success with traveling American-bred gallopers is well-documented, signed for eight horses for over $2.2 million at OBS last March, including the $750,000 topper now named Clos de Mesnil (Practical Joke). She is a maiden winner from four starts to date. Six of the eight have won at least one race.

Barren to Arrogate for 2020, Goodbye Stranger is the dam of a yearling filly by Audible and is due to Horse of the Year Authentic this season.

 

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Frankel’s Grenadier Guards Looks to Bounce Back in NHK Mile Cup

Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.'s Grenadier Guards (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}), a son of GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington), will look to return to winning ways as one of the top couple of betting choices in Sunday's G1 NHK Mile Cup at Toyko Racecourse.

The bay colt graduated at third asking over 1400 metres at Hanshin last November, then belied odds of 16-1 to upset future G1 Satsuki Sho third Stella Veloce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity going this distance in mid-December. He has one run under his belt this year, a runner-up effort to pacesetting Rooks Nest (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) in the G3 Falcon S. at the metric seven furlongs Mar. 20 for which he may have had a bit of an excuse.

“It was rough ground in the Falcon S. and I had the feeling he was very tensed,” trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida commented. “That surely affected the finish, but he did give it his all. That race sharpened him up and he's much improved from last year.

Rooks Nest had the benefit of race fitness over Grenadier Guards in the Falcon, having finished second to Pixie Knight (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) from well off the speed in the G3 Shinzan Kinen at Chukyo Jan. 10. A return to patient tactics could be in the offing given what is expected to be a cracking pace.

Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}) will be well-backed to become his successful young sire's second winner at group level in Japan (Elizabeth Tower {GB}, G2 Tulip Sho). A debut winner going 1500 metres at Sapporo last September, this first foal out of 2016 G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) winner Serienholde (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) showed a devastating turn of foot when taking out a one-mile conditions test at Nakayama in December. The bay was a latest on-pace second in the G2 Yayoi Sho (2000mT) Mar. 7, the form of which was franked when the victorious Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) filled the second spot in the Satsuki Sho.

Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), third in the Shinzan Kinen, has won his last two in wire-to-wire fashion, a Hanshin conditions Mar. 13 ahead of a five-length success in the Apr. 10 G2 New Zealand Trophy in which the runner-up Time to Heaven (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) raced brutally wide throughout.

Rickenbacker (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) required six tries to break his maiden, but was held up at a crucial stage of the Apr. 17 G3 Arlington Cup and charged home once into the clear to finish a very good second to Ho O Amazon (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) at odds of 42-1. A similar price is expected Sunday, but he could appeal to each-way bettors.

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