Grade I winners Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah) and Civil Union (War Front) kick off their 2021 campaigns in Saturday's GIII Beaugay S. at Belmont Park.
Harvey's Lil Goil followed a win in Keeneland's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. Oct. 10 with a huge third–beaten only a neck at 20-1–in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland last time Nov. 7.
Civil Union, winner of last term's GI Flower Bowl S. over this course, had a four-race winning steak snapped, finishing another two slots back in fifth in the Filly and Mare Turf.
Lemista (Ire) (Raven's Pass), a dual group winner in her native Ireland, including the 2020 G2 Kilboy Estate S., makes her North American debut for Chad Brown after winning four of seven starts for trainer G.M. Lyons. She was last seen finishing 10th in the G2 Blandford S. Sept. 13.
Tabor, Magnier and Smith's Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), winless since a blowout score in the 2019 G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, makes his first start on these shores in Saturday's GI Man O' War S. at Belmont Park.
Second to dual Cartier Horse of the Year Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for Aidan O'Brien at Ascot last July, the 5-year-old enters off a close third in the Bahrain International Trophy Nov. 20.
The rail-drawn, 8-5 morning-line favorite kicks off his campaign for Chad Brown, who also secured the 2014 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. with Minorette (Smart Strike) for the Coolmore partners.
“We received him over the winter at Payson Park and he's settled into a nice work pattern,” Brown said. “He came over very sound, and in great shape from Aidan. He sure trains like a horse with a lot of quality. I've seen him train on firm ground in Florida and he's fine with it. He can handle some cut in the ground.”
Brown continued, “I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel with him, so if he has speed, I wouldn't take that away from him. He's pretty forward in his breezes. He grabs the bit and goes on. If he breaks well and Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] wants to put him on the front, I would be happy with that.”
The field of eight also includes the talented Gufo (Declaration of War). His sophomore campaign was headed by a win in the GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. Oct. 3 and a close third, beaten just a neck, behind the talented Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) in the GI Hollywood Derby last out Nov. 28.
Domestic Spending, of course, returned to dead-heat for a win in the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard with the latter right there in a close third.
In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are Sunday's horses of interest for this weekend running at Niigata and Tokyo, the site of the G1 NHK Mile Cup, featuring GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington)'s son Grenadier Guards (Jpn):
Sunday, May 9, 2021 1st-NII, ¥9,680,000 ($89k), Maiden, 3yo, f, 1800m ELEPHANTINE (JPN) (f, 3, American Pharoah–Sweetie Girl {Arg}, by Star Dabbler) is the first foal to race from her dam, winner of the G1 Gran Premio de Potrancas at San Isidro Racecourse in May 2015 (video, SC 7). Subsequently exported to the U.S., Sweetie Girl was covered by this Triple Crown winner in 2017 and made her way to Japan, where she foaled this filly Feb. 11, 2018. Among American Pharoah's 13 Japanese winners (from 16 starters) is G1SW Cafe Pharoah, who–like Elephantine–was produced from a Halo-line dam. B-Shimokobe Farm
5th-TOK, ¥13,830,000 ($127k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600m ANNUNCIATION (c, 3, Union Rags–Acquant, by Giant's Causeway) has made all three of his career starts to date over this course and distance, winning his maiden at first asking before a pair of slow-starting, fast-finishing runner-up efforts at this level. A $230K Keeneland September graduate, the May 12 foal is out of a winning daughter of MGSW Social Queen (Dynaformer), the dam of 2015 GI Belmont Derby winner Force the Pass (Speightstown). A short price is all but guaranteed, but this race is his for the taking with a clean break. B-Colts Neck Stables LLC (KY)
6th-NII, ¥14,360,000 ($132k), Allowance, 4yo/up, 1800m BONDING TIME (c, 4, Kitten's Joy–Imagistic, by Deputy Minister), purchased in utero for $30K at KEEJAN in 2017, was a $65K KEENOV foal and matured into a $210K KEESEP yearling. The full-brother to SW & MGSP Gentleman's Kitten made one appearance as a 3-year-old, finishing well down the track in an 11-furlong turf maiden at Hanshin 14 months ago and makes a switch to the main track for this allowance test. This is the female family of champion Revidere. B-Country Life Farm & Imagistic LLC (MD)
Tapeta Farm, owned and operated by trainer Michael Dickinson, has been listed for sale by Goffs Property, part of the Goffs Group. The training center is situated on 196 acres at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay on the Elk River, mid-way between New York City and Washington D.C.
As a trainer, Dickinson is probably best known for winning the 1996 and 1998 Breeders' Cup Mile with Da Hoss. He also is responsible for developing the year-round Tapeta training surface.
Tapeta Farm offers 30 acres of paddocks, including turnout paddocks covering 20 acres, two movable round pens, organic grazing areas, and two sand pens. Also, the property provides six different season turf tracks, a 4,500 sq. foot main house and a Performance Centre, which includes equine equipment such as a cold saltwater spa, salt room, vibrating platform, and three examining stalls. The performance centre also houses the auxiliary energy system as well as a covered eight-horse Euro-Cizer, and the synthetic track surface research lab. Adjacent to the Performance Centre is the swimming pond with central dock. Other features of the farm–a 40-stall barn, offering a well-water treatment facility, six-air-changes-per-hour ventilator system, three hay steamers, organic fly-spray system and a hay storage area.
