Shinji Maeda | Horse Racing Free Tips

Kizuna’s Deep Bond Strikes For Japan in the Foy

It's been quite a while since El Condor Pasa (Kingmambo), Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) and Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) strutted their stuff around the Bois de Boulogne and Japan has a new globetrotter to laud after Shinji Maeda's Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) rolled back the years and made all to win Sunday's G2 Qatar Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp. Last year's G2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai and this year's G2 Hanshin Daishoten winner, who ran second in May's G1 Tenno Sho in his most recent start, was the sharpest of six into stride and seized an immediate lead in the 12-furlong Arc trial won by El Condor Pasa and twice by Orfevre in the past. Holding sway with an uncontested lead throughout, he was rowed along to shake off his closest pursuer Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in early straight and maintained a high tempo under continued urging inside the final quarter mile to comfortably hold that chaperone by 1 1/2 lengths. Jean-Claude Seroul's 7-5 favourite Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) employed his usual hold-up tactics in rear, but was unable to land a blow on the protagonists and finished a well-beaten fourth.

“He's quite a big horse and weighs approximately 500 kilograms, but he is light on his feet and has a very smooth action,” explained winning trainer Ryuji Okubo. When he races in Japan, he usually comes from behind because there is more rhythm to the races there. We wanted to make the running today to make sure he was in the optimum rhythm and the jockey [Cristian Demuro] managed that perfectly well. He had not raced for over four months, so I imagine there is plenty of room for improvement and he will most definitely come on for the run.”

Looking ahead to future options and with a chance to shine where the aforementioned trio stuttered, the trainer added, “We will give him an easy time next week and we will then have two weeks to build him up to the Arc. He'll be a vastly improved horse by then and we'll be very proud to run him in that race. I'll be staying in France for the next three weeks to oversee his preparations.”

Deep Bond is the third, and best, of five foals and as many runners to date out of the multiple winner Zephyranthes (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}), herself kin to the dam of MG1SW Japanese champion sprinter Laurel Guerreiro (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}), G3 Kisaragi Sho runner-up Rikisan Max (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}) and G3 Kyoto Sho Fantasy S. placegetter Amazing Moon (Jpn) (Admire Moon {Jpn}). The latter, in turn, produced G3 Radio Nikkei Sho third North Bridge (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}). The February-foaled dark bay shares his third dam Mogami Point (Jpn) (Maruzensky {Jpn}) with Listed Marguerite S. runner-up Ojono Kiseki (Jpn) (Kinshas No Kiseki {Aus}). Deep Bond is a half-brother to the once placed 3-year-old colt Drummondii (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn) and the winning 2-year-old colt Sparta Leonidas (Jpn) (Henny Hughes).

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
QATAR PRIX FOY-G2, €130,000, ParisLongchamp, 9-12, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:31.82, gd.
1–DEEP BOND (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Kizuna (Jpn)
1st Dam: Zephyranthes (Jpn), by King Halo (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Mogami Hime (Jpn), by Cacoethes
3rd Dam: Mogami Point (Jpn), by Maruzensky (Jpn)
O-Shinji Maeda; B-Bokujo Murata (JPN); T-Ryuji Okubo; J-Cristian Demuro. €74,100. Lifetime Record: MGSW & G1SP-Jpn, 13-4-2-1, €2,010,074. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. ClicSk for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Broome (Ire), 127, h, 5, Australia (GB)–Sweepstake (Ire), by Acclamation (GB). (€120,000 RNA Ylg '17 GOFOR; 150,000gns Ylg '17 TATDEY). O-Masaaki Matsushima, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €28,600.
3–Iresine (Fr), 128, g, 4, Manduro (Ger)–Inanga (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). (€6,000 Ylg '18 AROCT). O-Bertrand Milliere, Ecurie Jean-Paul Gauvin, Christian Goutelle & Jean-Pierre Gauvin; B-Pierre Soyaux & Marie-Louise van Dedem (FR); T-Jean-Pierre Gauvin. €13,650.
Margins: 1HF, 1 3/4, 3HF. Odds: 8.50, 2.30, 5.60.
Also Ran: Skalleti (Fr), Sublimis (Ire), Opasan (Ire). Scratched: Wonderful Tonight (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Gun Runner Gets First Japanese, Turf Winner

5th-Sapporo, ¥13,400,000 ($121,612), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200mT, 1:09.5, gd.
GRAN APLAUSO (c, 2, Gun Runner–Fiducia {SW & GSP-Jpn, $1,425,976}, by Medaglia d'Oro) became the fourth winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}) and his first on the turf with a smooth success on career debut. Drawn widest in a field of 16, the homebred raced deep on the course, but tugged his way up into second entering the turn. Poised to strike at the quarter pole, he was roused to the front outside the 200-meter mark and kept on well to score by a measured length as the 16-5 third betting favorite. Gran Aplauso is the first foal from his dam, a listed winner and narrowly beaten in the G3 Ibis Summer Dash over five furlongs. Fiducia is a daughter of North Hills's Believe (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), Japan's champion older mare of 2003 and winner of the country's two major six-furlong sprints–the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and the Sprinters' S.–before they were recognized as international Group 1 events. Believe's other produce include MSW & MGSP multi-millionaire Faridat (Kingmambo) and GSW & G1SP Gendarme (Kitten's Joy). Third dam Great Christine (Danzig) was a half-sister to Horse of the Year Lady's Secret (Secretariat). Fiducia is the dam of a yearling colt by Uncle Mo and a filly by American Pharoah foaled Jan. 28. Gran Aplauso could be a candidate for the G3 Hakodate Nisai S. July 17. Lifetime Record : 1-1-0-0, 63,636.
O-Shinji Maeda; B-North Hills Co Limited (KY); T-Mikio Matsunaga.

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Contrail Takes Kikuka Sho, Becoming’s Japan’s Third Undefeated Triple Crown Winner

Odds-on favorite Contrail joined his sire, the Sunday Silence stallion Deep Impact, as one of three undefeated Japanese Triple Crown winners by capturing the Grade 1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) over 1 7/8-miles at Kyoto Race Course on Sunday in Kyoto, Japan.

Ridden by Yuichi Fukunaga and trained by Yoshito Yahagi, Contrail was all out to beat Aristoteles and Christophe Lemaire by a neck in the final leg of a series that began April 19 with the 1 1/4-mile Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and continued one month later with the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), contested at 1 1/2 miles. All three races are on turf.

Another son of Deep Impact, Satono Flag, finished third of the 18 runners, all but one of which – Godolphin's Irish-bred Turkish Palace (14th place) – were bred in Japan.

Contrail is Japan's eighth Triple Crown winner and the first to be sired by a previous Triple Crown winner. Deep Impact won his crown in 2005. The third horse to exit the series undefeated was Symboli Rudolf in 1984.

Contrail broke smoothly and settled between horses in mid-pack as Chimera Verite set a moderate pace. Fukunaga allowed Contrail to gradually move toward the front and took the lead after entering the stretch. But he could not shake Aristoteles, a 22-1 longshot, who raced alongside Contrail the length of the stretch, falling just a neck short at the finish.

“This may not have been his best performance, but I kept my faith in Contrail and he certainly showed how strong he is to have maintained his position up to the end of the 3,000-meter trip,” Fukunaga said.

Final time was 3:05.5 on firm turf, well off the course and race record of 3:01.0 set by Toho Jackal in 2014.

Contrail, who is now 7-for-7, paid 110 yen on a 100 yen bet for the win. Owned by Shinji Maeda and bred by North Hills Co. Ltd., he was produced from the Kentucky-bred Unbridled's Song mare Rhodochrosite, who was bred by the Robert and Beverly Lewis Trust and sold for $385,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The Lewises bred and raced Rhodochrosite's dam, the Tiznow filly Folklore, Eclipse Award winner as outstanding 2-year-old filly in 2005 when she won the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies for trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

While on-track attendance was limited to just over 1,000 people, wagering on the Kikuka Sho day program from Kyoto totaled $286.9 million, a 27.3% increase from 2019 when a Triple Crown was not on the line. Wagering on the Kikuka Sho race itself was $202.8 million, up 30% from 2019.

The post Contrail Takes Kikuka Sho, Becoming’s Japan’s Third Undefeated Triple Crown Winner appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Contrail Shows Grit to Earn Triple Crown Honours

Kyoto played host to the 3000-metre G1 Kikuka Sho on Sunday, and Contrail (Jpn) put his name in the record books as the eighth Japanese Triple Crown Winner and only the third to take the Japanese equivalent of the St Leger while undefeated. Symboli Rudolf (Jpn) (Partholon {Ire}) first accomplished that feat in 1984 and Contrail’s sire, the late Deep Impact (Jpn), was the second in 2005.

In marked contrast to his earlier wins, Contrail was tested all the way to the line, with recent allowance winner, the SP Aristoteles (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), relishing the trip, but managed to fend off that foe and hold on by a neck. It was 3 1/2 lengths back to Group 2 winner Satono Flag (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), while GSW Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) was fourth, another neck behind.

Only eventual seventh-place finisher and 9-1 shot Weltreisende (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) was also under 10-1 odds in the field of 18, and Contrail was 1-10 to complete the triple. Chimera Verite (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) was hard sent from the bell, and Contrail perched in seventh with Aristoteles, under Christophe Lemaire, sitting directly to his outside a half-length back. Positions were largely unchanged throughout the early stages, but Contrail turned in well off the fence with 600 metres to travel, Aristoteles still closely shadowing him. Chimera Verite folded entering the straight and Babbitt (Jpn) (Nakayama Festa {Jpn}) picked up the baton, but Contrail was already within a few lengths of the leaders poised to pounce, still harried by Aristoteles.

That duo drew even with the vanguard 300 metres out and quickly distanced themselves. Although Aristoteles, under a brilliant ride by Lemaire, came within a short neck of Contrail a few strides from the wire, the dark bay repelled his challenge and refused to let his rival pass. The official margin was a neck. Satono Flag came from far back to take third, just in front of the stalking Deep Bond.

“I can’t say that I was successful in keeping him relaxed during the race with so much pressure from Aristoteles,” said winning jockey Yuichi Fukunaga. “It turned out to be a tough race for us with Aristoteles looking quite strong and persistent, and this race may not have been his best performance, but I kept my faith in Contrail and he certainly showed how strong he is to have maintained his position up to the end of the 3000-meter trip.”

Named the 2019 Japanese Champion Juvenile Colt after going three-for-three last term with wins in the G3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai S.-in a record time of 1:44.50 for 1800 metres-and in that December’s G1 Hopeful S., Contrail was not seen in action until a bloodless victory in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) this April. He easily made it two Classics in a row with a three-length win in the 2400m G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in May and rattled off a two-length victory in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai, a prep for this race, on Sept. 27.
Pedigree Notes
One of 47 Group 1 winners for his sire, Contrail is also Deep Impact’s third Japanese St Leger hero after Fierement (Jpn) (2018), and Satono Diamond (Jpn) (2016). They are the first father-son pair to take the three Classics in Japan. Placed four times as a juvenile in Japan after selling to Koji Maeda for $385,000 at Keeneland September in 2011, Rhodochrosite foaled two winners from two runners prior to Contrail. Barren in 2018, the daughter of American champion juvenile filly and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile heroine Folklore (Tiznow) has a yearling colt from the second-to-last crop of Deep Impact and a Heart’s Cry (Jpn) colt foal born on Mar. 26. Folklore is a half-sister to SW & GSP Divided Attention (A.P. Indy), as well as the GSP Delightful Quality (Elusive Quality). Delightful Quality, in turn, is the dam of GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity hero Essential Quality (Tapit).

Sunday, Kyoto, Japan
KIKUKA SHO (JAPANESE ST. LEGER)-G1, ¥267,040,000 (US$2,550,789/£1,955,624/€2,150,288), Kyoto, 10-25, 3yo, c/f, 3000mT, 3:05.50, fm.
1–CONTRAIL (JPN), 126, c, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Rhodochrosite, by Unbridled’s Song
                2nd Dam: Folklore, by Tiznow
                3rd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
JAPANESE TRIPLE CROWN WINNER. O-Shinji Maeda; B-North
Hills (Jpn); T-Yoshito Yahagi; J-Yuichi Fukunaga. ¥147,328,000.
Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-Jpn, 7-7-0-0. ¥675,186,000 Werk Nick Rating:
   A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Aristoteles (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Blue Diamond
(Jpn), by Deep Impact (Jpn) O-Hideko Kondo; B-Northern Farm
(Jpn); ¥55,808,000.
3–Satono Flag (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Balada Sale
(Arg), by Not For Sale (Arg). (¥165,000,000 Wlg ’17 JRHAJUL).
O-Satomi Horse Company; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥33,904,000.
Margins: NK, 3HF, NK. Odds: 0.10, 22.00, 33.90.
Also Ran: Deep Bond (Jpn), Black Hole (Jpn), Robertson Quay (Jpn), Weltreisende (Jpn), Valcos (Jpn), Galore Creek (Jpn), Babbitt (Jpn), Man of Spirit (Jpn), Satono Impresa (Jpn), Diamant Minoru (Jpn), Turkish Palace (Ire), Danon Gloire (Jpn), L’Excellence (Jpn), Bitterender (Jpn), Chimera Verite (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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