Sent off as the 5-2 second choice behind Cantiamo (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), the Silk Racing colourbearer found an ideal tracking position while glued to the fence, as Elf Struck (Jpn) (California Chrome) showed the way under mild pressure. Content to rate in midfield, Mi Anhelo began to wind up with 600 metres remaining while still saving every inch of real estate on the fence. Cued in upper stretch, she swung off the inside and burst past Elf Struck to take over inside the furlong pole. Strong to the line, she had built up enough cushion to repel the late charge of Hohelied (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), with Cantiamo a neck back in third with the first six home tightly bunched.

Mi Anhelo donned cap and gown over this course and distance when unveiled in September, and closed to take fifth as the favourite in a blanket finish in the Nanohana Sho on Jan. 13, her 3-year-old bow.

Pedigree Notes

The much-lamented Duramente, posthumous champion sire in his native land in 2023, has his final crop of 3-year-olds this year. Mi Anhelo is his first stakes winner from that group, while he has 18 stakes winners worldwide (14 group) so far lifetime. Six of his progeny have landed Group 1 races, and Japanese Triple Tiara heroine Liberty Island (Jpn) is a leading fancy for the upcoming G1 Dubai Sheema Classic later this month.

The winner is a half to Frankel (GB) 'TDN Rising Star' Mi Suerte (Jpn) who won the G3 Fantasy S. in Japan. Originally a $1.7-million Keeneland November weanling, Mi Sueno won both the GIII Sorrento S. and GI Debutante S. as a juvenile. Since being purchased for $1.9 million out of the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2013 by Katsumi Yoshida, Mi Sueno has produced eight foals in Japan, with six winners to show for it. Her latest runner-to-be is Shonan Xanadu (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), who just turned two, while she also has a Real Steel (Jpn) yearling colt and was covered by American Horse of the Year Bricks And Mortar last spring.

Second dam Madcap Escapade (Hennessy) claimed the GI Ashland S., four other graded races and ran third in the 2004 GI Kentucky Oaks. She, in turn, is a half-sister to GI Ballerina Breeders' Cup S. victress Dubai Escapade (Awesome Again).

Saturday, Nakayama, Japan
FLOWER CUP-G3, ¥72,610,000, Nakayama, 3-16, 3yo, f, 1800mT, 1:48.00, fm.
1–MI ANHELO (JPN), 121, f, 3, Duramente (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Mi Sueno (GISW-US, $288,400), by Pulpit
                2nd Dam: Madcap Escapade, by Hennessy
                3rd Dam: Sassy Pants, by Saratoga Six
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Silk Racing;
B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Toru Hayashi; J-Akihide Tsumura;
¥38,427,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, ¥46,697,000. *1/2 to
Mi Suerte (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}), GSW-Jpn, $447,954. Click for
   the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Hohelied (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Rulership (Jpn)–Golden Harp (Jpn),
by Stay Gold (Jpn). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
O-Haruya Yoshida; B-Shiraoi Farm (Jpn); ¥15,162,000.
3–Cantiamo (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Libiamo (Jpn), by
Admire Vega (Jpn). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥9,381,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, NK. Odds: 2.70, 23.80, 2.30.
Also Ran: Rabbiteye (Jpn), Elf Struck (Jpn), Canicule (Jpn), Teleos Sarah (Jpn), Marcottage (Jpn), For The Boys (Jpn), Stick By Me (Jpn), Teleos Lulu (Jpn), Hiraboku Minnie (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video.

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The award winners are selected on criteria designated by the Dubai Racing Club (DRC), overseen by the Trustee's Committee. The public selects the People's Choice Award. The full list of winners are as follows:

• Best Horse: Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn})
• Best Jockey: Ryan Moore
• Best Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
• Best Owner: Silk Racing
• People's Choice: Hamdan Sultan Al Sabusi
• Lifetime Achievement: Colonel Ali Khamis Al Jafleh & Sheikh Abdulla Al Qasemi
• Excellence Award: Saeed bin Suroor

“We are honoured to receive a prestigious award such as this one,” said Masashi Yonemoto, representing Silk Racing. “Equinox's win here in Dubai was very special and we enjoyed watching the horses who finished behind him go on to win several big races around the world.”

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Equinox's top rating of 135 – the highest ever awarded to a Japanese horse – was achieved in his four-length romp in the Japan Cup, his final appearance on a racecourse in which he had Liberty Island and her fellow Classic winners Stars On Earth (Jpn) and Do Deuce (Jpn) behind him. Such a strong first four meant that the 2023 running of the Japan Cup was awarded a rating of 126.75.

Trainers, jockeys, owners and breeders from across the racing world attended the ceremony at the Savoy to celebrate the 11th time that Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) had joined forces to celebrate the best in the sport. 

The Tetsuya Kimura-trained Equinox was the second Japanese horse to receive the accolade after Just A Way (Jpn) in 2014. Ridden throughout his career by Christophe Lemaire, he was unbeaten in 2023, with his other victories coming in the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, G1 Takarazuka Kinen (G1), and G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn).

“To be honest it was quite enjoyable,” said Lemaire with no little understatement of his association with Equinox as he accepted his award on Tuesday.

“Each time he ran there was a big expectation but on that horse I had such confidence. I tried to do my job as well as possible and I will miss him a lot. Like most top athletes he had a combination of physical strength and mental strength. His physical strength allowed him to run fast and use his beautiful stride. Also he was very clever, is he understood very quickly what he had to do to win. My job was just to get a good start and put him in a good position to let him express his talent.”

He added, “He was nearly the perfect racehorse and we have to congratulate the breeder for producing such a beautiful horse and the trainer for allowing him to mature and getting the best out of him. 

“Equinox was something special. He had an aura. Most of the people first discovered him in Dubai but in Japan he was already a rising star.”

Masashi Yonemoto, the CEO of Equinox's 300-strong ownership group Silk Racing, was in London to collect his award along with Kimura and Lemaire. A strong Japanese contingent was bolstered by the presence of Masayoshi Yoshida, the president of the Japan Racing Association (JRA), and Masayuki Goto, the JRA's executive adviser of international affairs, who received the trophy for the world's best race, which was a first for the Japan Cup in its 43-year history.

Equinox was rated 7lbs clear of last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, the unbeaten Ace Impact (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}), who was joint-second in the ratings with the G1 Prince of Wales's S. and Juddmonte International winner Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) on 128. They were thus Europe's top-rated runners for 2023, a pound clear of G1 Queen Elizabeth S. winner Big Rock (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. winner Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) who were joint fourth on 127.

Hukum's runner-up at Ascot, Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and Hong Kong's champion Golden Sixty (Aus) were next on 126, while the dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) was awarded a mark of 125 for his victory in the G1 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, the same as Lucky Sweynesse (NZ), who was judged to have run to that mark on three occasions at Sha Tin and was the top-rated sprinter in the world.

There was a five-way tie for tenth place with a rating of 124 having been awarded to White Abarrio (Race Day), Cody's Wish (Curlin), Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) and Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}).

In total, 36 horses achieved a rating in excess of 120. Of these, nine were trained in Britain, seven in Japan, seven in the USA, four in Hong Kong, and three each in France, Ireland and Australia. Frankel was the sire of four of the top 15 horses in Europe – Mostahdaf, Westover, Onesto (Ire) and Triple Time (Ire) – and grandsire of the co-top-rated Ace Impact, who was also the highest-rated three-year-old in the world. 

It was a particularly good year for European three-year-old colts, with Ace Impact being joined by Big Rock, Auguste Rodin, Paddington and King Of Steel among the top 20 horses globally. 

Three of the four top-rated fillies or mares in the world were also trained in Europe and all hail from the Newmarket stable of John and Thady Gosden. Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was awarded a mark of 121 for her G1 Dahlbury Coronation Cup win, while Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was on 120 for her success in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois, the same mark given to Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for her G1 Falmouth S. win. The aforementioned Liberty Island tied with Emily Upjohn on a mark of 121.

Also on 121 was the top-rated stayer, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid's Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who started his career with Simon and Ed Crisford in Britain before switching to the Australian stable of Anthony and Sam Freedman. With Lucky Sweynesse leading the way for the older sprinters, the top three-year-old sprinter in the world for 2023 was the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G1 July Cup winner Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) on 120.

Four of the top ten races in the world in 2023 were staged in Japan, with the Takarazuka Kinen in fifth spot, the Tenno Sho (Autumn) joint-sixth and the Arima Kinen in eighth. The Equinox factor had a firm say in the rankings of the races, with the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic ranked second with an average rating of 126.50. The Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a regular winner of this title, was third on 124.75, just ahead of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. on 124.50. The Royal Bahrain Irish Champion S was co-sixth, while the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois was ninth and the Juddmonte International tenth. 

The official rankings are compiled by the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings Committee, which is co-chaired by Nigel Gray and Dominic Gardiner-Hill, and they are published by the IFHA.

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Despite being eased down towards the line, the Tetsuya Kimura-trained 4-year-old lowered the course record previously held by Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) by exactly a second to stop the clock at 2:26.65.

G1 Irish Derby winner Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) gave chase in vain, running home best of the rest to reduce the winning margin to 3 1/2 lengths, with French-trained Zagrey (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) taking third.

Equinox had the race at his mercy almost from the off, charging to the front from gate six to bowl along with ease. As jockeys on runners in behind started to ask serious questions of their mounts, Lemaire had merely to ease his rein out an inch for the leader to increase his stride–and his lead–with no further effort required from the rider who had partnered another Japanese Horse of the Year, Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), to victory in the Dubai Turf of 2019.

“I knew he was the best horse and so I was happy to make the pace,” Lemaire said of Equinox. “I'm really happy for all of the connections. It's been a long time since I won the Sheema; the last time was with Heart's Cry, and he passed away two weeks ago. So I am very grateful for this horse; he has allowed me to pay tribute to Heart's Cry.”

He continued, “Race after race, he's going up the rankings of the horses I have ridden. It was a great, great performance against these kind of horses at the top level. I couldn't be happier.”

Tetsuya Kimura had already saddled his stable star to win the G1 Tenno Sho and G1 Arima Kinen in the last six months but even he appeared staggered by Equinox's bloodless victory. He said, “It was a tough field with some very strong horses but he's a champion and he was just the best. He got the job done and made it all look so simple.”

Ryan Moore had already secured two wins on the Dubai World Cup card but he had to settle for second on Juddmonte's Westover. The 4-year-old's trainer Ralph Beckett expressed relief after a testing time in the build-up to Saturday.

“It hasn't been easy this week–he did two laps of the training track on Tuesday when he was only meant to do one,” said Beckett. “Although he's keen you have to leave him alone. He's been beaten by a very good horse, to finish second to him is fantastic. I wouldn't rule out dropping back to 10 furlongs for an Eclipse or a Tatts Gold Cup.”

Long-shot Zagrey, who was runner-up in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. on his last start, has his trainer Yann Barberot dreaming of major targets closer to home after his third-place finish. He said, “It's fantastic. He's a proper Group 1 horse and I'm delighted. He wasn't precocious, as is the case with quite a lot of Zarak's progeny. Then he got injured at three after he was second in the Prix Eugene Adam but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He loves soft ground so he might be a horse for something like the Champion S. at Ascot. He's been beaten by a phenomenon.”

Pedigree Notes

A son of the young Shadai stallion Kitasan Black, whose sire Black Tide (Jpn) is a full-brother to Deep Impact (Jpn), Equinox is the third foal of his Group 3-winning dam Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}). His year-older half-brother Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) won the G3 Nikkei Sho, and the mare has a 3-year-old colt whose sire Just A Way (Jpn) won the Dubai Turf of 2014. Chateau Blanche's current 2-year-old filly is a daughter of Kizuna (Jpn), and she is due to foal a full-sibling to Equinox this season.

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
LONGINES DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC-G1, $6,000,000, Meydan, 3-25, NH 4yo/up & SH 3yo/up, 2410mT, 2:25.65 (NCR), gd.
1–EQUINOX (JPN), 125, c, 4, by Kitasan Black (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (GSW-Jpn,
                                   $1,096,970), by King Halo (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Blancherie (Jpn), by Tony Bin (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Maison Blanche (Jpn), by Alleged
O-Silk Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Tetsuya
Kimura; J-Christophe-Patrice Lemaire. $3,480,000. Lifetime
Record: Horse of the Year & Ch. 3yo Colt-Jpn, MG1SW-
Jpn, 7-5-2-0, $9,516,220. *Half to Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King
Kamehameha {Jpn}), GSW-Jpn, $820,531. Werk Nick Rating:
   A+++. *Triple Plus*.  Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
   pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style
   pedigree.
2–Westover (GB), 125, c, 4, Frankel (GB)–Mirabilis, by Lear Fan.
O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Ralph Beckett.
$1,200,000.
3–Zagrey (Fr), 125, c, 4, Zarak (Fr)–Grey Anatomy (GB), by
Slickly (Fr). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€32,000 RNA Ylg '20
ARQSEP). O-Ecurie Altima & Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-
Ecurie Euroling (Fr); T-Yann Barberot. $600,000.
Margins: 3HF, 2 1/4, 1 1/4.
Also Ran: Mostahdaf (Ire), Shahryar (Jpn), Win Marilyn (Jpn), Rebel's Romance (Ire), Russian Emperor (Ire), Botanik (Ire), Senor Toba (Aus). VIDEO.

Equinox is out of this world in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic for @christo68914587 & Tetsuya Kimura

G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic
G1 Tenno Sho
G1 Arima Kinen
Japan's latest superstar#イクイノックス | #競馬 pic.twitter.com/2MxwucWexJ

— Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) March 25, 2023

The post Scintillating Equinox Smashes Sheema Classic Record appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“This is his first overseas trip and he's still getting used to his new surroundings, although I think he's getting better day by day and I am happy with how he moved this morning,” said trainer Tetsuya Kimura. “I know that this horse has plenty of talent and I hope that he can live up to the expectations of Japanese race fans by winning the Dubai Sheema Classic.”

The Silk Racing colourbearer will have Christophe Lemaire in the irons. Now a 4-year-old, Equinox raced to G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and G1 Arima Kinen glory in October and December, respectively, with Lemaire aboard.

“This is a tough race but Christophe knows Meydan and knows this horse so I am not concerned,” Kimura said. “There have been some very good winners of the Dubai Sheema Classic and so I respect how difficult it will be. It is an honour to be here with a horse like Equinox.”

Silk Racing's Masashi Yonemoto said of the colt's future targets, “There are quite attractive races at home, such as the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the [G1] Japan Cup,” he told local media. “However, I think the [GI] Breeders' Cup Turf is an attractive option. It is important for him to do well here if we are to travel again but I think the Breeders' Cup would be better than the [G1 Prix de l']Arc [de Triomphe], especially with the ground.

“I think this season is when we will see the best of him and I think this race is a good challenge for him. Hopefully, he can prove he is a great horse.”

Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong), who defeated Equinox in the G1 Japanese 2000 Guineas earlier last year, ran fourth in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup. He is aiming to improve in the $12-million Dubai World Cup, Saturday's showpiece.

“I have been very happy with him since he arrived here,” Kimura said of the grandson of Gio Ponti. “He was fourth by a close margin and it was his first dirt race so I was satisfied with that performance. I think his experience in Saudi Arabia will help him here.

“He worked well this morning along with Equinox. I think this is a more suitable race, stepping up to 2000 metres, and I hope that he can run another good race on Saturday.”

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Favoured at 2-1 despite his lengthy winless drought, the 5-year-old entire was content to stalk in fourth as a rank Red Belle Aube (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) cut out the running while tossing his head. That foe eventually settled down to business while shaded by Lei Papale (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and covered the first 1000 metres in a sparkling :57.90.

Facing a wall of horses to traverse after dropping to sixth on the bend, Salios still had is work cut out for him, but a gap opened around the 300-metre mark and he bulled his way through. The story was much the same within the final furlong, and once again the chestnut found a path between foes, pinned his ears and surged to the lead. His winning margin was a half-length over Justin Café (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), who'd made an encouraging run along the outside. The 2020 Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Danon The Kid (Jpn) (Just A Way {Jpn}), winner of that term's G1 Hopeful S., was another length back in third.

A winner of his first three starts, culminating in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. in 2019, Salios placed in the first two legs of the Japanese Triple Crown as a sophomore and was also a winner of the G2 Mainichi Okan that October. Winless in 2021, his best showing was a third in the G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin that December. Unplaced in the Mar. 27 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the 5-year-old was third in the G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo on Jun 5, before being shelved until the Mainichi Okan on Sunday.

Pedigree Notes

The second stakes winner out of G1 German Oaks victress Salomina (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}), Salios's older half-sister Salacia (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) claimed the G2 Fuchu Himba S. and was second in both the G1 Arima Kinen Grand Prix and the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup. All six of Salomina's foals to race are winners, including the 3-year-old Deep Impact filly Saliera (Jpn), second in the G2 Rose S. Salomina's juvenile colt and yearling filly are both full-siblings to the winner, while her most recent foal is a filly by Duramente (Jpn).

Tracing to one of Germany's premiere families, Salios's second dam is Saldentigerin (Ger) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), a Group 3 winner in her native land and also placed in both the German Oaks and G1 Preis von Europa, who threw the stakes winner Salut (Ger) to the cover of Lomitas, as well as the group-placed Skyful Sea (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). His great granddam Salde (Ger) (Alkalde {Ger}) foaled a quartet of German stakes winners, of which Saldentigerin was her best, as well as the multiple Group 1-placed Saltas (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}). Another of Salde's black-type placed daughters, the Highest Honor (Fr) mare Saldenehre (Ger), is the dam of German Oaks winner Serienholde (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), who foaled, in turn, the G1 NHK Mile Cup hero Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}), second in both the G1 Yasuda Kinen and G1 Mile Championship.

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
MAINICHI OKAN-G2, ¥128,700,000, Tokyo, 10-9, 3yo/up, 1800mT, *1:44.10 (NCR), fm.
1–SALIOS (JPN), 123, h, 5, by Heart's Cry (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Salomina (Ger) (G1SW-Ger, $332,689),
                                by Lomitas (GB)
                2nd Dam: Saldentigerin (Ger), by Tiger Hill (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Salde (Ger), by Alkalde (Ger)
O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Noriyuki Hori; J-Kohei
Matsuyama. ¥67,700,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Jpn,
14-5-2-2. Click for the
   free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Justin Café (Jpn), 123, c, 4, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Casino Boogie
(Jpn), by Workforce (GB). 1ST BLACK-TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK
   TYPE. O-Masahiro Miki; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥27,200,000.
3–Danon the Kid (Jpn), 123, c, 4, Just a Way (Jpn)–Epic Love
(Ire), by Dansili (GB). (¥100,000,000 Wlg '18 JRHAJUL). O-Danox Inc.; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥17,100,000.
Margins: HF, 3/4, 1. Odds: 2.00, 4.90, 5.70.
Also Ran: Lei Papale (Jpn), North Bridge (Jpn), Potager (Jpn), Kingston Boy (Jpn), King Of Koji (Jpn), Happy Hour (Jpn), Red Belle Aube (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.

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Third choice at 5-1, Terzetto raced well off the pace set by My Style (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}). The field was well strung out due to a demanding pace, with the first half-mile covered in :45.60. She began to edge closer nearing the far turn and swung out four deep to challenge with a quarter mile remaining. Rallying widest of all, Terzetto sped past My Style inside the final 100 metres to win by a length. Catedral (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) was second, a neck to the good of Bom Servico (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}). My Style held fourth another three-quarters of a length back.

A Nakayama debut winner in December of 2019, Terzetto was third there last March stepped up to 2000 metres, but returned to winning ways cut back to a mile at Niigata in August of 2020. Two more victories at that trip in Tokyo followed-on Nov. 1 and on Jan. 31. The Lord Derby Challenge Trophy was her first time trying black-type.

Pedigree Notes

After Terzetto's victory, the late Deep Impact is now the sire of 172 black-type winners, 138 at group level. The 4-year-old filly is the first instance of a stakes winner by the former Shadai resident out of a Danehill Dancer mare. That past Coolmore Stud sire is responsible for 73 group winners and 133 black-type winners overall.

A winner of an 1200-metre sloppy dirt affair as a 3-year-old, Raddolcendo has three winners from four to race, with the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy heroine her best to date. She has a 2-year-old colt by Orfevre (Jpn), a yearling colt by Daiwa Major (Jpn) and was bred to Duramente (Jpn) last spring.

Raddolcendo, purchased by Katsumi Yoshida in utero for $900,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale,  is a half-sister to UAE highweight and G1 Dubai Turf hero Real Steel (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), as well as G1 Japanese Oaks victress Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the SW & MGSP Prodigal Son (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and the SP Langley (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Third dam Monevassia (Mr. Prospector) was a full-sister to French Classic hero and influential sire Kingmambo (Mr. Prospector), the duo just to of a bevy of top runners out of stellar racemare and blue hen producer Miesque (Nureyev).

Saturday, Nakayama, Japan
LORD DERBY CHALLENGE TROPHY-G3, ¥75,420,000, Nakayama, 4-3, 4yo/up, 1600mT, 1:32.60, fm.
1–TERZETTO (JPN), 117, f, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Raddolcendo (Jpn), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Loves Only Me, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Monevassia, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. (¥50,000,000 Ylg '18
JRHAJUL). O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Shoichiro
Wada; J-Mirco Demuro. ¥39,574,000. Lifetime Record: 6-5-0-1.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: B.
2–Catedral (Jpn), 123, h, 5, Heart's Cry (Jpn)–Abyla (GB), by
Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥16,164,000.
3–Bom Servico (Jpn), 121, h, 7, Daiwa Major (Jpn)–Baimoyuri
(Jpn), by Sakura Laurel (Jpn). O-Nagoya Yuho; B-Shirai Farm
(Jpn); ¥9,882,000.
Margins: 1, NK, 3/4. Odds: 5.30, 6.80, 7.40.
Also Ran: My Style (Jpn), Atomic Force (Jpn), Taurus Gemini (Jpn), Black Moon (Jpn), Meisho Titan (Jpn), Shonan Rise (Jpn), Besten Dank (Jpn), Emeral Fight (Jpn), So Glittering (Jpn), Luftstrom (Jpn), Smile Kana (Jpn), Leyenda (Jpn). DNF: Win Carnelian (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart or video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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The 12-1 shot surged immediately to the head of affairs and raced with ears pricked through splits of :23.40 for the quarter and :46.30 for the half-mile. Still full of run 600 metres from home, he was soon pressured by Bathrat Leon to his outside, but shifted to another gear and quickened away again 200 metres out. Under mainly hands and heels, Pixie Knight had built up enough of a cushion that Rooks Nest’s late rally fell short and he scored a shade handily, appearing to have plenty more to give if asked.

Off the mark at first asking in a Chukyo newcomer race on Sept. 26, the Silk Racing colourbearer was wheeled back going the same 1400-metre trip at Hanshin on Nov. 23 and ran third in the Shumeigiku Sho.

Pedigree Notes
Part of the first Northern Hemisphere crop of his sire, Japanese Horse of the Year Maurice, Pixie Knight is his Shadai-based sire’s initial black-type winner. Maurice was named the champion sprinter/miler in 2015 and scored six times at the highest level in Japan and Hong Kong. Maurice’s Infinite (Jpn) has also filled the runner-up position in the G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup.

The third foal from his three-time winning dam, Pixie Knight has the older half-brother Salpa (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}), the winning 4-year-old half-sister Vidia (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), a juvenile half-brother by Black Tide (Jpn) and a yearling half-sibling by Mikki Isle (Jpn). Pixie Hollow visited the court of Kizuna (Jpn) last spring.

His third dam produced Japanese MSW & MGSP Danon Come On (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S), GSW Queen’s Barn (Jpn) (Special Week {Jpn}), SW Wild Soldier (Jpn) (Brocco), SP Lebaiserdel’ange (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) and the dam of MGSW & G1 Sprinters S. third Ukiyono Kaze (Jpn) (On Fire {Jpn}). GI Vanity H. heroine A Kiss For Luck (Reflected Glory) is his fourth dam, while GI La Brea S. heroine Alphabet Kisses (Alphabet Soup) is also in the extended family.

Sunday, Kyoto, Japan
NIKKAN SPORTS SHO SHINZAN KINEN-G3, ¥72,760,000 (US$700,043/£515,984/€572,589), Chukyo, 1-10, 3yo, 1600mT, 1:33.30, fm.
1–PIXIE KNIGHT (JPN), 123, c, 3, Maurice (Jpn)
          1st Dam: Pixie Hollow (Jpn), by King Halo (Jpn)
          2nd Dam: Rhein Regina (Jpn), by Sakura Bakushin O (Jpn)
          3rd Dam: Shinko Angel, by Ogygian
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUp WIN. O-Silk Racing; B-Northern
Farm (Jpn); T-Hidetaka Otonashi; J-Yuichi Fukunaga. ¥38,532,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-2-0-1. Werk Nick Rating: D. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
*1st SW/GSW for sire (by Screen Hero {Jpn}).
2–Rooks Nest (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Maurice (Jpn)–Villa (Jpn), by
Deep Impact (Jpn). O-Yoshiro Kubota; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥15,152,000.
3–Bathrat Leon (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Kizuna (Jpn)–Bathrat Amal
(Jpn), by New Approach (Ire). O-Hiroo Race; B-Mishima Bokujo
(Jpn); ¥9,576,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3/4, HF. Odds: 12.00, 19.40, 3.20.
Also Ran: Kukuna (Jpn), Seraphinite (Jpn), Blue Symphony (Jpn), Maria Elena (Jpn), Wazamono (Jpn), Luz (Jpn), Raison du Sourire (Jpn), Daddy’s Vivid (Jpn), Tokai King (Jpn), Fervore (Jpn), Castilla (Jpn), Lord Max (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

The post Maurice Colts One-Two in Chukyo Contest appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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When the gates opened, Almond Eye was away in good order from stall two and pilot Christophe Lemaire positioned the star mare near the rails in a stalking fourth as 2017 G1 Japanese St Leger hero Kiseki (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) took up his preferred position on the engine. Daring Tact settled a few lengths off Almond Eye in seventh, while Contrail was farther back in ninth. Kiseki quickly opened up a 20-length advantage on the rest of the field, covering the first 1000 metres in a swift :57.90 and getting the mile in 1:33.10.

It appeared for a handful of strides that Kiseki had perhaps poached too great of an advantage a quarter mile from home, but that was an illusion, as the sharp fractions began to viably wear on the frontrunner almost immediately thereafter. Almond Eye was letting down with authority and she set her sights on 2019 G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase victor Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was gaining on Kiseki with every stride. Out in the middle of the course, Contrail was making his patented run, as was Daring Tact a few paths toward the inside, with last year’s runner-up Curren Bouquetd’or (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) also in the mix.

Almond Eye gained the lead at the 150-metre mark, and asserted from there to withstand the withering late burst from Contrail by 1 1/4 lengths in her career finale. Only a neck separated the 2020 Triple Crown winners, with Daring Tact a nose to the good of fourth-place Curren Bouquetd’or. She in turn was only a neck in front of Glory Vase. The brave pacesetter Kiseki faded to eighth. European raider Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {Jpn}), a winner of the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and reluctant to load on Sunday, was outrun for the majority of the contest, but passed some tiring rivals to finish 10th.

“Since this was her final start, it was very special for me and I’m thrilled we were able to win,” said Lemaire. “After winning the Victoria Mile in the spring, we had three weeks to get her prepared for the Yasuda Kinen in which she was second. She had an extra week this time and was tuned up beautifully. She was relaxed in the gate, broke smoothly and was able to sit in a good position. The turf condition near the rails was much better than last week so I don’t think the inner draw was a problem. The pace was just right for her and she responded well in the stretch. The others closing in on us didn’t worry me at all. Almond Eye is a perfect mare and doesn’t have any weak points. Her career as a race horse ended today but I look forward to riding her children.”

Added trainer Sakae Kunieda on Almond Eye who was winning her eighth JRA Group 1 and ninth overall, “She looked good since arriving at the racecourse–she has definitely matured mentally. We were worried about the rough going near the rails, but Christophe did a good job in finding a good path. The pace was ideal for Almond Eye and her response was totally different from that in the Tenno Sho (Autumn). Since expectations of an eighth Group 1 title were enormous in her last Tenno Sho start, we did feel pressure but today, all we wanted was for her to come back safe and sound. The victory is such a bonus, we couldn’t be happier. She has given us so much excitement and joy and it has been fulfilling to be a part of her career. It would be great if I could be involved in training her colt or filly someday.”

Second in a newcomers’ race in August of 2017, she rattled off seven straight wins afterward, encompassing a maiden that October, before a score in the G3 Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen to open her 3-year-old year. After winning the Japanese Fillies’ Triple Crown, Almond Eye saluted in her first Japan Cup in November of 2018 and was named the Japanese Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. She took her show on the road with a win in the G1 Dubai Turf in 2019, before a shock third in the G1 Yasuda Kinen in June of 2019. Back on top in the first of two G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) wins, the bay was unplaced in the G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama last December. First in the May 17 G1 Victoria Mile, Almond Eye was second in the Yasuda Kinen locally in June.

A winner of the Tenno Sho (Autumn) last out, Almond Eye became the first JRA horse to capture eight Group 1 races over turf with that race. Adding in the spoils of her second Japan Cup victory, Almond Eye retires with a mark of 15-11-2-1 and ¥1,915,263,900 (US$18,393,937/£13,819,626/€15,374,801) in earnings, becoming the richest runner in JRA history. Breeding plans have not been decided.

Pedigree Notes

One of four Group 1 winners and 23 total black-type winners for her sire, Almond Eye is a member of her sire’s first crop. Fusaichi Pandora has produced 10 foals so far, with eight winners from eight runners. Besides Almond Eye, the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup bridemaid’s next most decorated offspring would be the Listed Anemone S. third Unakite (Jpn) (Johannesburg), while her latest is a juvenile by Rulership (Jpn).

Almond Eye’s second dam is an unraced Nureyev half-sister to champions and successful sires El Gran Senor (Northern Dancer) and Try My Best (Northern Dancer), as well as Irish highweight Solar (Halo). The quartet are out of blue hen Sex Appeal (Buckpasser), herself a half-sister to Malinowski (Sir Ivor), GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom {Fr}), and GSW Monroe (Sir Ivor).

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
JAPAN CUP-G1, ¥574,620,000 (US$5,519,130/£4,146,327/€4,613,255), Tokyo, 11-29, 3yo/up, 2400mT, 2:23.00, fm.
1–ALMOND EYE (JPN), 121, m, 5, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Fusaichi Pandora (Jpn) MSW & G1SP-Jpn,
                                $3,264,457, by Sunday Silence
                2nd Dam: Lotta Lace, by Nureyev
                3rd Dam: Sex Appeal, by Buckpasser
O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Sakae Kunieda;
J-Christophe Lemaire. ¥303,234,000. Lifetime Record:
HotY-Jpn, Ch. 3yo Filly-Jpn, Filly Triple Crown-Jpn, Hwt. Older
Mare-UAE, MG1SW-Jpn, G1SW-UAE, 15-11-2-1,
¥1,915,263,900. *1/2 to Unakite (Jpn) (Johannesburg), SP-Jpn,
$290,564. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Contrail (Jpn), 121, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Rhodochrosite,
by Unbridled’s Song. O-Shinji Maeda; B-North Hills (Jpn);
¥120,924,000.
3–Daring Tact (Jpn), 117, f, 3, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Daring Bird
(Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). (¥12,000,000 Ylg ’18
JRHAJUL). O-Normandy Thoroughbred Racing; B-Hasegawa
Farm (Jpn); ¥75,462,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, NO. Odds: 1.20, 1.80, 2.70.
Also Ran: Curren Bouquetd’or (Jpn), Glory Vase (Jpn), World Premiere (Jpn), Mikki Swallow (Jpn), Kiseki (Jpn), Makahiki (Jpn), Way to Paris (GB), Perform a Promise (Jpn), You Can Smile (Jpn), Crescendo Love (Jpn), Taurus Gemini (Jpn), Yoshio (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

The post Almond Eye Claims Second Japan Cup in Triple Crown Trifecta appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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