Seven 3-year-olds, headed by recent G2 UAE Derby runner-up Summer Is Tomorrow (Summer Front), have been supplemented to the 2022 Triple Crown series for a fee of $6,000 prior to the late closing date this past Monday, Mar. 28.
Owned by Michael and Negar Burke, Summer Is Tomorrow is a two-time winner from seven starts in Dubai, having won a Feb. 25 allowance by 8 1/4 lengths going seven furlongs prior to his effort in the UAE Derby, in which he set the pace and was run down late by Japan's GI Kentucky Derby hopeful Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}). The bay, trained by Bhupat Seemar, earned $200,000 and 40 Kentucky Derby points for the effort.
Azure Coast (Street Sense), who came from the clouds to win the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan Feb. 11, has also been supplemented by owner Vladimir Kazakov and trainer Pavel Vashchenko. A distant ninth behind Summer Is Tomorrow in the UAE Derby, Azure Coast has yet to amass any Derby points.
The other late Triple Crown nominees include Bye Bye Bobby (Quality Road), second in Sunday's GIII Sunland Derby; O Captain (Carpe Diem), third in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S.; Shake Em Loose (Shakin It Up), winner of Laurel's Private Terms S.; recent Gulfstream allowance winner Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator); and Win the Day (Midshipman), who graduated at third asking in his dirt debut going a mile at Santa Anita Mar. 6.
The seven supplements take the number of 2022 Triple Crown nominees to 321. Any horse that has yet to be nominated at the first two stages can become Triple Crown eligible through supplemental payments made at the time of entry for the GI Kentucky Derby ($200,000), GI Preakness S. ($150,000) and GI Belmont S. ($50,000).
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — There is seemingly very little Japanese horses cannot accomplish these days.
Four weeks after scooping four races at a variety of distances and on both surfaces in Saudi Arabia, Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}) made it three wins on the Dubai World Cup undercard–with the possibility of even better to come–with a determined defeat of pacesetting Summer Is Tomorrow (Summer Front) in the $1-million G2 UAE Derby as night began to take hold at Meydan Racecourse. Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) struck for Japan at cricket score odds in the G2 Godolphin Mile, while Stay Foolish (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) won his second straight in the desert in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup at two miles on the turf.
Knocked sideways at the break by America's Gilded Age (Medaglia d'Oro), Crown Pride recovered nicely and raced in about sixth spot and three wide into the first turn as Summer Is Tomorrow was hounded along by G3 Saudi Derby hero Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) through strong early sectionals. Asked for a bit of acceleration 1100 metres out, Crown Pride improved–albeit deep on the track–outside of Saudi Derby second Sekifu (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) as they raced into the final half-mile.
Summer Is Tomorrow took them into the final two furlongs and had a nice kick over a track that was playing kindly to speed, but Australia's Damian Lane asked Crown Pride for his best approaching the eighth pole and the duo wore down the stubborn long-time leader despite racing on his incorrect lead through the line. Island Falcon (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) ran on for third, while Pinehurst hit a wall 600 metres out and was effectively eased under the wire.
“He stepped out okay, but didn't travel too well thereafter and it just took a little bit to get him in a rhythm and get him going,” said Lane, who has ridden with considerable success in Japan and won a G1 Cox Plate atop Horse of the Year Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) for Yoshito Yahagi. “I got crowded a little early, but as I say he was able to stride through and take up position and it was plain sailing from there, really. I was confident a long way out and although he made hard work of it in the straight, ultimately he was the toughest out there. He's a strong, tough horse and saw the distance out well.”
He added: “Whenever you jump aboard (a Japanese-trained horse), you can be confident they're going to be strong and they're going to run well and it's just a privilege to be a part of it.”
Bhupat Seemar, trainer of the runner-up, indicated that connections could have a look at the GI Kentucky Derby after earning 40 points.
“Why not though?,” said Seemar. “There were some good horses behind him, a couple of Grade 1 horses from America, so now that he's had that run I think we'd have to think about it.”
Pedigree Notes:
Crown Pride is the second stakes winner and second group winner for his sire, a son of Special Week (Jpn) and a himself a winner at Group 2 and Group 3 level. Crown Pride is the first foal from his dam, a nine-time winner at the races at Funabashi and Mombetsu on the National Association of Racing Circuit. Emmy's Pride is the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Pyro that sold for $226,940 at last year's JRHA Select Sales. She was most recently bred to American import Nadal (Blame). Like Stay Foolish, Crown Pride is out of a mare by King Kamehameha (Jpn).
Saturday, Meydan, Dubai UAE DERBY SPONSORED BY MUBADALA-G2, $1,000,000, Meydan, 3-26, 3yo, 9 1/2f, 1:59.76, fs.
1–CROWN PRIDE (JPN), 121, c, 3, by Reach the Crown (Jpn) 1st Dam: Emmy's Pride (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn) 2nd Dam: Emmy's Smile (Jpn), by Agnes Tachyon (Jpn) 3rd Dam: Hemisphere (Jpn), by White Muzzle (GB) 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Teruya Yoshida;
B-Shadai Farm (JPN); T-Koichi Shintani; J-Damian Lane.
$580,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $734,569. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Summer Is Tomorrow, 121, c, 3, Summer Front–Always
Tomorrow, by Badge of Silver. 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. ($25,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $14,000 Ylg '20
KEESEP; £120,000 2yo '21 ARQMAY). O-Michael Hilary Burke &
Negar Burke; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Bhupat Seemar.
$200,000.
3–Island Falcon (Ire), 121, c, 3, Iffraaj (GB)–Adoringly (Ire), by
Dubawi (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Saeed bin Suroor. $100,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1 1/4, 3/4.
Also Ran: Bendoog, Quality Boone (Arg), Reiwa Homare (Jpn), Kiefer (Brz), Sekifu (Jpn), Azure Coast, Withering (GB), Combustion (Jpn), Arabian Gazelles, Gilded Age, Irwin (Arg), Get Back Goldie, Pinehurst. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
KHK Racing's Shahama is three for three and a stakes winner after a 3 3/4-length victory in the $150,000 UAE 1,000 Guineas on Friday at Meydan. The 3-year-old daughter of Munnings, a half sister to champion Lookin At Lucky, relaxed in the early going, rallied to take command inside the quarter pole and cruised home from there.
“I was very impressed,” said jockey Adrie De Vries. “The race went totally different than I expected; I thought there would be a really strong pace with three sprinters in there but they all had the same plan. I wanted to take the pace out, which the outside draw helped me do and got me in a handy position. From there it was only a question of pushing the button and she answered every question.
“There's plenty left in the tank. She's only doing what you ask her to do and I haven't got serious with her yet.”
Trained by Fawzi Nass, she has earned $133,484 to date. After speeding an Under Tack quarter in :21 flat, she was purchased for $425,000 by her trainer out of the Eddie Woods consignment at the 2021 OBS April Sale.
While the Saudi Derby might be tempting, connections are leaning towards staying in Dubai with the daughter of Munnings. The Group 3 UAE Oaks looks the next step towards possibly taking on colts in the Group 2 UAE Derby.
“The Oaks looks the obvious next race,” added De Vries. “I'm not afraid about going further; any distance up to a mile and a quarter will suit her.”
Godolphin's Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the G2 UAE Derby in March, will be forced to miss Saturday's GI Belmont S. due to an infection in a hind leg, according to a tweet from Godolphin Tuesday morning.
“We hope this is only a minor setback and we look forward to seeing him back on the racecourse in the near future,” the tweet read.
With his UAE Derby victory, Rebel's Romance had qualified into the field for the May 1 GI Kentucky Derby, but connections decided to bypass that race and aim for the Belmont. The Godolphin homebred, trained by Charles Appleby, most recently worked six furlongs in 1:14.29 (1/2) at Belmont Park May 26.
Godolphin is expected to be represented in the Belmont by last year's champion 2-year-old Essential Quality (Tapit).
