What's really important, of course, is what happens in two or three years' time when these youngsters make it to the track, but the first test, on the commercial market, has been passed with flying colours. Graduating at the head of his class was lot 360, the Northern Farm-bred colt out of Argentinean Grade I winner Conviction (Arg) (City Banker {Arg}), who made Monday's yearling trade look almost abstemious when bringing a sale-topping price of ¥520 million ($3.7m).

“This is my gift to the new trainer,” said buyer Koji Maeda of North Hills, who bred the sleek, near-black Contrail and posed with the trainer-to-be, Yuichi Fukunaga, who is better known for now as the jockey who steered Maeda's star Contrail to five Grade I victories, consisting of the Japanese Triple Crown, the Japan Cup, and the Hopeful S. as a two-year-old.

A brother to two winners to date, the Contrail colt became the third-most expensive foal ever to be sold at the JRHA Select Sale and he was not the only foal by the Shadai stallion to carry a hefty price tag.

With an average of ¥128.6m ($915,000) for 20 foals sold, Contrail's offspring at the Northern Horse Park included eight who changed hands for more than $1 million. Shinji Maeda, the brother of Koji in whose name Contrail raced, bought lot 329, who was consigned by Grand Stud and is out of Bye Bye Baby (Ire), a Group 3-winning daughter of Galileo (Ire) and sister to the Derby winner Serpentine (Ire). His second dam Remember When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) is closely related to Dylan Thomas (Ire) and Homecoming Queen (Ire).

With several hours of trade left on Monday a new record aggregate for the foal session had been set, and by the time the 219 foals to have changed hands had all been rung through the till, the tally came in at ¥14.78 billion (£81.5m/€95.6m/$105.2m), which was up 11.5% on last year's trade. The day's clearance rate was 94.8%.

It follows then, with records achieved in each individual session, that the overall turnover was also at a new high of ¥28.1 billion (£155.2m/€182.1m/$200.4m)), from ¥25.8 billion last year. The average of ¥64.7 million (£356,820/€418,738/$460,793) was up from ¥57.6 million in 2022, and the clearance rate for the two days was 96%.

Throughout both sessions, only four horses were sold to non-Japanese owners. A new buyer from Hong Kong, Karson Ka Ching Cheng, signed for two foals, and Sheikh Fahad of Qatar Racing, bought a yearling filly by Suave Richard (Jpn). The extraordinary level of trade for both yearlings and foals is yet another emphatic indication of the extraordinary interest and investment in racing and breeding in Japan.

Another Commercial St Leger Winner…

There were of course plenty of other stallions of note besides Contrail represented at the sale, and those with the most significant results were almost all racehorses who plied their trade at the highest level at a mile and a half-plus. 

The Japanese St Leger and Japan Cup winner Epiphaneia (Jpn) now has not just his half-brother Saturnalia (Jpn) but also his son, the 2021 JRA Horse of the Year Efforia (Jpn), alongside him at the Shadai Stallion Station. Epiphaneia proved from the outset that he could get a good one when his first-crop daughter Daring Tact (Jpn) won the Fillies' Triple Crown, and he remains popular in Hokkaido. 

Among his best-selling foals was lot 417, a half-brother to the Grade I-winning miler Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}) out of the G1 Preis der Diana winner Serienholde (Ger), a daughter of Soldier Hollow (GB).

Oh to live in a country where you can send an Oaks winner to a St Leger winner and have a hugely commercial foal. That's not uncommon in Japan, and Serienholde's colt sold for ¥300 million ($2.1m) to Tabata Toshihiko. He wasn't the most expensive foal by Epiphaneia, however. That honour went to lot 332, Northern Farm's son of Pixie Hollow (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}) who is already the dam of champion sprinter Pixie Knight (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}). He was sold for ¥330 million ($2.3m) to Susumu Fujita.

…And Another 

Kitasan Black (Jpn) played a leading role in Monday's yearling session, and he opened the batting for the foals in similar style when his elegant young son out of the Monsun (Ger) mare Fadillah (Ger) sold for ¥280 million ($2.65m). 

The 10-year-old mare, a dual winner in England, was bought from the Tattersalls December Sale by Katsumi Yoshida for 700,000gns and her family continues to thrive. Her second dam Sacarina (GB) (Old Vic {GB}) established a notable dynasty in Germany where she is the dam of the Classic winners Samum (Ger), Schiaparelli (GB) and Salve Regina (Ger), who are all by Fadillah's sire Monsun. Another of their full-siblings is Sanwa (Ger), the dam of German Derby winner Sea The Moon (Ger), who last weekend sired the winner of that same race, Fantastic Moon (Ger). The family has also been represented this season by the Derby Italiano winner Goldenas (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), a great grandson of Sacarina.

The final foal of the day to breach the million-dollar mark came when lot 499, the last by Kitasan Black to grace the ring, was knocked down after a boisterous exchange of shouting bid-spotters at ¥290 million ($2m). The colt in question is out of the treble winner War Chronicle (Jpn) (War Emblem), whose half-siblings Chrono Genesis (Jpn) and Normcore (Jpn) are both Grade I winners.

She Still Reigns

The aforementioned Saturnalia, the half-brother to Epiphaneia whose win in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) earned him the title of champion three-year-old of his generation, had his first yearlings on sale on Monday.

From his second crop came a filly foal out of the Golden Slipper winner and Australian champion juvenile filly, She Will Reign (Aus). The daughter of Manhattan Rain (Aus) has had just one foal to race to date, and that is the G2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai runner-up Danon Tornado (Jpn). Her youngest daughter will eventually race in the same colours, having been bought for ¥200 million ($1.4m) by Masahiro Noda of Danox Co Ltd.

Gentildonna's Sister for HK Owner

If you're planning to get involved at the pricey JRHA Select Sale, it helps if your name is Ka Ching. Karson Ka Ching Cheng, to use the new buyer's full name, is no stranger to top-class winners on the track as his father Keung Fai Cheng raced the Hong Kong Derby winner Designs On Rome (Ire), whose success on the island was legion.

Cheng Jr made his first visit to the sale worthwhile with the purchase of a filly foal with one of the best pedigrees in the book. He bought the half-sister to dual Horse of the Year Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) for ¥210 million ($1.5m). The daughter of Drefong is the final foal of Donna Blini (GB) (Bertolini), winner of the G1 Cheveley Park S. in her racing days in England and also the dam of G3 Sekiya Kinen winner Donau Blue (Jpn). The latter is a full-sister to the six-time Group 1 winner Gentildonna and both sisters are now stakes producers. Gentildonna's daughter Geraldina (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) won the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in November. The family also includes Japanese Derby winner Roger Barows (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who is out of Donna Blini's half-sister Little Book (GB) (Librettist).

Cheng, who plans to race the Drefong filly in Japan eventually, said, “I was underbidder on Donna Blini's yearling yesterday. I liked her on type and I love the foal, too.”

The mare's yearling filly from the final crop of Duramente sold for the same price (¥210m) to TN Racing. 

Cheng returned later to buy a Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) half-brother to G2 Kinko Sho winner Gibeon (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) from Shadai Farm for ¥200 million ($1.4m). The colt's dam Contested (Ghostzapper) won the GI Acorn S. and is out of a half-sister to the GI King's Bishop S. winner Pomeroy.

That's a Wrap

Teruya Yoshida, acting chairman of the JRHA and head of Shadai Farm, was out photographing foals during the inspection session at 8am, and almost 12 hours later he gave a televised address to the media as two days of frenetic action came to a close.

“The market was surprisingly strong and we welcome the many new buyers,” he said. “The yen is quite weak at the moment, which was why some more foreign visitors attended, and we hoped that they would be more involved, but I think that the increased prices were beyond what they were expecting.”

Thirty-five foals sold for more than a million dollars on Tuesday, including six by Kitasan Black and eight by his younger stud-mate Contrail. Across the sale as a whole, 63 horses surpassed that mark.

Yoshida continued, “Kitasan Black has of course had the champion Equinox and Satsuki Sho winner Sol Oriens this season, so that has enhanced his popularity.

“Contrail is not a big stallion but his foals are well balanced with good conformation, and in addition to that many people think favourably of him as a Triple Crown winner, so that has increased their desire to buy his stock.”

In an earlier interview with TDN, Yoshida had spoken of Deep Impact's great influence in succeeding his own dominant sire Sunday Silence at Shadai Stallion Station.

“Maybe Contrail will come next,” he said. Maybe he's right.

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The 46-year-old had his final rides on the Japan Racing Association (JRA) circuit at Tokyo Racecourse earlier this month but will close the chapter on his storied career when he partners Remake (Jpn) (Lani) in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint presented by Sports Boulevard and Ecoro Ares (Unified) in the G3 Saudi Derby presented by Boutique Group on Saturday.

The veteran rider will concentrate fully on his training career upon his retirement from the saddle and told fans of how that new ambition outweighed his desire to continue riding.

“I have found other things I really want to do as my job,” he said. “I never felt I did not like being a jockey. The attraction of becoming a trainer outweighed the motivation to continue my riding career because I have had enough as a jockey. As a trainer, I can be more deeply involved with horses.”

Fukunaga will retire with a spectacular list of achievements. As an established rider, he has collected 45 Grade/Group 1 wins which include 34 on the JRA circuit, six at the National Association of Racing (NAR) level and five overseas.

Those were the American Oaks on Cesario (Jpn) (Special Week {Jpn}) in 2005, three times in Hong Kong on Eishin Preston (Green Dancer) and the Dubai Duty Free on Just A Way (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in 2014. In 2022, he won the G1 February S. on Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup entrants Cafe Pharoah (Jpn) (American Pharoah) and Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) on Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong), having helped Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) land the Japanese Triple Crown in 2020.

He continued, “I'd like to thank all the racing fans for supporting and cheering the horse racing in Japan, I never thought I wanted to quit as a jockey in these 27 years. I am very grateful to all the people involved in my jockey life. I will go to the next stage as a trainer, and I do hope I can train horses that many people want to cheer.”

Fukunaga added, “I want to express my gratitude to the connections for the chances to ride in Saudi Arabia for my final rides. Hopefully I can show their best runs and bring the best results to all the fans in Japan.”

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Winner of his first two trips to the races, Perriere was made the 11-10 favorite for the Hyacinth in his first start since a third to G3 Saudi Derby hopeful Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) in the second leg of the series, the Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Dec. 14. Alertly away from gate three, the blinkered bay colt hugged the fence in the second flight of horses and was patiently handled for the run into the final 600 meters. Steered out into the four path, Perriere had aim on the front-runners at the furlong grounds and came away in the final sixteenth of a mile to score by 1 1/2 lengths (see below, SC 3). Z Lien (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) rallied for second at 51-1, while 45-1 chance Eclogite (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) nosed out second wagering choice Great Sand Sea (Into Mischief) for third. The final time for the one-turn mile on fast dirt was 1:37.2. With 36 points, Perriere is the leader in the series, with the Fukuryu S. (allowance) over nine furlongs at Nakayama Mar. 25 the final race.

Perriere is campaigned by Yuji Hasegawa, whose name has graced American bloodstock sales for the last several years. He purchased Vanishing Point (Tapit)–a full-brother to two-time Eclipse Award winner Unique Bella–for $1.5 million at KEESEP in 2019 and paid $750,000 for the Arrogate colt Poison Arrow at the same event in 2020. Hasegawa also races Open Fire (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}–Go Maggie Go), recent runner-up in the G3 Kisaragi Sho and a candidate for this year's Japanese Classics.

Purchased for ¥11 million at the 2021 Hokkaido Summer Yearling Sale, Perriere is the 43rd worldwide stakes winner for Henny Hughes and his 16th in Japan. The colt's third dam is two-time European champion Ski Paradise (Lyphard), winner in France of the G1 Prix du Moulin over a mile and runner-up to Lure in the 1993 GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

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South Africa's three-time champion jockey was one of three riders taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital after his mount Amazing Star broke down and fell, bringing down three other horses who were unable to avoid him.

Zac Purton, who suffered four fractured ribs and a broken nose, and Yuichi Fukunaga (broken collarbone) were also hospitalized while Amazing Star and Naboo Attack had to be put down. The fourth jockey involved, Karis Teetan, was unscathed.

Hewitson, 23, suffered a fractured hip, sustained cuts to his elbow and head trauma but said there were “no issues to worry about”.

He said: “I'm in no pain at all just lying in my hospital bed. I only feel pain when I need to adjust or move as it refers straight to/from my pelvis area where the fracture is.

“The doctors are happy with it saying it's a convenient fracture that will heal without surgery and without issues. I've got some stitches on my left elbow as well. My CT scans on my head are stable. I just need some rest and rehab now.”

Hewitson's news was welcomed by Purton, Hong Kong's four-time champion jockey, who admitted he had initially feared for his colleague.

“It was an awful incident,” he said, speaking to Australian broadcaster Andrew Bensley. “I was worried for Lyle Hewitson because he was the first one to go in front of me. When he hit the ground, he just lay there like a pancake.

“He didn't bounce at all and that's normally a pretty bad sign when that happens, whereas I was able to roll a little bit. Even though I was in a bad spot, and a bit of pain, I was a little bit worried about how Lyle hit the ground. Because I was in so much pain I couldn't go over to see him or check on any other riders.”

Purton was optimistic about his own situation and said he hoped to leave hospital on Monday.

He said: “I feel pretty good. I've got four fractured ribs, three on one side, one on the other. I have a fractured nose, which probably doesn't mean anything because it was always a bit wonky anyway and I have a bit of a sore wrist so I'm waiting to get an MRI on that. I am pretty lucky really.”

Purton, who was riding the favorite Lucky Patch, said there was no way of avoiding Amazing Star.

“I had nowhere to go and I had no time to react, it happened that quick,” he said.

“I was quite close up behind him. When he went there was only one place for me to go and that was straight over the top of him. The two horses following us as well had no option either. They were in that running line and the domino effect happened.”

He added: “I have a really big haematoma on my right biceps and I have a mark on my right wrist where there is an imprint of a shoe so the horse has stepped on my bicep then my wrist and that's where I felt the pain initially.

“Then I've got another mark on my left thigh muscle where I must have been hit or stepped on. Then I have the ribs where the horse has either kicked or squeezed me to the ground. I was winded quite badly and I have a bang mark on my right foot.”

Fukunaga, who was riding Pixie Knight, has been released from hospital and returned to Japan. Pixie Knight was reported to have suffered a fracture to his left front knee.

This story was reprinted with permission by Horse Racing Planet. Find the original piece and more content here.

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Contrail seeks glory in the “Emperor's Prize” as successor to the mighty Almond Eye after finishing third in the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m) at Hanshin Racecourse, where he did not appreciate the heavy ground. Fortuitously, there is no rain forecast this weekend in Tokyo and stable expectations are high.

Contrail has thrived during trackwork over the past two weeks, needing no urging. Last week, under jockey Yuichi Fukunaga, Contrail looked strong working on the woodchip flat course.

“His heart and lungs were tuned up and last week we just checked his responses and turn of foot. Everything is fabulous,” Fukunaga said.

On Wednesday this week, the colt breezed up the hill.

“It was just to fine-tune his breathing,” trainer Yoshito Yahagi said. “His action is spot-on and in today's work you could really see his strong point, his suppleness.”

The Deep Impact colt's retirement has already been announced and the Tenno Sho will be his second-last start before his scheduled farewell appearance in the Japan Cup.

Gran Alegria, also by Deep Impact, is also a leading contender with five top-level wins to her name. Trained by Miho-based Kazuo Fujisawa, she's tackling the distance for only her second time. Her first attempt came in the Osaka Hai, where she followed Contrail over the line in fourth place. Gran Alegria, who along with Efforia, will enjoy a lighter weight of only 123lb in the race, returns to the track from a close second in the G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m, Tokyo) in early June.

Regular rider Christophe Lemaire attributes Gran Alegria's loss in the Yasuda to breathing problems caused by an entrapped epiglottis. She underwent surgery to correct the issue during the summer.

“There'll be no problems with her throat this time,” Lemaire says. “I think she'll be able to give a best performance.”

With the 70-year-old Fujisawa's retirement just around the corner, this will be his last Tenno Sho.

“He's a superstar trainer, I want to win the race for him one more time.” Lemaire said.

The Frenchman, currently the leading jockey in Japan, has ridden the winner for the past three autumn versions of the Tenno Sho, including Fujisawa's Rey de Oro in 2018.

Efforia, a 3-year-old by 2014 Japan Cup champion Epiphaneia, went to the Triple Crown first leg Satsuki Sho on his fourth start and won it to remain unbeaten. He suffered his first loss in the Japanese Derby with a second by a mere nose. He returns straight from the May 30 Derby, but the distance and venue are familiar ground to the colt. He won over 2000m three times in his five-race career, with two wins at Tokyo.

Efforia is to be paired with young star Takeshi Yokoyama, who hails from a racing family and will be joined by both his father and older brother in Sunday's Tenno Sho. The 22-year-old Yokoyama won the Satsuki Sho aboard Efforia in April.

On Wednesday, Yokoyama rode Efforia among a trio of horses over six furlongs on the Miho flat course. The colt displayed excellent acceleration in the final furlong.

“I've ridden him all along in work and in his races.” Yokoyama said. “And I'd say this week's work was his best yet.”

Efforia will compete against older horses for his first time, but Yokoyama says: “I'm not worried about the others. The main thing for me to remember is to not get in his way and he'll be fine.”

Sixteen horses are nominated in the turf event that carries a 150-million-yen first prize. Names most cited as capable of an upset are the highly consistent Sakae Kunieda-trained Curren Bouquetd'or, winner of this year's Tenno Sho Spring World Premiere, and the up-and-coming Potager, taking on his first G1.

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Bred by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm and racing for the Yoshida family's Sunday Racing Co. Ltd., Shahryar was up in the final yards of the 2,400-meter Tokyo Yushun under Yuichi Fukunaga to defeat 7-10 favorite Efforia by a nose. The latter, a colt by Epiphaneia also bred by Northern Farm, finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher, Stella Veloce. All 17 runners seeking the winner's share of the US$4.1 million purse were bred in Japan.

Trained by Hideaki Fujiwara, Shahryar covered the about 1  1/2 miles in 2:22.50, nearly two seconds off the course record of 2:20.60. He was sent off the fourth betting choice at 10-1 odds.

Fukunaga was riding his third Tokyo Yushun winner in the last four years. This was the trainer's second victory in the race.

This was the first G1 for Shahrayi and third win overall from four starts. He came into the Tokyo Yushun off a G3 win at Hanshin in the Mainichi Hai, having previously finished third to Efforia in a G3 at Tokyo.

Shahryar saved ground much of the way, tracking behind Efforia but then ran into traffic problems rounding the far turn and into the stretch. After altering course in midstretch to find clear sailing, Shahryar flew late to win by the narrowest of margins. It was the first defeat in five starts for Efforia, who won the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) to kick off Japan's Triple Crown at Nakayama on April 18 in his most recent start.

Shahryar becomes the seventh Tokyo Yushun winner for Deep Impact, a Japanese Triple Crown winner in 2005 who retired with 12 wins from 14 starts over three racing seasons. Deep Impact has followed in the footsteps of Sunday Silence, who was Japan's leading sire for 13 consecutive years from 1995-2007. Deep Impact has been leading sire every year since 2012. He died in 2019.

Shahryar's dam, Dubai Majesty, is a 2005 foal by Essence of Dubai, a son of Pulpit. Bred in Florida by Harold J. Plumley, Dubai Majesty was a $7,000 buy-back at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale who began her racing career for Plumley and was sold privately after the 10^th of her 34 career starts. Bret Calhoun campaigned Dubai Majesty for the remainder of her racing days for Martin Racing Stable LLC and Dan Morgan, and she won four graded stakes: two renewals of the G3 Winning Colors, the G2 Thoroughbred Club of America, and in her final start the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Dubai Majesty retired with 12 wins from 34 starts and earnings of $1,509,243.

Immediately after her final victory, she was entered in the Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale where Katsumi Yoshida bought her for $1.1 million from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

Shahryar is the second Japanese classic winner produced from the Deep Impact–Dubai Majesty mating. Al Ain won the 2017 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) before finishing fifth in that year's Tokyo Yushun.

With on-track attendance limited at Japan Racing Association tracks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance was just 4,944 at the cavernous Tokyo Racecourse. Wagering on the Tokyo Yushun was US$228 million, with US$356 million wagered on the 12-race program.

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Sent off at 10-1, Shahryar was rank and tugging for more rein while in close quarters in midpack into the first turn. He was still a touch keen on the backstretch run in between horses as Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) cut out fractions of :22.80 for the quarter, :48 flat for the half mile and six furlongs in 1:12.70. Within striking distanceof  the frontrunners approach the far turn, his traffic woes continued and he was forced five deep in the hunt for racing room as the field began to fan wide at the 600-metre mark.

Still boxed in, Shahryar's momentum was halted shortly thereafter and he was steered back towards the centre of the course inside the final quarter mile. Efforia had enjoyed a ground-save trip meanwhile and cut through a gap to take control with 250 metres remaining.

The Sunday Racing colourbearer had finally found his rhythm however, and was firing on all cylinders down the lane as he switched to the favourite's left and saw daylight. The duo matched strides for the final furlong, with the bob at the line going to Shahryar by a nose. Efforia was gallant in defeat and the margin back to Stella Veloce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) was 1 1/4 lengths. Great Magician (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was another nose back in fourth.

“It's so great to have won the Derby which I had made it my target with this colt ever since his debut,” said pilot Yuichi Fukunaga, who had won Japan's Blue Riband in the past with Wagnerian and Contrail. “We were keeping an eye on the race favorite but the race didn't go as smoothly as planned and we were in a tight spot so we were forced to make our charge late, but this colt really gave a terrific effort.”

A winner of a Kyoto newcomer affair last October, the dark bay ran third to Efforia in the G3 Kyodo News Hai on Valentine's Day making his 4-year-old bow. He returned with a win in Hanshin's G3 Mainichi Hai in a new race record of 1:43.90 for the 1800 metres over firm turf on Mar. 27.

Pedigree Notes
The winner, the 49th Group 1 winner for his late sire, is a full-brother to the 2017 G1 Japanese 2000 Guineas and G1 Osaka Hai victor Al Ain (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), and is one of five winners from six to race for his accomplished dam who landed the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in 2010, the same year she was named Eclipse Champion Female Sprinter Stateside. Sold for $1.1 million to Katsumi Yoshida at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, Dubai Majesty has a 2-year-old colt by Heart's Cry (Jpn) and was covered later that year by Lord Kanaloa (Jpn), but did not produce a foal in 2020. The half-sister to MSW Majestic Dinner (Formal Dinner) was bred to Duramente (Jpn) last spring.

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
TOKYO YUSHUN (JAPANESE DERBY)-G1, ¥418,840,000, Tokyo, 5-30, 3yo, c/f, 2400mT, 2:22.50, fm.
1–SHAHRYAR (JPN), 126, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Dubai Majesty (Ch. Female Sprinter-US,
                                GISW-US, $1,509,243), by Essence of Dubai
                2nd Dam: Great Majesty, by Great Above
                3rd Dam: Mistic Majesty, by His Majesty
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
T-Hideaki Fujiwara; J-Yuichi Fukunaga. ¥227,118,000. Lifetime
Record: 4-3-0-1. *Full to Al Ain (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}),
MG1SW-Jpn, $4,749,430. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple
   Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Efforia (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Katies Heart (Jpn),
by Heart's Cry (Jpn). O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥87,768,000.
3–Stella Veloce (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Bago (Fr)–Oh My Baby (Jpn), by
Deep Impact (Jpn). (¥60,000,000 Wlg '18 JRHAJUL). O-Tsuyoshi
Ono; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥31,776,000.
Margins: NO, 1 1/4, NO. Odds: 10.70, 0.70, 39.20.
Also Ran: Great Magician (Jpn), Satono Reinas (Jpn), Titleholder (Jpn), Yoho Lake (Jpn), Gratias (Jpn), Baji O (Jpn), Wonderful Town (Jpn), Red Genesis (Jpn), Lagom (Jpn), Time to Heaven (Jpn), Victipharus (Jpn), Bathrat Leon (Jpn), Deep Monster (Jpn), Admire Hadar (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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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.

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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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Away in good order, pilot Yuichi Fukunaga eased Contrail back to sit in midfield while well covered up in the early stages. Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) showed the way through a half in :47.40 and a mile in 1:36.30 with positions largely unchanged. Nearing the final bend the heavy favourite had a wall of horses to navigate. A gap opened at the head of the lane and Contrail dashed through, taking over 250 metres from home before winning under hands and heels without ever being asked a serious question. Weltreisende (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) closed from out of the clouds to take second, two lengths adrift, while Robertson Quay (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was third a neck off of the runner-up.

Never tried under 1800 metres, Contrail won his debut at that trip at Hanshin in September of last year, before setting a new record in Tokyo’s G3 Tokyo Sports Hia Nisai S. on Nov. 16, covering the distance in a blazing 1:44.50. Tested at Group 1 level in the 2000-metre Hopeful S., he maintained his unbeaten record at Nakayama on Dec. 28 and was named Japan’s 2019 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt. This term, he picked up where he left off, adding the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) in April and the May 31 2400-metre Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).

Pedigree Notes
The near-black colt is one of two Group 1 winners for his late sire out of Unbridled’s Song mares, the other being Danon Platina (Jpn), while Group 2 winner Red Bel Jour (Jpn) struck in the G2 Kyoto Daily Hai Nisai. 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, she 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. Her dam, the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and GI Matron S. heroine Folklore (Tiznow) was named the 2005 Eclipse Award Champion Juvenile Filly.

Sunday, Chukyo, Japan
KOBE SHIMBUN HAI-G2, ¥105,300,000 (US$997,673/£783,013/€857,539), Chukyo, 9-27, 3yo, c/f, 2200mT, 2:12.50, fm.
1–CONTRAIL (JPN), 123, c, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Rhodochrosite, by Unbridled’s Song
                2nd Dam: Folklore, by Tiznow
                3rd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
O-Shinji Maeda; B-North Hills (Jpn); T-Yoshito Yahagi; J-Yuichi
Fukunaga. ¥55,260,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-Jpn,
MG1SW-Jpn, 6-6-0-0. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Weltreisende (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Dream Journey (Jpn)–
Mandela (Ger), by Acatenango (Ger). O-Sunday Racing;
B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥22,360,000.
3–Robertson Quay (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Rulership (Jpn)–Tokai
Megami (Jpn), by Sunday Silence. (¥10,000,000 Wlg ’17
JRHAJUL). O-Kazutaka Hosaka; B-Nagahama Farm (Jpn);
¥14,180,000.
Margins: 2, NK, 1. Odds: 0.10, 19.30, 111.70.
Also Ran: Deep Bond (Jpn), Turkish Palace (Ire), Endymion (Jpn), L’Excellence (Jpn), Iron Barows (Jpn), Man of Spirit (Jpn), Deep King (Jpn), Bitterender (Jpn), Panthalassa (Jpn), Shimbo (Jpn), Irogotoshi (Jpn), Meisho Bosatsu (Jpn), Falconia (Jpn), Grande Mare (Jpn), My Rhapsody (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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