26 December, 2018
November was filled with highly entertaining G1 races and a broad cross-section of two-year-old stakes races as we barrel towards the end of 2018.
If the odds of the winner of the 1400m G3 Fantasy Stakes at Kyoto Racecourse on November 2nd didn't make it clear enough, Danon Fantasy(JPN) looks to be a special filly. After sitting near mid back during the seven-furlong race for fillies the daughter of Deep Impact(JPN) launched into action in the stretch to win by a comfortable 1 3/4 lengths over her rivals. The ¥97,200,000(US$881,552) 2017 Select Sale Graduate stamped herself as a likely favorite come the G1 Hanshin Juvenile fillies in December. Belles Soeurs(JPN) by Swept Overboard(USA) was second, and Juranville(JPN) by Kinshasa no Kiseki(JPN) was a neck back in third.
In the 1400m G2 Keio Hai Nisai Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse on November 3rd, Fantasist(JPN) continued to show his a class as he got his nose in front of a persistent A Will a Way(JPN) at the wire to capture his second graded stakes victory of his short career. The Lord Kanaloa(JPN) colt sat off the pace for the seven-furlong race and made his move on the stretch making at about the 200m when he and Just a Way(JPN)'s gutsy A Will a Way(JPN) made Fantasist(JPN) work for it in a stellar stretch duel. Carlino(JPN) by Matsurida Gogh(JPN) was two lengths back in third.
Daiwa Major(JPN) has always been a spectacular sire of two-year-olds, and his ability was on display again in the November 10th running of the G2 1600m Daily Hai Nisai Stakes at Kyoto Racecourse. His son Admire Mars(JPN), and daughter Meisho Shobu(JPN) finished within three-quarter lengths of each other after having pretty much dueled each other the entire mile. Admire Mars(JPN) was a ¥56,160,000(US$509,341) 2017 Select Sale graduate and the favorite in the race, but the sixth favorite Meisho Shobu(JPN) made him work for it every step of the way. Happy Hour(JPN) by Harbinger(GB) was two and a half lengths back in third.
Don't let his name fool you, Nishino Daisy(JPN), by Harbinger(GB) is no pushover. Despite going into the 1800m G3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse on November 17th as the 8th favorite at 38.4 odds, the G3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes winner proved he was just as good as before. After the favorite Levolg(JPN) missed the start and proved a non-factor in the race it came down to a quality duel between Nishino Daisy(JPN), who took some encouragement to fight on and 4th favorite Vin de Garde(JPN) by Deep Impact(JPN) dueling from the 200m mark and 7th favorite Agulhas(JPN) by Black Tide(JPN) putting more pressure on them as the stretched out towards the finish. Nishino Daisy(JPN) got his nose in front with Agulhas(JPN) in second. Vin de Garde(JPN) had to settle with being a head back in third.
While most graded races for two-year-olds are a mile or under, there are only four races longer than that. The G3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes and G3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes, both won by Nishino Daisy(JPN) are both 1800m, and the November 24th G3 Kyoto Nisai Stakes and the G1 Hopeful Stakes on December 28th are both 2000m. The Kyoto Nisai Stakes was added to the calendar in its current incarnation in 2014 as the JRA made a move to eventually make another G1 for two-year-olds focusing more on distance since each year the only two G1 races were up to a mile for juveniles. As a prep for the Hopeful Stakes, which after some pivoting finally became a G1 in 2017, the Kyoto Nisai Stakes and the other 1800m juvenile races had a solid mission of finding the best classic distance juvenile in Japan. Running near the back of the pack, favorite Courageux Guerrier(JPN) justified that support by pushing his way through the pack in the turn for home before he and fourth favorite, Breaking Dawn(JPN), drew well clear of the rest of the pack in the stretch. Courageux Guerrier(JPN), a son of King Kamehameha(JPN) was never in danger, but Breaking Dawn(JPN), son of Dubai World Cup winner Victoire Pisa(JPN) never gave him a moments rest, finishing just half a length back in second. World Premiere(JPN) by Deep Impact(JPN) was three and a half lengths back in third.
Most people outside of Japan have probably never heard of Japan's 'JBC' series. The trio of JBC races hope to help bring the same elevated status to the Japanese dirt circuit, which is mostly run on NAR tracks to a higher level by modeling itself after America's Breeders Cup. Usually held the same weekend as its American forefather, the three-race series has up until this year always been held at a NAR racetrack, moving each year. In an interesting twist to work on upping the exposure, they moved the races to JRA's Kyoto Racecourse on November 4th.
The JBC Sprint, a JPN1 1200m race, was captured by Graceful Leap(JPN), who represented Japan well by winning the 2017 Keeneland Korea Sprint in Seoul last year. He eight-year-old son of Gold Allure(JPN) with only a few listed wins to his name gallantly rose to the occasion to win his first JPN1 race. G3 winner Matera Sky(USA) by Speightstown(USA) was a neck back in second, and NAR contender Kitasan Mikazuki(JPN) by King Halo(JPN) was two and a half lengths back in third.
The 1800m JPN1 JBC Ladies' Classic is modeled after the Breeders' Cup Distaff and has been a great addition to the calendar for fillies and mares looking to get better black type into their pedigrees, which can be hard when most events at the highest level are reserved for males or mixed sex. The results shocked the punters when Ange Desir(JPN), a daughter of Deep Impact(JPN) got her head in front of favorite Rabbit Run(USA), a daughter of Tapit(USA). Deep Impact(JPN) during the past nine crops could count on one hand the number of stakes-winning dirt progeny he had produced. The effort showed her sire's fantastic turn of foot even over the deep dirt track. She could be one to watch on the dirt circuit going forward. Fashionista(JPN) by Street Sense(USA) was a half a length back in third.
The 1900m JPN1 JBC Classic has seen some quality Japanese Dirt runners in its short existence. Missing this year was the three-year-old rockstar Le Vent Se Leve(JPN), who chose to focus on preparing for the JRA's G1 Champion's Cup on the farm and not on the track. Third favorite K T Brave(JPN), a five-year-old son of Admire Max(JPN) bested the first and second favorites to win three-fourths of a length. The chestnut colt has had a very consistent career on the dirt and despite being 2kg heavier than the three-year-old runner-up Omega Perfume(JPN), by Swept Overboard(USA), still managed to hold him off. Favorite Sunrise Soar(JPN), by Symboli Kris S(USA), finished a length back in third.
Sunrise Nova(JPN), a son of top dirt sire Gold Allure(JPN) was on a win streak when he entered the gates as favorite for the G3 1600m Musashino Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse on November 10th. The four-year-old colt performed like the favorite when he closed like a rocket to win by a comfortable length and a quarter over Queen's Saturn(JPN), a son of Pyro(USA). Third place finisher, Namura Miracle(JPN) by Spicule(JPN) had tracked the pace in second since the break and held on for third, finishing only a neck behind Queen's Saturn(JPN).
The G2 Copa Republica Argentina at Tokyo Racecourse on November 4th is often considered a prep for either the G1 Japan Cup and/or the G1 Arima Kinen given its 2500m distance. The winner this year, Perform a Promise(JPN), decided to dodge the threat of Almond Eye(JPN) and head straight into the G1 Arima Kinen. After spending much of the long race in mid-pack, the Stay Gold(JPN) six-year-old looked potentially beat before short-term license foreign jockey Colm O'Donoghue dug deep and found the stayer's next gear. He left into gear and easily held off the closing Rulership(JPN) sired favorite Muito Obrigado(JPN) by three-quarters of a length. Makoto Galahad(JPN) by Suzuka Mambo(JPN) was a half of a length back in third.
On November 11th, the 2000m G3 Fukushima Kinen at Fukushima Racecourse is one of the few races in Japan that is run as a handicap. Lightweight Stiffelio(JPN) had been working his way up the ranks in honestly, and this proved to be the perfect placing for the four-year-old son of Stay Gold(JPN) to capture his first graded race. He tracked the pace in third position till they hit the 200m mark and he hit the lead, taking full advantage of his weight allowance to win by a length and a quarter over fellow lightweight My Style(JPN) by Heart's Cry(JPN). Air Anthem(JPN) who was carrying the second heaviest weight of the field, closed well to finish a neck behind in third.
The domination of Lord Kanaloa(JPN)'s first crop in Japan continued even to the final moments of the last day of the card in November when favorite Danon Smash(JPN) solidly defeated a full field of sprinters in to capture the 1200m G3 Keihan Hai at Kyoto Racecourse on November 25th. Sitting just behind the pacesetter most of the dash, the three-year-old looked like he might be boxed in on the rail, but jockey Yuichi Kitamura took a gamble and skimmed the rail to hit the lead. Once the speedy cold hit the front, there was no doubt he was the best horse in the race that day. Nine Tails(JPN) by Lohengrin(JPN) was a 1 3/4 back in second and Diana Halo(JPN), by King Halo(JPN) was a nose back in third.
The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is probably one of the most common names in sport but also almost always turns out to be very good competition, and in Japan's female only 2200m G1 at Kyoto on November 11th, the competition proved once again to be top notch. Fillies have been having a fantastic year in Japan overall, and Lys Gracieux(JPN) has been frustrated left right and center. After having finished painfully close seconds in four different G1 events since the end of her two-year-old season, most punters knew this filly was going to make up for it at some point. That time came in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup with Joao Moreira in the irons to this time have her neck in front to capture her first G1 title. She had to chase a very able pace settler Crocosmia(JPN) as fast as she could to prevent the daughter of Stay Gold from wiring the race, but Lys Gracieux(JPN), by Heart's Cry(JPN) would not be denied a fifth time. Mozu Katchan(JPN), by Harbinger(GB), finished three lengths back in third and nearly all of the highly competitive field were only separated by necks each!
Earlier in the season Stelvio(JPN) was a promising contender on the Classic trail, but his speedy breeding seemed to get the best of him in the end so for his connections to bring him back to a mile, seemed much more sensible based on his pedigree and proved to be spot on. Stelvio(JPN) became his sire's second G1 winner after capturing the G1 Mile Championship on November 18th at Kyoto Racecourse, notching up Lord Kanaloa's G1 tally to four so far for the promising young stallion's freshman crop. Thanks to the patience and quick action by short-term licensed foreign jockey William Buick, the three-year-old numbly weaved through a tight bunch of older horses to finish a neck in front of a persistent Persian Knight(JPN). Though on replay, Stelvio(JPN) never seems to waver from his lead over Harbinger(GB) sired Persian Knight(JPN), both colts performances were impressive giving the way the race played out for them. Al Ain(JPN), by Deep Impact(JPN), held on for third.
In international circles, there is no more significant race in Japan than the G1 Japan Cup run over 2400m at Tokyo Racecourse on November 25th. Each year, the world's attention turns to Japan and the might of the Japanese bred thoroughbred is on international display. Initially dominated by foreign invaders, the Japan Cup is no longer a race that can be won by foreign horses unless they wish to bring their best. Without the likes of horses like the mighty Enable(GB), the title might forever be kept in Japan and that possibility was driven home by the record-setting world finish of Almond Eye(JPN), only the second three-year-old filly after Gentildonna(JPN) in 2012 to win the not only the Japan Cup but also the Filly Triple Crown and the Japan Cup in the same season. Gentildonna(JPN) has set a nearly impossible bar for a champion three-year-old filly to match and Almond Eye(JPN) managed to not only match her but use the amazing speed inherited by her sire Lord Kanaloa(JPN) to set a new world record for 2400m. Kiseki(JPN) by Rulership(JPN) broke sharp and established a quality pace throughout the race, with Almond Eye(JPN) surprisingly right behind him stalking him all the way. The pair successfully start to pull away from the rest of the pack, but it isn't until the 200m mark that Christophe Lemaire tells Almond Eye(JPN) to go. From then on the remarkable filly cruises past a still quite game Kiseki(JPN) to win by one and three-quarter lengths. Kiseki(JPN) held on for second and Suave Richard(JPN) by Heart's Cry(JPN) was three and a half lengths back in third. After her fantastic victory, the news has been swirling with an aggressive international campaign for the filly including Dubai and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
All JRA graded stakes results and race replays are available on Japan Association for International Racing, and Stud Book (JAIRS)'s website: http://japanracing.jp/.
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