In this ongoing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Niigata and Sapporo Racecourses, including an immaculately bred daughter of Darley's Medaglia d'Oro trying to break through at group level:
Saturday, July 29, 2017
9th-NII, ¥19,950,000 ($179k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1000mT
Florida-bred EARTH MYSTERY (c, 3, Overdriven–Terry M., by Crusader Sword) belied odds of 54-1 to graduate at second asking over the dirt in January (video, gate 8) and was not beaten far when fifth in six-furlong turf sprints two weeks apart in April. The $120K OBSAPR purchase is kin to a pair of stakes horses and is out of a half-sister to SW Devilish Brunette (Diablo), the dam of Grade III winner Devilish Lady (Sweetsouthernsaint) and MSP Captain Lindsay (Mecke). B-Best A Luck Farm LLC (FL)
Sunday, July 30, 2017
3rd-NII, ¥9,550,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m
EAGLE BAROWS (c, 3, Henny Hughes–Minnie's Niece, by Quiet American) fetched just $20k as a KEESEP yearling in 2015, but blossomed into a $250k OBSAPR juvenile after breezing a furlong in a smart, albeit green :10 1/5. The April foal, whose half-brother Saengil Gippeum (Parading) was recently third in the Busan Mayor's Cup in Korea, is by the sire responsible for the track record-setting G1 February S. hero Moanin. B-Chuck Kidder & Nancy Cole (KY)
6th-SAP, ¥13,400,000 ($120k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1700m
STELLA STRATA (c, 3, Street Sense&log=">Street Sense–Lady of Akita, by Fantastic Light) descends from a Runnymede family that has produced a bevvy of successful runners in Japan. A $120k KEESEP acquisition, the bay is out of a winning daughter of Chancey Squaw (Chief's Crown), whose produce include the Clay-bred champion Agnes Digital (Crafty Prospector), a nine-time stakes winner at home and Group 1 winner in Hong Kong; as well as Lady of Akita's MSW full-sister Jalisco Light; and SW Swell Game (GB) (Swain {Ire}). Street Sense, who shuttled to Darley Japan for the 2013 breeding season, has been represented by no fewer than 42 winners in the country. B-Runnymede Farm Inc & Peter J Callahan (KY)
11th-NII, Ibis Summer Dash-G3, ¥74,600,000 ($668k), 3/up, 1000mT
Koji Maeda's homebred FIDUCIA (m, 5, Medagliad'Oro–Believe {Jpn}, by Sunday Silence) enters Sunday race in top form, having won three of her last four outings, a streak that includes a listed stakes over 1200m Apr. 16 (video, post 10) and a course-and-distance event May 21 (video, gate 8). Fiducia's dam was named champion older mare of 2003 with wins in both major Japanese sprints-the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and the Sprinters' S.-and made an immediate impact at stud, producing SW & MGSP Faridat (Kingmambo) as her first foal. This is the deeper female family of US Horse of the Year Lady's Secret (Secretariat). B-North Hills Co Ltd (KY)
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