Sent off favourite following the sole narrow defeat of her career in last month's G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), Sinhalite (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) returned to winning ways and claimed her first Classic success in the G1 Yushun Himba, delivering a withering late run to deny Cecchino (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) by a neck.
Jumping from stall three, Sinhalite was guided to the rail by Kenichi Ikezoe and was shuffled to the rear of the 18-runner field in the early stages, though strong early fractions set by Dantsu Pendant (Jpn) (Orewa Matteruze {Jpn}) played into the hands of those coming from off the pace. Despite encountering some traffic problems in the straight, Sinhalite, having been nicely settled throughout, was able to weave through tiring opponents, launching her challenge in tandem with the eventual runner-up, who came wide down the outside, but couldn't match the winner's finishing kick. The leading pair overhauled Biche (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) close home to finish a neck apart.
“We missed a beat coming out of the gate and had to race further back than intended in the early stages, but we were able to recover some ground along the way,” commented winning hoop Kenichi Ikezoe. “I was instructed by the trainer to save as much ground as possible since we had a good chance in the race from a good inside draw, so I didn't attempt to go wide, squeezing our way between horses instead. Once escaping the crowd, she responded really well and switched into gear.”
Sinhalite ran just once at two, winning a 1600-metre newcomers' race at Kyoto on Oct. 10 before reappearing at the same track to land the Kobai S. in her sophomore bow on Jan. 17. Her first attempt at black-type ended with a victory over Jeweler (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}) in the G3 Tulip Sho, but the runner-up exacted her revenge when getting the better of Sinhalite by just a nose in the first fillies' Classic of the season over the mile of the Oka Sho.
Following in the footsteps of former Horse of the Year Gentildonna {Jpn}) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Sinhalite is another successful mating of an imported British mare with Japan's leading sire Deep Impact. Her dam Singhalese (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), bred in England's Lake District by Gary and Lesley Middlebook, won over a mile at Doncaster before being exported to race with credit in America, where she was third in the GI American Oaks before winning the GI Del Mar Oaks.
Bought by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm for $1.9 million out of the 2007 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in foal to Rahy (Blushing Groom {Fr}), Singhalese has subsequently produced Sinhalite's full-brother Adam's Peak (Jpn), winner of the G3 Nikkei Hai Nisai S., and listed winner Adam's Bridge (Jpn) (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}) among her five winning offspring. She also has a 2-year-old filly in training named Mirissa (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) and a yearling colt by Orfevre (Jpn).
Sinhalite is the third winner of the Yushun Himba for her illustrious sire following Gentildonna in 2012 and Mikki Queen (Jpn) last year.
Saturday, Tokyo Racecourse
YUHUN HIMBA (JAPANESE OAKS)-G1, ¥228,280,000 (US$2,072,540), Tokyo, 5-22, 3yo, f, 2400mT, 2:25.00, fm.
1–&SINHALITE (JPN), 121, f, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Singhalese (GB) (GISW-US, $398,921),
by Singspiel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Baize (GB), by Eficio (GB)
3rd Dam: Bayonne (GB), by Bay Express (Ire)
O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm; T-Sei Ishizaka; J-Kenichi
Ikezoe; ¥126,796,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-1-0, ¥233,334,000.
*Full to Adam's Peak (Jpn), GSW-Jpn, $666,517; half to Lilavati
(Jpn) (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}), MGSP-Jpn, $959,131; and Adam's
Bridge (Jpn) (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}), SW-Jpn, $260,734. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Cecchino (JPN), 121, f, 3, by King Kamehameha (Jpn)–Happy
Path (Jpn), by Sunday Silence. O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern
Farm; ¥47,656,000.
3–Biche (Jpn), 121, f, 3 by Deep Impact (Jpn)–Barancella (Fr), by
Acatenango (Ger). (¥76,000,000 wnlg '13 JRHAJUL). O-Yasushi
Kubota; B-Northern Farm; ¥28,828,000.
[bullet ad=”eugenio-colombo-bloodstock-agency”]Margins: NK, HF, 1HF; Odds: 1.00, 3.00, 15.00.
Also Ran: Jealousy (Jpn), Peptide Supple (Jpn), Frontier Queen (Jpn), Red Avancer (Jpn), Daiwa Dresser (Jpn), Denko Ange (Jpn), Angel Face (Jpn), At the Seaside (Jpn), Awake (Jpn), Rottenmeier (Jpn), Win Fabulous (Jpn), Admire Lead (Jpn), From My Heart (Jpn), Gekkako (Jpn), Dantsu Pendant (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. JRA Video.
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