Steel Serves Up Another Win For Japan

Real Steel (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) had not won a race since taking Tokyo's G3 Tokinominoru Kinen over this trip last February, but the 4-year-old displayed the brilliance and professionalism of a seasoned Group 1 winner when posting a decisive victory in the $6 million G1 Dubai Turf Saturday. Held out in the three path after exiting from gate 14, Real Steel sat third down the backstretch as longshot Ghaamer (Hard Spun) set the pace with Godolphin's fleet filly Very Special (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) breathing down his neck. Forries Waltz (SAf) (Greys Inn) and Farrier (Tapit) raced on the heels of the pacesetters, while favoured Tryster (Ire) (Shamardal) took up his customary position at the rear of the field and Euro Charline (GB) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) bided her time midpack. Still three-deep on the run into the turn, Real Steel lost a few lengths rounding the bend as Very Special took over the lead and began to draw clear. Real Steel re-rallied after straightening for home, however, powering past Very Special at the 300-metre mark with Euro Charline hot on his heels. Real Steel had enough in the tank to hold off the mare by a half-length. Tryster put in his patented late run but didn't have enough kick on the day and had to settle for third. Real Steel became the second Japanese-trained winner on the card after Lani (Tapit) won the G2 UAE Derby earlier in the evening.

Saturday, Meydan, Middle East
DUBAI TURF SPONSORED BY DP WORLD-G1, $6,000,000, MEY, 3-26, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1800mT, 1:47.13, gd.
1–&REAL STEEL (JPN), 126, c, 4, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Loves Only Me, by Storm Cat
2nd Dam: Monevassia, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: Miesque, by Nureyev
O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Farm (JPN); T-Yoshito
Yahagi; J-Ryan Moore. $3,600,000. Lifetime Record: GSW &
MG1SP-Jpn, 9-3-4-1, $5,557,455. *Full to Prodigal Son (Jpn),
SW & GSP-Jpn, $298,204. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Euro Charline (GB), 121, m, 5, Myboycharlie (Ire)–Eurolink
Artemis (GB), by Common Grounds (GB). (762gns Ylg '12 TATFEB; 13,000gns Ylg '12 TATOCT)
O-Team Valor International; B-Brian Liversage (GB); T-Marco Botti.
$1,200,000.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”blandford-bloodstock-purchased-by”]3–Tryster (Ire), 126, g, 5, Shamardal–Min Alhawa, by Riverman.
(150,000gns yrl '12 TATOCT) O-Godolphin; B-Herbertstown House Stud (IRE); T-Charlie
Appleby. $600,000.
Margins: HF, 2, HD. Also Ran: Ertijaal (Aus), Flamboyant (Fr), Very Special (Ire), The Corsican (Ire), Intilaaq, Forjatt (Ire), Basateen (Ire), Gabrial (Ire), Harry's Son (Aus), Farrier, Forries Waltz (SAf), Ghaamer.
Click for the Racing Post result, the AM Wager PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.

While Real Steel had won just twice in his eight-race career prior to Saturday, both of his victories had come over this trip–a 3 1/2-length debut score at Hanshin in December of 2014 in his lone juvenile outing, and in the Tokinominoru Kinen next-out nearly two months later, where he had fellow Sunday Racing colourbearer and yesterday's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic-second Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) back in second. Real Steel lost his unbeaten record when second by a neck in the G2 Fuji TV Sho Spring S.–a prep for the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas–in March, and was second to the table-turning Duramente in the 10-furlong Satsuki Sho the following month. Fourth behind Duramente in the 12-furlong G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in May, the bay was given a summer holiday thereafter and returned with a runner-up effort in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai, a prep for the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) Sept. 27. Real Steel put in an admirable effort to be second again–this time beaten just three-quarters of a length–in the 15-furlong Kikuka Sho. Shelved again for four months, he returned to his favourite nine-furlong trip to be third–once again behind Duramente–in the G2 Nakayama Kinen Feb. 28.

Jockey Ryan Moore, who was aboard Real Steel for the first time, said, “He's a beautiful horse; he's got lots of quality. It was a big effort from the horse, he had a tough trip and was out wide but has toughed it out. He never runs a bad race. He's a very brave horse and has had to do it the hard way.”

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi was full of praise for both horse and rider after the race.

“I am so happy,” he said. “I really thought that my horse was the best in the field going into this race. He settled well, though I thought he'd be a little further back. Ryan rode him to perfection. Just as I thought, breaking from box 14 wasn't a problem at all.”

“Ryan was never able to get an inside position because the other jockeys would not allow him,” the conditioner added. “But I still thought he could win despite not having cover. At this point I'm not sure where we'll go, but Ryan said that any distance between 1600 metres and 2000 metres would suit him.”

Jockey Frankie Dettori was complimentary of the second-place effort put in by Euro Charline. “I had a super run,” he said. “I followed the obvious ones like Paul Hanagan [on Intilaaq] and Ryan Moore. I had a smooth passage through and there are no excuses. I've just found one too good on the night. [Trainer] Marco [Botti] said, try to save a bit and get a bit more out of her in the finish, and it has worked out.”

Despite having a three-race win streak snapped, jockey William Buick said Tryster had the “best run of his life.”

“He ran great,” the rider said. “He missed the break; that's what he does when he runs his best races. It is by far the best run of his life and the first time he has ever taken on horses like that. He's been beaten genuinely by racing the best way for him. It rode like a very good race and I don't think he's ever been this fast in his life.”

Real Deal boasts a pedigree to befit his status as the winner of one of the world's richest races. He is the third foal out of Loves Only Me, an unraced half-sister to European champion 2-year-old filly Rumplestiltskin, who was also crowned champion broodmare in 2014 courtesy of the exploits of her Group 1-winning daughter Tapestry (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Group 3-winning son John F Kennedy (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Loves Only Me is also a half-sister to G3 Grangecon Stud S. winner I Am Beautiful (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}). Loves Only Me, a $900,000 purchase by Katsumi Yoshida at Keeneland November in 2009, is out of Monevassia (Mr. Prospector), a daughter of Miesque and a full-sister to G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner and champion sire Kingmambo.