Hakodate

1st-Hakodate, ¥9,680,000 ($87,717), Maiden, 2yo, 1800mT, 1:50.3, gd/fm. FIFTY CHEVY (c, 2, Tapit--Stopchargingmaria {MGISW, $3,014,000}, by Tale of the Cat), an $825,000 purchase out of last year's Keeneland September sale, made the majority of the pace in his June 13 debut going this distance at Tokyo before retreating in the final 200 meters to finish fourth. Better than a 10-1 chance for this second go, the beautifully bred bay was away only fairly from gate 11 and raced with just two rivals behind as they hit the first turn. Unhappy with...

In this continuing series, we take 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 Hakodate and Niigata Racecourses: Saturday, July 24, 2021 1st-HAK, ¥9,680,000 ($88k), Maiden, 2yo, 1800mT FIFTY CHEVY (c, 2, Tapit--Stopchargingmaria, by Tale of the Cat), a debut fourth going this distance at Tokyo June 13 (video, gate 2), attracted a final...

In this continuing series, we take 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 Hakodate and Kokura Racecourses. A pair of US-breds see action at group level on the turf this weekend, as Lotus Land (Point of Entry) contests the G3 Chukyo Kinen (1800m), while Group 1 winner Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) tries the...

In this continuing series, we take 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 Hakodate and Hanshin Racecourses, including the first Japanese runner for the expatriated California Chrome: Saturday, July 11, 2020 5th-HAK, ¥13,400,000 ($125k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200mT CAL FRAGRANCE (f, 2, California Chrome--Right There, by Eskendereya), a $180K purchase out of last year's...

In this continuing series, we take 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 a couple of horses of interest for this weekend running at Fukushima and Hakodate Racecourses: Sunday, July 5, 2020 3rd-HAK, ¥9,680,000 ($90k), Maiden, 3yo, 1000m ALPHA ZIP (f, 3, City Zip--Alpha Centauri, by Dynaformer) failed to land a blow in four tries from seven furlongs to a mile to...

In this continuing series, we take 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 Hakodate and Hanshin Racecourses. The most important race of the weekend takes place Sunday at Toyko, which plays host to the G3 Unicorn S., one of two new races on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. Four US-bred and...

In this continuing series, we take 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 Hakodate, Hanshin and Tokyo Racecourses: Saturday, June 13, 2020 8th-TOK, ¥14,360,000 ($134k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 2000mT LOUD AND CLEAR (c, 3, Giant's Causeway--Melody Maiden, by Saint Ballado) improved for a solid debut fourth over this distance Apr. 4 to graduate last...