Horse Racing
6th-Hanshin, ¥14,250,000 ($106,284), Allowance, 2yo, 1800m, 1:53.9, ft. YUTTITHAM (JPN) (c, 2, Justify--Zipessa {GISW, $783,550}, by City Zip) improved for a debut second at Sapporo Aug. 27 to graduate by eight lengths when last seen over this course and distance Dec. 3 and was a warm item to put them back-to-back in this seasonal finale. Beaten for speed, the flashy chestnut was content to punch the breeze three wide and was poised to strike from the position as they neared the straight. Asked for his best by premiership-winning jockey Yuga...
Every novelist that engages the subject of horse racing is facing an odds-on favorite in Dick Francis. The all-time master, Francis effectively conjured racetrack heroes within the friendly confines of his umpteen mystery novels. With his passing, son Felix continues the family trade by employing the same tried-and-true formula. Francis always presented the reader with protagonists like a chef with high culinary morals or a noble former jump jockey-turned-P.I. or a smart-looking specialist in kidnapping who moonlights as a philosopher-psychologist. The author had us at "Hullo, how are you?" In...
Frankie Dettori's Southern California sojourn could scarcely have gotten off to a more positive start, as the legendary jockey rode a three-timer on the opening day of the winter/spring meeting at Santa Anita Park just outside of Los Angeles. In the first of his four rides on Boxing Day, Dettori was reunited with the Country Grammer (Tonalist), with whom the Italian won his record-equaling fourth G1 Dubai World Cup last March, in the GII San Antonio S. (video), a potential steppingstone to yet another Middle East appearance. Handy to 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 Wednesday running at Hanshin Racecourse, featuring a pair of first-crop runners by Justify. The final day of the JRA calendar for 2022 also includes the G1 Hopeful S. for 2-year-olds at Nakayama. Read our preview here: Wednesday, December 28, 2022 1st-HSN, ¥9,900,000, Maiden, 2yo,...
Wednesday's Hopeful S. is the last of 24 Group 1 events on the JRA circuit for 2022 and the event has attracted a wide-open group of juveniles who will try to prove their mettle over the 2000-metres. Hearts Concerto (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) could offer value relative to what he's accomplished in his two racetrack appearances to date. The bay dismantled a group of newcomers by eight resounding lengths as the 9-10 chalk going this trip at Chukyo Sept. 18 and was the hot favourite for the nine-furlong G2 Tokyo...
Rhea Moon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was produced by the hot-riding Juan Hernandez approaching the final furlong and fought her way past pace-pressing stablemate School Dance (Animal Kingdom) in the final couple of jumps to win Monday's GI American Oaks at Santa Anita. A 6-1 gamble exiting a 1 1/4-length success in the GIII Autumn Miss S. going a mile over this course Oct. 29, Rhea Moon was one of the last away, but improved along the inside while tugging a bit for her head and raced fourth-last with a circuit...
Pretty Mischievous made it a clean sweep of the afternoon's two-turn juvenile stakes for 'TDN Rising Stars' with a good-looking success in Monday's Untapable S. at the Fair Grounds. Made the 8-5 second pick off a third behind the promising Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) in the GII Golden Rod S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 26, the Godolphin homebred broke well from the rail draw and enjoyed the run of the race from just in behind. Allowed to take a two-path run passing the 4 1/2-furlong marker, Pretty Mischievous had a...
'TDN Rising Star' Jace's Road (Quality Road) took advantage of a bit of a stumbling start from favored Determinedly (Cairo Prince) to lead past every pole for a maiden stakes success in Monday's Gun Runner S. at the Fair Grounds. Sent off the 14-5 second favorite off a forgettable and forgivable eighth-place effort as the favorite in a sloppy renewal of the GIII Street Sense S. at Churchill Downs Oct. 30, the $510,000 Keeneland September graduate found his way to the front as Determinedly--off at 4-5--bobbled slightly and though pressured,...
Country Grammer, reunited with Frankie Dettori for the first time since winning the G1 Dubai World Cup in March, strode home an easy winner of the GII San Antonio S. at Santa Anita Monday. Sent off the 3-5 favorite, Country Grammer was hustled from his outside post by Dettori, but was unable to match the speed of his inside rivals and was caught four wide into the first turn as Hopkins (Quality Road) took the early lead and was in front through fractions of :22.76 and :46.16. Country Grammar rolled...
Things didn't look especially promising for those who crunched Michael Lund Petersen's Faustin (c, 2, Curlin--Hard Not to Like, by Hard Spun) into 90 cents on the dollar in the early stages of the first juvenile test of the new meet at Santa Anita Monday afternoon. But the gunmetal gray colt did his best work through the line to graduate by open lengths and become a new 'TDN Rising Star.' The March foal was not off to the most alert of beginnings and was no better than midfield and under...
Off as the heavy chalk in Monday's $97,000 Sugar Bowl S., Stonestreet Stables LLC's Corona Bolt (Bolt d'Oro) led not long after the start and kicked away in the final furlong to become a sixth black-type winner for his leading freshman sire (by Medaglia d'Oro). Adding Lasix off strong one-length debut score at Churchill Downs Nov. 19 (82 Beyer Speed Figure), the $225,000 Keeneland November weanling speared through from between rivals to lead and covered the opening couple of furlongs :22.24 under an easy Florent Geroux hold and turned them...
Five years after his sire clinched a second consecutive Horse of the Year title in Japan with a victory in the G1 Arima Kinen, Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) stated his case for top year-end honours for 2022 with a dominating display in front of a pandemic-restricted, but boisterous crowd of roughly 47,000 fans Christmas Day at Nakayama Racecourse. The firming 13-10 favourite in the fan-voted affair, Equinox left without incident from gate nine and landed in midfield on the back of defending champion and reigning Horse of the Year...