Koji Maeda
Koji Maeda, whose homebred Lani (Tapit) finished ninth to Nyquist in the 2016 GI Kentucky Derby, could have another Classics contender on his hand after Ramjet (Jpn) (Majestic Warrior) turned on the afterburners in the final 300 meters to post a convincing victory in Sunday's Listed Hyacinth S. at Tokyo Racecourse. Having earned 30 Derby points as a result, the dark bay now leads the Japanese series with one race remaining. Clearly last away from the stalls, Ramjet had only one rival behind as he came under a ride at...
6th-SAR, $136.5K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 4:08 p.m. Sunday's racing slate features a daughter of Into Mischief who fetched $1.2-million at FTSAUG sale when she was purchased by Koji Maeda. MUGEN, trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Joel Rosario, is out of GI Test S. heroine Paola Queen (Flatter). TJCIS PPs 1st-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:10 p.m. Heading to Saratoga's turf, there are number of first timers here worth mentioning. Sands of War (War Front) brought $550,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale and the...
HOKKAIDO, Japan--Don't say we didn't warn you. Contrail (Jpn) has been the name on most people's lips around the sales ground at the JRHA Select Sale and when the first foals by the Triple Crown-winning son of Deep Impact (Jpn) took to the ring on Tuesday it wasn't long before the hype became reality. What's really important, of course, is what happens in two or three years' time when these youngsters make it to the track, but the first test, on the commercial market, has been passed with flying colours....
Koji Maeda's Gendarme (Kitten's Joy) earned a new career high with a neck victory in Nakayama's 1200-metre G1 Sprinters S. on Sunday. The 7-year-old entire captured the race 20 years after his dam, Believe (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), who has thrown a trio of stakes winners including Gendarme. Sent off at 19-1, the eighth choice in the field of 16, the dark bay argued the early pace, but drifted back to stalk from third on the backstretch as T M Spada (Jpn) (Red Spada {Jpn}) set a harried tempo under pressure...
Leading Japanese owner Koji Maeda of North Hills is planning a European raid for last weekend's GI Tenno Sho runner-up Deep Bond (Jpn}) (Kizuna {Jpn}). The 4-year-old, who won the GII Hanshin Daishoten in March for trainer Ryuji Okubu, will be campaigned with the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as his major target, with the aim of running in the G2 Qatar Prix Foy in the build up. Maeda said, "It was vey brave effort from Deep Bond in the Tenno Sho, which is very tough race. While...