Sabato 17 DICEMBRE 2016. Giappone: Domenica 18 si corrono le Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes G1, il Gran Criterium nipponico. Attesa per Mi Suerte (Frankel) // Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1) – Comments from runners’ connections // Di seguito i partenti della corsa: attenzione a Mi Suerte favorito ed a Trillionaire

 

 
 
 

Andato in archivio l’Hanshin Juvenile Fillies G1 della settimana scorsa, tutti gli occhi sono ancora puntati su una femmina anche se si parla delle Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes G1, il Gran Criterium giapponese, corsa tradizionalmente dominata dai maschi. Domenica però ci sarà un motivo in più di interesse perchè è stato l’obiettivo dichiarato di Mi Suerte (Frankel), una femmina molto stimata che ha preferito pazientare una settimana in più per correre contro i maschi piuttosto che affrontare Soul Stirring (Frankel e Stacelita), diventata la prima vincitrice di G1 per lo stallone Frankel, molto seguita in Europa proprio per la paternità. Mi Suerte ha lo stesso profilo di Soul Stirring, nel senso che arriva da due vittorie consecutive e convincenti. Figlia della campionessa Mi Sueno (Pulpit), Mi Suerte ha vinto al debutto ad Hanshin a fine Settembre sul miglio e poi replicato sempre con stile impressionante a Kyoto nelle Kyoto Sho Fantasy Stakes G3 sui 1400 metri (VIDEO QUI). Epperò, c’è un però. Perchè Mi Suerte dovrà sfatare un mito enorme: Quello che riguarda la tradizione di una corsa che non vede vincere femmine da 36 anni. L’ultima è stata Tenmon nel 1980, quando ancora non c’era il Juvenile Fillies introdotta nel 1991. Nel 2013 ci ha provato Bel Canto (Sakura Bakushin O), che arrivava da un bel ruolino ed era terza favorita, ma finì 10°. Negli ultimi 5 anni ci hanno provato 3 femmine ma il miglior risultato l’ha ottenuto Gris Sage nel 2013, con un 9° posto.

Comunque gli stalloni rappresentati sono molti e di qualità, negli iscritti: Ci sono figli di Deep Impact, Frankel e Dubawi. Tra gli attesi in Giappone anche Rulership e Pioneerof the Nile, quest’ultimo sire di American Pharoah. Ci sono 21 iscritti per un numero massimo di partecipanti che dovrà essere di 18, tutti a dividersi una borsa da 700 milioni di Yen. Come al solito il clou è l’11° corsa, in programma alle 15:40 local time.

L’unico problema per Mi Suerte potrebbe essere il fantino Yuga Kawada, che una ne fa e cento ne pensa, decisamente poco rassicurante. Per il resto parlano i numeri della rifinitura a Kyoto dove Mi Suerte ha realizzato gli ultimi 2 furlongs in 11.1 e 11.4 con gli ultimi 600 nei quali ha chiuso con un 33,6 secondi. Allenata da Yasutoshi Ikee, avrà purtroppo in sella ancora Kawada. 

Gli avversari sono tanti, ne citiamo alcuni tra i più attesi: Red En Ciel (Manhattan Cafe) è uno dei 4 imbattuti della corsa. Ha vinto le Momiji Stakes in Ottobre a Kyoto al rientro dopo il debutto di Sapporo. Allenato da Yasushi Shono ha fornito i 600 finali sempre in un 33.6 secondi. Yuichi Fukunaga, che lo ha montato in tutte e 2 le corse, è infortunato e verrà sostituito da Vincent Cheminaud. Uno che è cresciuto dal debutto è Satono Ares (Deep Impact), uno dei tre Deep Impact iscritti. Satono è reduce dalla vittoria nel Begonia Sho sul miglio di Tokyo, al rientro dopo 2 mesi di sosta. Prima aveva debuttato con un secondo posto a Sapporo, replicato successivamente. Poi la vittoria a Nakayama e la rifinitura a Tokyo, appunto. Si tratta di un cavallo di proprietà di Hajime Satomi, proprietario dei vari “Satono” in giro per il Giappone, e fresco di vittoria nel Vase con Satono Crown mentre il suo allenatore Kazuo Fujisawa è fresco di vittoria nell’Hanshin Juvenile Fillies con Soul Stirring. Unico problema: Scende Ryan Moore, sale Hirofumi Shii, un veterano che non vince in G1 dal 2010, nel Takamatsunomiya Kinen di Kinshasa no Kiseki.

Altro con chances è Danburite (Rulership) per Hidetaka Otonashi. Piazzato nella Saudi Arabia Royal Cup G3 di Tokyo doopo un debutto vittorioso a Chukyo sul pesante. Viene ritenuto molto forte, ma non ha mai corso a mano destra, ma sarà montato da Keita Tosaki. Uno ovviamente con grosse chances di vittoria. Tra gli altri ci sono Trust (Screen Hero), vincitore in Settembre delle Sapporo Nisai Stakes G3 e quinto nella preparazione del Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes G3 sui 1800 metri. Tagano Asura (Manhattan Cafe) che avrà in sella Yutaka Take, poi Clear the Track (Deep Impact) che avrà a bordo Mirco Demuro (che ha vinto questa corsa 3 volte), è uno di quelli temibili. Reduce da un debutto vittorioso a Kyoto sul miglio, è fratello di vincitori di Gruppo ed allenato da Katsuhiko Sumii, già allenatore di Leontes vincitore lo scorso anno con Mirco Demuro in sella. L’ultimo di cui vi diciamo è Levante Lion (Pioneerof the Nile), vincitore di G3 Hakodate Nisai Stakes a fine Luglio, è allenato dal JRA leading trainer Yoshito Yahagi. Altro che ha linee comuni con tutti è Monde Can Know (Kinshasa No Kiseki) allenato da Takayuki Yasuda che dopo un debutto ad Hakodate vincendo, è giunto secondo nel G3 sui 1200 metri di Luglio. E’ rientrato con una bella vittoria nel Keio Hai Nisai Stakes di Tokyo. Pericolosissimo

 
 
 

2016 News

December 16, 2016

 


Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1) – Comments from runners’ connections
America's Cup

America’s Cup

America’s Cup (colt)

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“In his previous race, he drew the outside gate and couldn’t travel behind a horse during the trip. He seemed a bit too eager to go, but even under those conditions, he still won it and he’s got guts. He doesn’t move too smoothly in training; he’s the kind of horse that does better in the actual race than what he shows in training. He doesn’t have any particularly bad habits and has good racing sense. The field will be very strong, but my horse looks to be getting better with each race. I’m looking forward to how well he can run at this level.”


Ashaka Lien (colt)

Hiroyuki Oneda, trainer
“He has maintained his good form leading up to this race. His first two races have been on dirt, but I had always wanted to test him on turf. It would be interesting to see how he fares in this field.”


Bee Kali (filly)

Masayuki Nishimura, trainer
“The pace was too slow in her last race (Grade 2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes, 7th). The results would have been different had the pace picked up just a bit more. She seems to be in good form after that run, and for a filly, she’s never lost her appetite, so we’ve been able to train her pretty hard throughout. It’ll probably come down to the pace of the race, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she runs well here if the pace quickens.”


Bom Servico (colt)

Manabu Ikezoe, trainer
“We didn’t train him too hard since his last outing, so we put some pressure on him in last week’s fastwork, and hopefully, that’ll get him into racing mode. He can settle well with a horse in front and can adjust accordingly to the pace of the race, so I will leave the rest up to the jockey (Kohei Matsuyama).”


Bullbear Baboon (colt)

Norio Fujisawa, trainer
“In last week’s training, he just didn’t have anything left in the end (over six furlongs on woodchip course, 81.0 seconds, with last furlong time of 14.6 seconds). We had him train with another horse this week (over six furlongs on the woodchip, 82.4 seconds), and his actions weren’t too bad, considering he doesn’t move well in training. We wanted to run him in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (NAR dirt principal race), but we finished on the reserve list and couldn’t make the field. We would’ve had some hope if it was a dirt race, but we’re talking about a turf race at the top level here, so it’s hard to be too optimistic.”


Clear the Track

Clear the Track

Clear the Track (colt)

Kazuya Maekawa, assistant trainer
“First and foremost, his speed is absolutely remarkable and, when he hits his top speed, he is in a class of his own. He has difficulty when the pace is slow, but he shows wonderful change of speed when the pace picks up. He’s only got one win and will be going up a class, but even so, I think he’s got a good chance.”

Mirco Demuro, jockey
“His training has gone well and I have confidence in him heading into this race. The mile distance is just about right. He’s a strong horse.”


Danburite

Danburite

Danburite (colt)

Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer
“Last week’s fastwork was ridden by the jockey (Christophe Lemaire), but even considering that it was a light rider, his actions were terrific. He normally doesn’t move too well on the uphill course, but he was very sharp in his movements and it was reaffirmation that he is a good horse. He would’ve been near the top placings in his last run (Saudi Arabia Royal Cup) had he been able to run a bit more straightforward.”


Daiichi Terminal (colt)

Keiji Takaichi, trainer
“After the last race, we took him out to the training farm for a short break. He’s coming along well since returning, and he’s never been a difficult horse to prepare for a race. I think we can send him off in good condition and, if the jockey can give him a breather somewhere in the race, he’ll be able to cover the mile distance. The opposition will be tough, but I’m hoping he can keep up with the flow of the race and give it his best.”


Hakodate Nisai Stakes (G3)

Levante Lion

Levante Lion (colt)

Yoshito Yahagi, trainer
“I can’t exactly figure out why he lost so badly in his last race (Grade 2 Keio Hai Nisai Stakes, 11th), but he was not in a good mood and he was hesitant when entering the track before the race. We worked him pretty hard last week, so he should be OK with a light breeze for race week. The distance will be extended to a mile, but I’m not worried about that one bit.”


Links Zero (colt)

Taishi Hidaka, assistant trainer
“In the last race, he drew the inner-most barrier and missed the jump after reacting to the movements of the horse next to him. With a race under him after a break, he seems to be in better shape and we’ll just have to see how he does going back to the turf surface.”


KBS Kyoto Sho Fantasy Stakes (G3)

Mi Suerte

Mi Suerte (filly)

Yasutoshi Ikee, trainer
“She ran a solid race in the debut race and it was a good win. She missed the start in her second race (Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes win) and she was still rough around the edges, but after hitting the final home stretch, her closing speed was a sight to see and showed the potential that she has. She’s got great speed and explosiveness, and with that character comes a strong attitude, which is all part of her selling points. After her last race, she was a bit worn out, so we decided to take her out for a break to get her freshened up. It took a while to get her back to regular trackwork, which is why we decided to aim her here, giving her one more extra week, rather than the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies last week. This week she did her fastwork with another horse on the woodchip course. In the first half, we had her run behind the other horse and had her concentrate on settling well, and in the final furlong, she snuck inside of her partner and stretched out a bit. Her actions in that final furlong were terrific, and I think we can send her off in good form. I think the mile distance is the limit for her, but the fact that it’s run over the outer course with a long home straight will suit her style. I want her to become a top mile horse in Japan, so I’m hoping that she’ll be able to handle that extra furlong in this race.”


Monde Can Know

Monde Can Know

Monde Can Know (colt)

Takayuki Yasuda, trainer
“He missed the jump and was forced to race from the rear in his last race. He didn’t settle too well during the trip, but the jockey (Christophe Lemaire) said he showed great change of speed heading into the home straight. He caught the front-runners with 200 meters left and, from there, I was convinced he would win. After that race, we kept him at our stable and, because he stood up a bit at the start last out, we had him practice standing still inside the gate. In his fastwork this week, I wanted the jockey (Mickael Barzalona) to get a better feel for the horse. I asked him to allow the horse to calm down by letting his training partner run a bit in front – and he did exactly so, which I think was the ideal preparation for this race. I’m a bit worried about the mile distance, but as long as he travels smoothly, he does have the explosive speed in the end, so I’m hoping for an average pace up front.”


Red en Ciel

Red en Ciel

Red en Ciel (colt)

Yasushi Shono, trainer
“We took him out to the training farm for a break after his last run, and he looks much more built and his croup, thigh are much thicker now – he is physically in his growth period. We wanted to bring him into racing mode last week, so we galloped him pretty hard with another horse. He’s got good racing sense and settles well in the race, so the mile distance should not be a concern.”


Satono Ares (colt)

Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer
“There were only two weeks in between his previous race and here, so we didn’t clock him too fast this week, but his actions were satisfactory. His previous run was a very sound performance. The speed he exhibited when making his move was of a different class, a whole different scale. Distance-wise, I think he has some flexibility. He hasn’t shown any difficulties with his temperament and will not fight with the rider – I think he can race from any position and adjust to however the race unfolds. We’ve taken him to different racecourses from his debut, so the transportation to his first track (Hanshin) is not a concern. Compared to when he made his debut, he’s physically getting stronger. But, unlike the previous race, the competition is very strong here and that worries me, but I have high hopes for him.”


Tagano Asura

Tagano Asura

Tagano Asura (colt)

Yutaka Take, jockey
“I think his last run (Kigiku Sho) was a good race – he was strong. The race before that (the Sapporo Nisai Stakes, in which he finished 8th), he was too worked up before the race, missed the start and didn’t settle well at all. In the last race, I think he was able to prove that if he can run at his pace, he won’t stop that easily, and showed the potential that he has. If he can settle down in the race, I think he can run from any position. The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes is a hard race to go wire-to-wire, but his two wins have been that style, so that will most likely be the race plan on Sunday. (On this race being the only JRA Grade 1 flat race that Take has not won yet) Somebody reminds me of that every year, so yes, that is in the back of my head. But I think I’ve got a chance this year, and knowing that I’ve only got one more to go, it makes me want to win it even more. My partner has that potential, so I’ll give it all my best.”


Toho Domingo (colt)

Kiyoshi Tani, trainer
“His win last out was extremely impressive – I didn’t think he would be able to catch the leaders and I actually drifted my eyes away from the race for a second, only to see my horse cruise past the entire field in the end. He’s gotten much stronger than we had imagined, and it would be an interesting race if the ground gets a bit soft.”


Trillionaire (colt)

Futoshi Kojima, trainer
“He’s getting better with each race. In this week’s fastwork, his actions were very good, but he still looks like he can physically get a bit sharper. He has only had two runs, so it’s really hard to say, but potential-wise, I think he’s up there. The distance shouldn’t be an issue, so this will be a key test to determine his future. ”


Sapporo Nisai Stakes (G3)

Trust

Trust (colt)

Hitoshi Nakamura, trainer
“In last week’s training, we didn’t put emphasis on his training time, but more on the content of the training itself. We put a horse in front of him and had him practice to settle nicely, and he was able to control himself. Of course, the pace of the actual race will be much quicker, so it should be easier for him to settle. Ideally, we’d like to have a couple of horses in front of him, have him sit in a pack with other horses and save it for the end.”


Sources: Gallop, Keiba Book, Sports Nippon, Sankei Sports

 
 
I partenti:
HANSHIN 11R: THE ASAHI HAI FUTURITY STAKES(G1)

 

Post Time : 15:40
December 18, 2016, 1600m, Turf
INT C&F DSN, Weight for Age, 2-Year-Olds, Open Class, Value of race: 135,800,000 Yen

  1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th total
Added Money (Yen) 70,000,000 28,000,000 18,000,000 11,000,000 7,000,000 134,000,000
Stakes Money (Yen) 1,260,000 360,000 180,000 0 0 1,800,000
Total (Yen) 71,260,000 28,360,000 18,180,000 11,000,000 7,000,000 135,800,000
Bk Hs Horse Colors Sex
Age
Weight
(Kg)
Sire
Dam
Dam’s sire
Dam’s dam
Jockey 
Trainer
Owner
Breeder
1 1 Levante Lion(USA) C2 55.0 Pioneerof the Nile
Ghostly Darkness
Ghostzapper
Dark Hours
Hiroyuki Uchida
Yoshito Yahagi
Lion Race Horse Co. Ltd.
Hargus Sexton Sandra Sexton Tom Bozarth
  & Silver Fern Farm LLC
1 2 Ashaka Lien(JPN) C2 55.0 Summer Bird
Chic Fighter
Hector Protector
Invite
Yusaku Kokubun
Hiroyuki Oneda
Manabu Yoshitomi
Hoyo Farm
2 3 Links Zero(JPN) C2 55.0 Admire Max
Chame
White Muzzle
Cosmo High Class
Andrasch Starke
Hideyuki Mori
Kazuyuki Meya
Meiwa Iwami Bokujo
2 4 Bom Servico(JPN) C2 55.0 Daiwa Major
Baimoyuri
Sakura Laurel
Ruban d’Or
Kohei Matsuyama
Manabu Ikezoe
Nagoya Yuho
Nagoyayuho Co. Ltd.
3 5 Tagano Asura(JPN) C2 55.0 Manhattan Cafe
Ray Sash
Paradise Creek
Golden Sash
Yutaka Take
Tadao Igarashi
Ryoji Yagi
Niikappu Tagano Farm Ltd
3 6 Clear the Track(JPN) C2 55.0 Deep Impact
Crow Canyon
French Deputy
Kurokami
Mirco Demuro
Katsuhiko Sumii
Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd.
Kaneko Makoto Holdings Inc.
4 7 Bee Kali(JPN) F2 54.0 Admire Max
Medetai Medetai
Kurofune
Title Role
Ryuji Wada
Masayuki Nishimura
Yoshiaki Baba
Teruaki Numata
4 8 Danburite(JPN) C2 55.0 Rulership
Tanzanite
Sunday Silence
Catherine Parr
Christophe Lemaire
Hidetaka Otonashi
Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.
Northern Farm
5 9 Daiichi Terminal(JPN) C2 55.0 Conduit
Berg Ticket
Winning Ticket
Berg Storm
Yuichi Kitamura
Keiji Takaichi
Mill Farm Co. Ltd.
Mill Farm
5 10 Monde Can Know(JPN) C2 55.0 Kinshasa no Kiseki
Raise and Call
Sakura Bakushin O
Morriston Belle
Mickael Barzalona
Takayuki Yasuda
Your Story
Northern Farm
6 11 Trillionaire(GB) C2 55.0 Dubawi
Many Colours
Green Desert
First of Many
Daisaku Matsuda
Futoshi Kojima
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Darley
6 12 Toho Domingo(JPN) C2 55.0 Neo Universe
Toho Rich
Meiner Love
Toho Crown
Kenichi Ikezoe
Kiyoshi Tani
Toho Bussan Co. Ltd.
Toho Bussan Co. Ltd.
7 13 Mi Suerte(JPN) F2 54.0 Frankel
Mi Sueno
Pulpit
Madcap Escapade
Yuga Kawada
Yasutoshi Ikee
Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.
Northern Farm
7 14 Bullbear Baboon(JPN) C2 55.0 Precise End
Silk Versailles
Special Week
Silk Flare
Hideaki Miyuki
Norio Fujisawa
Bull and Bear Co. Ltd.
Koki Abe
7 15 Red en Ciel(JPN) C2 55.0 Manhattan Cafe
Stylelistick
Storm Cat
Magnificient Style
Vincent Cheminaud
Yasushi Shono
TokyoHorseRacing Co. Ltd
Northern Farm
8 16 America’s Cup(JPN) C2 55.0 Manhattan Cafe
Vegas Night
Coronado’s Quest
Words of War
Fuma Matsuwaka
Hidetaka Otonashi
Tatsuo Tanikake
Shadai Farm
8 17 Satono Ares(JPN) C2 55.0 Deep Impact
Satono Amazones
Danehill
Prawn Cocktail
Hirofumi Shii
Kazuo Fujisawa
Hajime Satomi
Hajime Satomi
8 18 Trust(JPN) C2 55.0 Screen Hero
Glory Sandy
Eishin Sandy
Diatan
Daichi Shibata
Hitoshi Nakamura
Shigeyuki Okada
Nakamoto Bokujo