By Alan Carasso
Second in the wagering to the odds-on filly Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Admire Mars (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) came calling for the lead with three-sixteenths of a mile to travel and kicked home best of all to run his unbeaten streak to four in Sunday's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin.
The mount of Mirco Demuro, the blaze-faced chestnut was off at 18-5 and was in the firing line early before easing back into a prominent third, one slot behind the 1-2 race favourite. Held together on the turn, Admire Mars was pulled out to deliver his challenge in upper stretch, collared Gran Alegria with ease nearing the final furlong and stayed on gamely to best the running-on roughie Kurino Gaudi (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}). Gran Alegria, the daughter of the dual US Grade I and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf winner Tapitsfly, had to settle for third beneath leading rider Christophe Lemaire.
“Just as he did in his last start, he made a clean break today,” Demuro commented. “It was our plan to keep our eyes on Gran Alegria and everything went smoothly. He showed a terrific turn of foot. He's a smart colt and hates to lose so I'm looking forward to seeing how he improves next season.”
Pedigree Notes:
The fifth Group 1 winner for his sire, Admire Mars is the latest foal to make the races from Via Medici, winner of the G3 Prix de Lieurey for Haras de Saint Pair and trainer Francois Rohaut in 2010. Dam of two full black-type winners in Europe, she was purchased by Emmanuel de Seroux's Narvick International for €480,000 in foal to Dansili (GB) at the 2014 Arqana December Sale. That in-utero purchase is the 3-year-old filly Freccia (Jpn), a ¥67 million yearling purchase at the JRHA Select Sale in 2016 who has since become a three-time winner and has never finished out of the frame in six career starts. Via Medici is represented by a Kinshasa no Kiseki (Aus) filly that fetched ¥33.4 million as a foal at last year's Select Sale and she foaled a filly by Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) this past April.
WATCH: Admire Mars makes it four straight in the Asahi Hai Futurity
Sunday, Hanshin, Japan
ASAHI HAI FUTURITY S.-G1, ¥135,520,000, Hanshin, 12-16, 2yo, c/f, 1600mT, 1:33.90, fm.
1–ADMIRE MARS (JPN), 121, c, 2, by Daiwa Major(Jpn)
1st Dam: Via Medici (Ire) (GSW-Fr, $111,524), by Medicean (GB)
2nd Dam: Via Milano (Fr), by Singspiel (Ire)
3rd Dam: Salvinaxia (Fr), by Linamix (Fr)
*1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (¥52,000,000 Ylg '17 JRHAJUL). O-Riichi
Kondo; B-Northern Farm; T-Yasuo Tomomichi; J- Mirco
Demuro; ¥71,064,000. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0,
¥132,547,000.*1/2 to Via Pisa (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}), SW-Fr, G1SP-
Ity, $104,884; and Via Firenze (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), SW & MGSP-
Fr, GSP-UAE, $150,624. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Kurino Gaudi (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–
L'Archetto (Jpn), by Falbrav (Ire). O-Hiroharu Kurimoto;
B-Miwa Farm; ¥28,304,000.
3–Gran Alegria (Jpn), 119, f, 2, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Tapitsfly, by
Tapit. O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm; ¥ 18,152,000.
Margin: 2, HF, 1HF. Odds: 3.60, 76.40, 0.50.
Also Ran: Fantasist (Jpn), Deep Diver (Jpn), Emeral Fight (Jpn), Aster Pegasus, Girasol (Jpn), It's Cool (Jpn), Meiner Surpass (Jpn), Copano Martin (Jpn), De Gaulle (Jpn), Cadence Call (Jpn), Salt Ibuki (Jpn), Nihonpiro Henson (Jpn).
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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