By Alan Carasso
One year after finishing a very close third, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) made the 2013 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen the third top-level victory of his standout career. He retired as one of the best sprinters in the history of the Japanese turf and seems to have transferred his considerable ability to his offspring, including Horse of the Year Almond Aye (Jpn), who returns to action in next Saturday's G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan. Sunday afternoon at Chukyo Racecourse, Danox Ltd.s Danon Smash (Jpn), one of five black-type winners from his sire's first crop to the races, will try to follow in his hoofprints as the likely favourite in the 1200-metre event.
Produced by a Hard Spun half-sister to one-time GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero War Chant (Danzig), Danon Smash has won three from his last four, including the Jan. 27 G3 Silk Road S., a race also won by Lord Kanaloa prior to his defeat here in 2012.
“He hasn't done well racing to the left before, but in the condition he is now, I think the results will be different,” his trainer Takayuki Yasuda said earlier in the week. “To be honest, I am a bit worried about the course, but again, I think he can handle it.”
Indeed, Danon Smash has made one appearance at Chukyo, when finishing a well-beaten seventh to Mr Melody (Scat Daddy) in the G3 Falcon S. over 1400 metres last March. The latter cuts back a bit in distance off a pair off efforts over seven furlongs, including a close second in the G2 Hanshin Cup last December ahead of a troubled seventh from the 16 hole in the G3 Hankyu Hai Feb. 24. He is neatly drawn in gate three this time.
“It looks like the last race has sharpened him up,” commented Nobuyuki Tashiro, assistant to trainer Hideaki Fujiwara. “His balance has improved and he has matured as well. He has won a graded stakes race at Chukyo before, so the change to a lefthanded track is a plus.”
Fellow American-bred Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) enters her first foray into Group 1 company in flying–and very fast-form. Winner of six of her 14 career trips to the post, she dropped a narrow decision to Daimei Fuji (Jpn) (Agnes Digital) in a listed race in December, but has since defeated Nac Venus (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in two straight, including the G3 Ocean S. Mar. 2 in which she covered 1200m in 1:07.1.
The field also includes Seiun Kosei (Jpn) (Admire Moon {Jpn}), winner of this in 2017; Let's Go Donki (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), runner-up in each of the last two years; and 11-year-old Snow Dragon (Jpn) (Admire Cozzene {Jpn}), third in the 2014 renewal before winning that year's G1 Sprinters' S. He makes the 61st start of his career Sunday.
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