Keiai Nautique (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) became the 34th Group 1 winner for his Shadai Stallion Station-based sire, after winning the G1 NHK Mile Cup over 1600 metres at Tokyo on Sunday. Sent off at 12-1 as the six choice in the field of 18, the Osamu Hiratu trainee rated near the rear of the strung out field, last bar one for the backstretch run. Making inroads toward the front with a half mile to travel, the bay began picking off horses widest of all in the centre of the course, but still had the majority of the field to pass with 400-metres remaining. Letting down with a furious late run, he pipped rail-runner Gibeoni (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) on the line to win by a neck. The latter, who had enjoyed a stalking trip, was a head to the good of a closing Red Veyron (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) who was in between the top two at the wire. U.S.-bred Mr Melody (Scat), whose paternal half-brother Justify won the GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, ran fourth another 3/4 of a length behind.
Godolphin's Tower of London (Jpn) (Raven's Pass), favoured on Sunday, stumbled at the start before encountering traffic trouble at the top of the lane and running 12th.
“He was a bit slow to pick up speed, so we had to race from behind, but he more than made up with his speed and sheer determination,” said winning jockey Yusuke Fujioka, who was winning his first Japanese Group 1 race. “His potential is so great and I think he can handle longer distances.”
Campaigned exclusively over a mile so far, Keiai Nautique was a winner at first asking at Hanshin last June. He went missing for just over five months and ran third in Kyoto's G2 Daily Hai Nisai S. going a mile on Nov. 11 and dropped a spot in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. returned to Hanshin on Dec. 17. The colt filled the frame when second in the Feb. 10 Kobushi Sho in his sophomore bow and was back to the winner's circle in an allowance at Hanshin on Mar. 11. He was second in Kasuji (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn})'s G2 New Zealand Trophy at Nakayama on Apr. 7.
Pedigree Notes…
Keiai Gerbera was purchased in utero for $300,000 by Yushun Company out of the 2005 Keeneland November Sale. The bay, who struck at the Group 3 level at both four and five in Japan, was barren in her first year at stud, but followed up with English listed-placed colt Fierce Impact (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in 2014. Keiai Nautique (Jpn) is her last reported foal, born a year later. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
NHK MILE CUP-G1, ¥204,960,000 (US$1,878,403/£1,388,335/€1,388,335), Tokyo, 5-6, 3yo, c/f, 1600mT, 1:32.80, fm.
1–KEIAI NAUTIQUE (JPN), 126, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Keiai Gerbera (Jpn) (MGSW-Jpn, $2,459,189),
by Smarty Jones
2nd Dam: Anna Sterz, by Danzig
3rd Dam: Edge, by Damascus
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
O-Kazuhiro Kameda; B-Takae Farm (Jpn); T-Osamu Hirata;
J-Yusuke Fujioka; ¥108,822,000. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-1.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: B+.
2–Gibeon (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Contested, by
Ghostzapper. O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn);
¥43,092,000.
3–Red Veyron (Jpn), 126, c, 3, King Kamehameha (Jpn)–Erimo
Pixy (Jpn), by Dancing Brave. O-Tokyo Horse Racing;
¥26,546,000.
Margins: NK, HD, 3/4; Odds: 11.80, 4.20, 24.90.
Also Ran: Mr Melody, Primo Scene (Jpn), Pax Americana (Jpn), Danon Smash (Jpn), Katsuji (Jpn), Delta Barows, Cassius (Jpn), Ryono Tesoro, Tower of London (Jpn), Frontier (Jpn), Tetradrachm (Jpn), Fast Approach (Jpn), Lucas (Jpn), Encore Plus (Jpn), Roxk This Town (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post chart. JRA Video.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
