In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Hanshin, Kokura and Nakayama Racecourses:
Saturday, February 23, 2019
2nd-NAK, ¥9,550,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m
PRIMO SPADE (f, 3, Tiznow–Tempestra, by Tale of the Cat) gave a good account of herself when third to fellow US-bred Cafe Crown (Mineshaft) on her 1600-meter debut at Toyko Jan. 27 (video, gate 16) and gets a bit more ground to work with in this second go. A $37K Keeneland November weanling, this half-sister to GSW Travesura (Limehouse) is bred on the same cross over Storm Cat responsible for champion Folklore and additional GSWs Informed, American Lion and Enstone. B-Millennium Farms & Tiznow Syndicate (KY)
5th-HSN, ¥13,720,000 ($124k), Allowance, 3yo, 1400m
BOSTON TESORO (f, 3, Temple City–Spirited Away, by Awesome Again) has never finished outside the top three on the dirt, having graduated at third asking in December (see below, gate 2) before just missing in her first start against winners at Toyko three weeks ago. The $130K KEESEP yearling is a half-sister to MGSW Prospective (Malibu Moon) and her third dam is champion and MGISW North Sider (Topsider). B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY)
Sunday, February 24, 2019
4th-KOK, ¥9,550,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800mT
MARECHIARE (f, 3, Pioneerof the Nile–K. D.'s Shady Lady, by Maria's Mon) was beaten 4 1/2 lengths into third by subsequent GSW Val d'Isere (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in a grass maiden over a mile in November (video, gate 11), but she failed to handle the dirt when well-beaten in her most recent appearance. The half-sister to GISW Lady of Fifty (After Market), a $150K KEESEP RNA turned $300K OBS March breezer, returns to what appears to be her preferred surface for this seasonal debut. B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY)
9th-NAK, ¥19,000,000 ($172k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600mT
HAKUMOKUREN (f, 3, Shanghai Bobby–Conway Two Step, by Spanish Steps) was hammered into 4-5 favoritism for her Dec. 15 bow at Nakayama and made no mistakes, drawing clear to score by nearly two lengths (see below, gate 3). She switches to the turf for her 2019 debut, but has some pedigree for it, as her stakes-winning dam is kin to Glittering Tax (Artax), who produced treble GISW Miss Temple City (Temple City) as well as GSW Pricedtoperfection (Temple City). The latter was purchased by Katsumi Yoshida for $750K at FTKNOV last fall. B-Loren Nichols (FL)
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