By Alan Carasso
In this ongoing 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 Tokyo and Hanshin Racecourses:
Saturday, June 3, 2017
11th-TOK, ¥34,620,000 (US$311k), Alw, 3yo/up, 1400m
BEST MACHO (c, 4, Macho Uno–Encore, by Storm Cat), a $100K FTKJUL yearling turned $260K BARMAR breezer, repaid all that investment and then some with four wins from five starts last season, including a smart win over this course and distance from gate 13 Oct. 29 (video). The dark bay is out of a daughter of 1999 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies upsetter Cash Run (Seeking the Gold), dam of Irish SW & MGSP Great War Eagle (Storm Cat). Best Macho's Grade I-winning third dam Shared Interest (Pleasant Colony) also produced GISW Forestry (Storm Cat). B-Fredericka V Caldwell & Mitchel Skolnick (KY)
9th-HSN, ¥19,950,000 (US$179k), Alw, 3yo/up, 1200mT
MOZU KING TIDE (c, 3, Union Rags&log=">Union Rags–Trillion Wing, by In the Wings {GB}) registered a single placing from four starts on the turf to begin his career, but woke up with a switch to the main track last time, landing a 1200m Kyoto maiden May 7 (video, gate 10). The $260K KEESEP yearling purchase is a half-brother to Papaw Bodie (Strong Hope), a Grade III winner on the grass, while second dam Diamond on the Run (Kris S.) was multiple Grade I-placed on dirt at two in 1997 before winning the GII Davona Dale S. the following winter. B-Omega Farm, B D Gibbs Farm LLC & Chancey Mill Farm (KY)
Sunday, June 4, 2017
6th-TOK, ¥9,550,000 (US$86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1400m
LIVER BIRD (c, 3, The Factor&log=">The Factor–Broadway Lullaby, by Songandaprayer), an $85K KEENOV weanling, fetched $35K as a KEESEP yearling, but made for a tremendous pinhook for Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stable when hammering for $460K at BARMAR in early 2016, the second dearest of 37 juveniles to sell by this sire. Hailing from the same female family of the talented Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song), the gray ridgling was runner-up in the slop at Nakayama Apr. 2 (video, gate 14), his lone board finish from four trips to the post. B-Marablue Farm LLC (KY)
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