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 Niigata and Tokyo Racecourses, the latter of which plays host to the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), including a progressive US-bred daughter of Blame:
Sunday, May 20, 2018
5th-Niigata, ¥9,550,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m
LA LA PAY FORWARD (c, 3, Scat Daddy–Blushing Issue, by Blushing John) is a full-brother to 2x Grade I-winning turf distaffer Lady of Shamrock, but never reached contention when well beaten in his career debut over that surface Jan. 6. The $70K KEENOV weanling and $310K KEESEP yearling switches to the dirt this time, the surface over which half-brother Smooth Jazz (Storm Boot) was a Grade II-winning sprinter. Another half-sister, She's Sensational (Point Given), was a SW on turf and dirt. B-Paget Bloodstock (KY)
6th-Tokyo, ¥13,720,000 ($124k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600mT
AMERICAN WORLD (c, 3, Kitten's Joy–Limonar {Ire}, by Street Cry {Ire}), a $350K KEESEP yearling acquisition, has a victory (see below, gate 6) and a trio of top-three finishes from his six appearances and exits a fast-finishing defeat at the hands of the promising Fox Creek (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) at Kyoto Apr. 29 (video, gate 4). A half-brother to SW & GSP Mokarris (More Than Ready) and out of a stakes-winning half-sister to GISW Talco (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}), American World gets the services of top rider Mirco Demuro. B-St Elias Stables LLC (KY)
11th-Tokyo, Yushun Himba-G1, ¥210m ($1.9m), 3yo, f, 2400mT
RANDONNEE (f, 3, Blame&log=">Blame–Loure, by A.P. Indy) was very impressive in winning her maiden by three front-running lengths at second asking going 2000m (video, gate 2) and earned her first black-type victory in her latest, a 1 1/2-length success in the Listed Sweetpea S. (1800m) Apr. 29 (see below, gate 11). She will need to negotiate the jump up to the metric 12 furlongs and some tough competition, including reigning 2-year-old filly champion Lucky Lilac (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), a daughter of US GISW Lilacs and Lace (Flower Alley). B-Winchester Farm (KY)
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