5th-KEE, $55,429, Alw, 10-9, (NW1X), 3yo/up, 1 3/16mT, 1:56.31, fm.
HAYABUSA ONE (FR), c, 3, Siyouni {Fr}
1st Dam: Northern Ocean {Fr}, by Green Tune
2nd Dam: Moortown (Ire), by Grand Lodg
3rd Dam: Accell (Ire), by Magical Wonder
Hayabusa One nearly lost his pilot when two horses inside of him dropped their riders at Cagnes-sur-Mer Feb. 1 (video), but he continued on to a convincing score that day before being purchased privately and transferred from conditioner Simone Brogi. Having prepped over the Fair Hill synthetic for a conditioner who excels with European imports making their first Stateside starts, the chestnut was let go at 6-1 and gave the impression of a runner who could go on to bigger and better. Away well, Hayabusa One was taken in hand by Florent Geroux and guided to the rail to avoid being bottled up in traffic. He bided his time behind solid splits in midpack, but seemed to idle turning for home. The light went on leaving the home bend and, tipped widest into the lane, he powered away impressively to score by 3 3/4 lengths over Gio's Calling (Gio Ponti). Hayabusa One was beaten a head when second on debut over the Deauville Polytrack Dec. 17, but failed to fire over the Cagnes-sur-Mer synth a month later. The winner hails from the family of Guillaume Tell (Ire) (Rossini), who was Group-placed in France before finishing second by a nose in the 2005 GIII Transylvania S. over this course. His dam has a yearling colt named Katana One (Fr) (Sunday Break {Jpn}). Sales history: €45,000 Ylg '14 AR14; €35,000 2yo '15 ARMAY. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $49,117. Click for the Equibase.com chart, VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Team Valor International & Gary Barber; B-Dominque Lepagney (FR); T-H. Graham Motion.
Team Valor, Barber Might Have a Good 'One'…
Watch the replay of Hayabusa One's maiden-breaking score in France Feb. 1, and it's easy to see why Barry Irwin of Team Valor International saw fit to buy him. Nearly eliminated from the
1 5/16-mile event early when two of his rivals dropped their riders, he gathered himself up and went about his business to earn his diploma by three lengths.
“It was interesting, but it was also so athletic–it impressed the hell out of me and that's why I bought him,” said Irwin by phone Sunday afternoon.
Irwin noted that it wasn't the easiest private purchase deal he had ever done.
“It took about 10 days, but we eventually got there,” Irwin recalled. “He had three owners, including the trainer, and they kept going back and forth. Any time you have three guys in on a horse, my rule of thumb is, don't even bother calling–you're never going to get the horse.”
Despite trainer Graham Motion's strong numbers with foreign imports, and some notable early tote action, Irwin revealed that the connections weren't expecting an effort like what Hayabusa One turned in Sunday.
“We thought he might actually need the race,” he revealed. “The thing about this horse is, Graham didn't really do much with him before the race. He's a taller, lighter-bodied horse who keeps himself fit. It doesn't take much to get him ready.”
With winter looming, Irwin and partner Gary Barber will take a wait-and-see approach in deciding what to do next with their promising runner.
“The timing's weird,” Irwin noted. “He's a big, long-striding horse and the jockey [Florent Geroux] told us afterwards that at the three-eights pole he didn't think he was going to get anything. Then he asked the horse to run, and he got a good response, but he says that he needs to run at a track like Belmont or Woodbine because he's got such a long stride that it's not easy for him to handle normal American turns. We're coming up to the end of the season for those tracks. I talked to my partner Gary Barber after the race and we discussed the options, but we'll probably have to cool our jets and wait until we get down to Florida.”
Before hanging up, Irwin gave more insight into perhaps why Hayabusa One was able to overcome the trouble he did last out in France, and to why he has adjusted to well to his new surroundings.
“The best part about him is he's got the greatest disposition of any horse you've ever seen,” he said. “Nothing phases him. He's unbelievable. He just stands there–he's like having a pet. He's amazing.” -Brian DiDonato
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