By Alan Carasso
In this continuing series, we take 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 Saturday and Sunday running at Kyoto Racecourse:
Saturday, January 10, 2026
4th-KYO, ¥15,620,000 ($100k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m
JUSTIN DALLAS (JPN) (c, 3, Gun Runner–Pink Sands, by Tapit) shaped with much promise on debut over this course and distance Oct. 5, finishing second to Pyromancer (Jpn) (Pyro), who would return to add the Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun to take the lead on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. The bay, who graduated by 1 1/4 lengths at odds of 1-10 Nov. 22, is out of a dual graded-stakes winning daughter of GISW Her Smile (Include) who fetched $2.3 million in foal to Into Mischief at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale. O-Masahiro Miki; B-EM Planning LLC; T-Haruki Sugiyama
Sunday, January 11, 2026
2nd-KYO, ¥12,330,000 ($79k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m
PETRICHOR (JPN) (f, 3, Justify–Nicest {Ire}, by American Pharoah) is the first foal to the races for her dam, third in the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes and G1 Irish Oaks for Coolmore and Donnacha O'Brien in 2021 before closing that season with a runner-up effort in the GI American Oaks when carrying the silks of Katsumi Yoshida. Irish Oaks victress Chiquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) is this filly's second dam, and her three winners also includes MGSW & G1SP Emily Dickinson (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Third dam Prudenzia (Ire) (Danehill) produced the globetrotting Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Petrichor debuts in the Sunday Racing colors on Sunday. O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Racing; T-Hiroyuki Uemura
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