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 Saturday running at Tokyo Racecourse, which features the first race on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, the $175K Cattleya Sho allowance. Sunday's notable runners in Japan will appear in Saturday's TDN:
Saturday, November 23, 2019
6th-TOK, ¥13,400,000 ($123k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600m
ATLANTA TESORO (c, 2, Declaration of War–Quite Honestly, by Lion Heart) is out of an unraced full-sister to GSW and two-time Grade I-placed Pretty Prolific and MGSP Missyoulikecrazy and a half to French MGSP Seattle Bay (Opening Verse)–the dam of MSP Smart Seattle (Smart Strike). A $70K Keeneland November buyback, the January foal–whose third dam was champion Waya (Fr) (Faraway Son)–improved into a $250K Keeneland September graduate. B-Paget Bloodstock & Galtee Bloodstock Ltd (KY)
9th-TOK, Cattleya Sho (Alw) ($175k), 3yo, 1600m
DIEU DU VIN (JPN) (c, 2, Declaration of War–Jealous Cat, by Tapit) was crunched into 11-10 favoritism for his Oct. 26 debut over this course and distance and came away late to defeat next-out maiden winner and the re-opposing Danon Pharaoh (Jpn) (American Pharoah) by a solid 2 1/2 lengths, overcoming gate 16 in the process (video). Shimokobe Farm acquired the colt's dam, a full-sister to 'TDN Rising Star' Tapicat, for $210K at KEENOV in 2015. Dieu du Vin is the mare's first produce. B-Shimokobe Farm
CLEPAT (f, 2, American Pharoah–Intelyhente, by Smart Strike) became her Triple Crown-winning sire's first Japanese winner, overcoming a slow start and a wide trip to graduate by 3 1/2 lengths going 1800 meters at Hanshin Sept. 15 (see below, gate 3). A half-sister to the stakes-placed Count Alexander (Scat Daddy), the April foal is out of a full-sister to multiple graded winner Bel Air Beauty, the dam of Sovereign Award-winning sprinter Stacked Deck (First Samurai) and GSP Valentino Beauty (Vindication). Clepat cost $310K as a KEESEP yearling in 2018. B-William Duignan & Tranquility Investments Limited (KY)
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