In this continuing 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 Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses, including an intriguing Sunday allowance at the former venue in which a pair of unbeaten US-breds take on a Group 3-winning son of the late Giant's Causeway switching to the dirt for the first time:
Saturday, March 9, 2019
4th-CKO, ¥9,550,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1400m
ERZULIE (f, 3, Graydar–Miss Luna, by Henny Hughes), a $70K purchase at KEESEP in 2017, is a maternal granddaughter of In Her Glory (Miswaki), third to Sky Beauty and Educated Risk in the 1993 GI Acorn S. In Her Glory is the dam not only of the stakes-placed Seattle Slew full-siblings Seattle Glory and Combanchera, but also of Sambuca Classic (Cat Thief), whose son Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile) was champion of his generation with wins in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2016 before adding the GI Arkansas Derby and a runner-up effort in the GI Preakness S. in 2017. B-Springland Farm (KY)
4th-NKY, ¥11,400,000 ($102k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m
PIONEER BAROWS (c, 3, Cairo Prince&log=">Cairo Prince–Dattts Lady Di, by Proud Citizen) is a half-brother to SP Lindy (War Front), the dam of Japan-based US-bred La La Chrysaor (Speightstown), who won his maiden by over 10 lengths as first asking in January. Produced by a half-sister to Grab Your Heart (Deputy Commander), a four-time stakes winner in Japan and earner of better than $2.4 million, Pioneer Barows was a $110K KEENOV weanling, a $175K KEESEP buyback and a $400K graduate of last year's FTFMAR sale (breeze video). B-Bret Jones (KY)
Sunday, March 10, 2019
10th-CKO, ¥34,200,000 ($307k), Open Class, 3yo, 1400m
A pair of promising and undefeated US-breds and another who is already a Group 3 winner highlight this salty test Sunday afternoon.
MONT PERDU (f, 3, Cairo Prince&log=">Cairo Prince–Spanish Post, by Flatter) is perfect in her two trips to the races, having won her maiden by five lengths at first asking last November (video, gate 4) before scoring by 3 1/2 lengths when last seen Jan. 13 (see below, gate 13). A $115K FTNAUG yearling and $325K FTFMAR purchase, the bay was bred in New York by Bluewater Sales and Three Diamonds Farm.
TIMING NOW (c, 3, Tapit&hid=28277">Tapit–Her Smile, by Include), a $750K KEESEP purchase, is unbeaten in his two runs to date, a four-length graduation Jan. 5 (video, gate 8) ahead of a two-length score over this surface Feb. 2 (video, gate 11). Yutaka Take retains the mount aboard the son of Grade I winner Her Smile, who was bred in the Bluegrass by Larry and Karen Doyle's KatieRich Farms.
Making his dirt debut–and bred nicely for it–is ASTER PEGASUS (c, 3, Giant's Causeway-R Heat Lightning, by Trippi), a $150K KEESEP grad who won the G3 Hakodate Nisai S. on turf last July (video, gate 6). A son of the 2010 GI Spinaway S. victress, Aster Pegasus was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC.
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