Shock In The NHK Mile Cup, As Panja Tower Prevails

Deep Creek's Panja Tower (Tower Of London) upset the G1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo on Sunday, producing a strong stretch run to sweep the spoils. The Shinsuke Hashiguchi-trained colt was winning his first Group 1 race.

Rated in midfield through the early going, the 25-1 shot stayed out of trouble on the backstretch. Spun widest of all off the turn, he set sail for the pacesetter, Voulezvous (Satono Crown), just before the 400-metre mark. Several rivals had a similar idea, and the field was soon strung across the course with at least six horses in with a chance by midstraight. Panja Tower kept grinding, eventually outfooting all of his foes to win by a head over the rallying Magic Sands (Kizuna), himself a nose in front of the filly Cerbiatto (Lord Kanaloa) in third.

“We were able to sit in a good position but the rhythm was more of an important factor and I'm happy he ran steadily in good rhythm today,” said jockey Kohei Matsuyama. “As you know, he's shown his strength since his debut and has a graded  win in Tokyo, and the way he stretched incredibly today proves he has a bright future ahead of him,”

A winner of his first two starts at two, including the G2 Keio Hai Nisai Stakes, Panja Tower was a well-beaten 12th in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity to Admire Zoom (Maurice), favoured on Sunday and the eventual 14th-place finisher of the NHK Mile Cup. The Tower Of London colt improved to fourth in the G3 Falcon Stakes over 1400 metres behind Yankee Barows (Epiphaneia)–ninth today–in March when making his 3-year-old bow. Admire Zoom was found to have lost a shoe during the running.

Pedigree Notes

The first stakes winner of any sort for his sire, whose eldest foals are now 3-year-olds, Panja Tower is a paternal half-brother to G3 Kokura Nisai Stakes third Arlington Row. Tower Of London won the G1 Sprinters Stakes and stands for ¥2 million at Darley's Japanese satellite.

The second foal, runner and winner for his unraced dam Clarksdale (Victoire Pisa), Panja Tower is followed by a 2-year-old filly by Declaration Of War, a yearling colt by Pyro and a colt foal of this year by Admire Mars. Granddam Acoustics (Cape Cross) foaled the Japanese Derby hero and sire Logi Universe, and Acoustics herself is a half-sister to three stakes winners anchored by group winners Renforcer (Symboli Kris S) and Northern River (Agnes Tachyon). This is also the family of Japanese champion Songline (Kizuna) and G1 Shuka Sho/G1 Nassau Stakes heroine Deirdre (Harbinger).

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
NHK MILE CUP-G1, ¥253,400,000, Tokyo, 5-5, 3, c/f, 1600mT,
1:31.70, fm.
1–PANJA TOWER (JPN), 126, c, 3, Tower of London (Jpn)
            1st Dam: Clarksdale (Jpn), by Victoire Pisa (Jpn)
            2nd Dam: Acoustics (Jpn), by Cape Cross (Ire)
            3rd Dam: Soninke (GB), by Machiavellian
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Deep Creek; B-Champions Farm (Jpn);
T-Shinsuke Hashiguchi; J-Kohei Matsuyama; ¥133,780,000.
Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-0, ¥185,670,000. Click for the
   free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Magic Sands (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Kizuna (Jpn)–Kona Brewers
(Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE.
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥53,080,000.
3–Cerbiatto (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–Cutie Gold
(Jpn), by French Deputy. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Silk
Racing; B-Shiraoi Farm (Jpn); ¥33,540,000.
Margins: HD, NS, HF. Odds: 25.10, 7.40, 72.70.
Also Ran: Mondo dell'Amore (Jpn), Lance of Chaos (Jpn), Satono Carnaval (Jpn), Ma Puce (Jpn), Meiner Ticket (Jpn), Yankee Barows  (Jpn), Caught Alliciant (Jpn), Immigrant Song (Jpn), Mini Transat (Jpn), Arte Veloce (Jpn), Admire Zoom (Jpn), Voulezvous (Jpn), Shonan Xanadu (Jpn), Tiratore (Jpn), Total Clarity (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.