Japanese St Leger

HOKKAIDO, Japan--Don't say we didn't warn you. Contrail (Jpn) has been the name on most people's lips around the sales ground at the JRHA Select Sale and when the first foals by the Triple Crown-winning son of Deep Impact (Jpn) took to the ring on Tuesday it wasn't long before the hype became reality. What's really important, of course, is what happens in two or three years' time when these youngsters make it to the track, but the first test, on the commercial market, has been passed with flying colours....

With the winners of the first two legs of the Japanese Triple Crown--G1 Satsuki Sho hero Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong) and G1 Tokyo Yushun victor Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn})--targeting upcoming spots versus open rivals, Sunday's G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) looms a competitive affair, with a pair of colts from the penultimate crop of the last Deep Impact (Jpn)--who completed his own Triple Crown here in 2005--looming especially large. Deep Impact is already the sire of four Kikuka Sho winners. Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was Group...

The Japanese Triple Crown concludes Sunday afternoon with the running of the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) over a metric mile and seven furlongs at Hanshin Racecourse. With G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) hero Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) pointing towards next weekend's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and G1 Tokyo Yushun victor Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) also giving the race a miss, the Kikuka Sho is really anybody's horse race. Stella Veloce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) is liable to jump as the race favourite as he goes second-up since...