Northern Racing

Sunday Racing Company's G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) hero Croix Du Nord (Kitasan Black), not seen since annexing that Classic in June, became the latest Japanese nominee to lay down a marker for next month's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a narrow victory in Sunday's G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange at ParisLongchamp. "I knew the horse needed the race and I am very happy with the result," said trainer Takashi Saito. "Earlier this week he had not worked so well at Chantilly, so I didn't get much sleep...

Croix Du Nord (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) maintained his unbeaten record with a two-length victory in the G1 Hopeful Stakes at Nakayama on Saturday. The heavy 4-5 favourite defeated Giovanni (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), who was 1 1/4 lengths to the good of 302-1 longshot Faust Rasen (Jpn) (Mozu Ascot). Fairly keen through the first turn, the dark bay settled in seventh behind Jun Asahi Sora (Jpn) (Isla Bonita {Jpn}) and Jet Magnum (Jpn) (Henry Barows {Jpn}), who battled through fractions of :23.70, :48.70, and 1:13.40. Swooping up into third entering...

[tdn-newsletter-embed]Three of the four previous runnings of the $1.5-million G3 Boutique Group Saudi Derby had been decided by less than a length, including a them-versus-us showdown last year when the locally based Commissioner King (Commissioner) outlasted America's Havnameltdown (Uncaptured) by a head in a real war of attrition. Susumu Fujita's Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) had been the recipient of as much lip service as any horse on the grounds in Riyadh over the past several days, his latest seven-length romp in the Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun stamping him...