The legendary Japanese Horse of the Year Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) has been eligible to be represented by runners in the G1 Japan Cup since his first crop turned three in 2011. It didn't take long for him to make his mark on the race in which he closed his career victoriously in 2006, as his second-crop daughter Gentildonna (Jpn) (ex Donna Blini {GB}) won the first of her two Japan Cups in 2012 before following up in 2013. Though Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S) halted the streak last year–with Deep Impact's Spielberg (Jpn) third and Gentildonna fourth as the favorite–Shonan Pandora (Jpn) became her sire's third Japan Cup winner in the space of four years and the fifth female in the last seven to capture the fall feature at Fuchu Racecourse. Last Impact (Jpn) made it a one-two sweep for the stallion, just outfinishing race favorite Lovely Day (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) for second.
Winner of last year's G1 Shuka Sho, Shonan Pandora was eighth behind the subsequent G1 Sprinters' S. winner and G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint-bound Straight Girl (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn}) in the G1 Victoria Mile in May, then filled third spot underneath Lovely Day in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen going 11 furlongs June 28. She returned from a freshening to land the G2 Sankei Sho All Comers S. Sept. 27 and was exiting a solid fourth behind the in-form Lovely Day when backing up to 2000 meters in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) over this course Nov. 1.
Drawn out in gate 15 and sent off the fourth betting favorite behind Lovely Day, Shonan Pandora managed to secure a midfield berth as Curren Mirotic (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) stole away to lead by six or seven lengths as they climbed to the top of the course on the backstretch. She had Lovely Day to track from about sixth position, while Last Impact settled in the latter third and fan favorite Gold Ship (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) was content to lay in the final four. Curren Mirotic still led clear on the turn, but the field was starting to bunch up behind and Shonan Pandora was winding up in tandem with Gold Ship. But while the latter could not sustain its run, his female foe did, as she was switched off the heels of Lovely Day, grabbed that one inside the final 50 meters and found the wire narrowly best. The latter got first run as they hit the straight and looked on his way to victory, but was simply outfinished by the eventual winner and Last Impact. The mount of Ryan Moore, but touching 23-1 on the tote off a 12th in the Tenno Sho, Last Impact saved all the ground, got through at the fence in the lane and flew home to just miss.
“To sum it up, I am in seventh heaven,” winning trainer Tomokazu Takano commented. “She made the turns nicely and looked good in the backstretch and I was relieved. To tell the truth, I wasn't really looking at any other horses but I did notice Lovely Day make his move and I knew it would be close.”
Of the four overseas raiders, the Niarchos family's Erupt (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was easily best, finishing a close sixth after getting shuffled back at a crucial stage. Nightflower (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) finished 11th, G1 Melbourne Cup fourth Trip to Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}) 14th and G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern hero Ito (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) last of all after being fractious at the gates. Erupt, Trip to Paris and Ito all hold entries for the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase in two weeks' time, but South China Morning Post reports in its Monday edition that none of the trio is likely to press on to Sha Tin.
The winner's dam is a close relative of Stay Gold (Jpn), the sire of Gold Ship, who made a name for himself on the international stage with victories in the G1 Hong Kong Vase and the Dubai Sheema Classic, then a Group 2 event. Cutie Gold is represented by the 2-year-old colt Spear the Gold (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}), produced a filly by G1 Dubai World Cup hero Victoire Pisa (Jpn) in 2014 and a colt by Daiwa Major (Jpn) earlier this year.
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
JAPAN CUP-G1, ¥575,400,000 (US$4,687,801), Tokyo, 11-29, 3yo/up, 2400mT, 2:24.70, fm.
1–SHONAN PANDORA (JPN), 121, f, 4, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Cutie Gold (Jpn), by French Deputy
2nd Dam: Golden Sash (Jpn), by Dictus (Fr)
3rd Dam: Dyna Sash (Jpn), by Northern Taste
O-Tetsuhide Kunimoto; B-Shiraoi Farm; T-Tomohiro Takano;
J-Kenichi Ikezoe; ¥303,780,000. Lifetime Record: 16-5-4-1.Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
* Triple Plus*.
2–Last Impact (Jpn), 126, h, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)-Superior Pearl
(Jpn), by Timber Country. O-Silk Co.; B-Shiraoi Farm;
¥121,080,000.
3–Lovely Day (Jpn), 126, h, 5, King Kamehameha (Jpn)-Popcorn
Jazz (Jpn), by Dance in the Dark (Jpn). O-Makoto Kaneko
Holdings; B-Northern Farm; ¥75,540,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 8.20, 22.90, 1.70.
Also ran: Jubgke Cruise (Jpn), Sounds of Earth (Jpn), Erupt (Ire), One and Only (Jpn), Mikki Queen (Jpn), Derby Fizz (Jpn), Gold Ship (Jpn), Nightflower (Ire), Shonan Bach (Jpn), Hit the Target (Jpn), Trip to Paris (Ire), Curren Mirotic (Jpn), Admire Deus (Jpn), Pelusa (Jpn), Ito (Ger). Click for the JRA chart and video. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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