By Heather Anderson
The betting public were spot on making listed Hagi S. hero Time Flyer (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) the post time favourite for the 2000m G1 Hopeful S. at Nakayama on Thursday, the last Group 1 of the 2017 Japanese racing season. The Sunday Racing colourbearer, far back in the early going, let down strongly in the home straight to clinch a first Group 1 title over a game Gendarme (Kitten's Joy).
Near the tail of the field after the gates sprung, the 3-1 shot was content to bide his time under Cristian Demuro into the backstretch as Trine (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) showed the way. Popped the question by Demuro inside the final half-mile, the Heart's Cry colt began to gobble up ground by the 600-metre mark and improved to ninth leaving the final bend. Angled out to the center of the course with a quarter mile remaining, Time Flyer made his bid for the lead before locking horns with 5-1 fourth choice Gendarme, who was rallying to his inside. The duo edged ahead of the stretch leader Sans Rival (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), before Time Flyer clawed past a game Gendarme to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Stay Foolish (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) arrived on the scene with full head of steam, but had to settle for third, a neck behind. Sans Rival was 2 1/2 lengths back in fourth.
“Today we went very fast, so I waited a little bit because I tried to stay behind,” said Demuro, who was winning his second Japanese Group 1. “I had confidence that he could catch up, but we were [in] tight and couldn't find the space, so I followed Yutaka [Take on Gendarme] who was in front of me. He was just a very good horse. He will improve for the Classics because he is still young and has a good turn of foot.”
Second in a Niigata newcomers' race going 1800 metres on Aug. 6, Time Flyer was first past the post in his next two starts, including the Oct. 28 Listed Hagi S. at Kyoto. He played the bridesmaid in the G3 Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nisai S. stepping up to group company on Nov. 25, his first try at 2000 metres before the Hopeful.
Pedigree Notes…
Time Flyer is the sixth Group 1 winner among 30 black-type winners for the 16-year-old Heart's Cry (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) and first juvenile top-shelf victor. Time Traveling's lone win was at Kokura going 1700m on dirt as a 2-year-old, but that hasn't stopped her from producing five winners from six foals, with the best being Time Flyer. The full-sister to Japan Cup Dirt hero Time Paradox (Jpn) (Brian's Time) is out of Prix Occitanie heroine Jolie Zaza (Ire) (Alzao), while Group 1 winners Gentoo (Fr) (Loup Solitaire) and Steamer Duck (Bering {GB}) are also under the French MSP third dam Bold Lady (Fr) (Bold Lad). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Thursday, Nakayama, Japan
HOPEFUL S.-G1, ¥135,720,000 (US$1,202,892/€1,006,979/£894,944), Nakayama, 12-28, 2yo, 2000mT, 2:01.40, fm.
1–TIME FLYER (JPN), 121, c, 2, Heart's Cry (Jpn)
1st Dam: Time Traveling (Jpn), by Brian's Time
2nd Dam: Jolie Zaza (Ire), by Alzao
3rd Dam: Bold Lady (Fr), by Bold Lad
1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Sunday Racing;
B-Shiraoi Farm (Jpn); T-Kunihide Matsuda; J-Cristian Demuro;
¥71,204,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Gendarme, 121, c, 2, by Kitten's Joy–Believe (Jpn), by Sunday
Silence. O-Koji Maeda; B-North Hills Co. Limited (KY);
¥28,344,000.
3–Stay Foolish (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Stay Gold (Jpn)–Kauai Lane (Jpn),
by King Kamehameha (Jpn). O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shiraoi
Farm (Jpn); ¥18,172,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 2HF; Odds: 3.20, 5.20, 21.90.
Also Ran: Sans Rival (Jpn), Nasuno Symphony (Jpn), Lucas (Jpn), My Heartbeat (Jpn), Water Parfait (Jpn), Lord Axis (Jpn), Shaft of Light (Jpn), Lune Rouge (Jpn), Charlemagne (Jpn), Flatley (Jpn), Jun Valerot (Jpn), Tosen Krieger (Jpn), Work and Love (Jpn),
Did not finish: Trine (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart and video and for the Racing Post result.
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