Before a crowd of over 100,000, Blast Onepiece (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) held off favoured Rey de Oro (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) by a neck to capture the G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama on Sunday. The 2500-metre event was the first Group 1 victory for the Silk Racing colourbearer and his trainer, Masahiro Otake.
Drawn in stall eight, the 8-1 third choice perched out in the middled of the course as Kiseki (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) charged up to show the way while shadowed by Oju Chosan (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) and Mikki Rocket (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). Blast Onepiece was seventh 800 metres out as Kiseki rolled through the first 1700 metres in 1:43.5.
Rallying with 600 metres to travel, the Northern Farm-bred surged up into fourth a quarter mile from the winning post, but Kiseki still hung on gamely to the lead as rivals began to inch closer. Collaring the longtime leader inside the final 100 metres, the colt just withstood the late bid of 6-5 crowd's pick Rey de Oro who lunged late, but missed by a neck. Cheval Grand (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), who tanked along near the rear of the field for much of the race, got up for third 1 1/4 lengths behind, with Mikkie Rocket rounded out the superfecta another 1 1/2 lengths back.
“As I had drawn a middle gate, I was a bit worried of being caught between horses so I settled him toward the
outside,” said pilot Kenichi Ikezoe. “He ran well and though we were closed in by the race favorite at the end, he held on really well. I've been telling everyone that he is a Group 1 horse and I'm happy that I was able to prove it.”
A winner of his first three trips to the post, including the Mar. 24 1800-metre G3 Mainichi Hai, Blast Onepiece ran fifth in the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) at the end of May, but bounced back in the G3 Niigata Kinen over 2000 metres at Niigata on Sept. 2. Fourth trying 3000 metres for the first time in the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), the colt was the only 3-year-old in the Arima Kinen field and toted 121 pounds to victory, the same as fillies Mozu Katchan (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) (eighth), who won the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup and Smart Layer (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) (13th).
Pedigree Notes…
One of 24 black-type winners for his sire, Blast Onepiece is MG1SW Harbinger (GB) (Dansili {GB})'s fourth Group 1 winner and first from his 2015 crop. He joins Mozu Katchan, Deirdre (Jpn) (G1 Shuka Sho) and Persian Knight (Jpn) (G1 Mile Championship). Both Mozu Katchan and Blast Onepiece share King Kamehameha (Jpn) as a broodmare sire. After foaling Blast Onepiece, the three-time winner Tsurumaru Onepiece, herself a daughter of Fantasy S. bridesmaid Tsurumaru Glamor (Jpn) (Fuki Kiseki {Jpn}), produced the juvenile filly Victoria Piece (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}), who has already won at Kokura in two starts to date and a yearling filly by Orfevre (Jpn). Tsurumaru Glamor is a half to G2 Nikkei Sho victor and G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) runner-up Al Nasrain (Jpn) (Admire Vega {Jpn}). This is also the family of French Group 2 winner and G1 Italian Oaks third Summer Trip (L'Emigrant). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Sunday, Nakayama, Japan
ARIMA KINEN-G1, ¥574,800,000 (US$5,179,733/£4,100,196/€4,552,748), Nakayama, 12-23, 3yo/up, 2500mT, 2:32.20, gd.
1–BLAST ONEPIECE (JPN), 121, c, 3, Harbinger(GB)
1st Dam: Tsurumaru Onepiece (Jpn),
by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Tsurumaru Glamor (Jpn), by Fuji Kiseki (Jpn)
3rd Dam: Elatis, by El Gran Senor
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
T-Masahiro Otake; J-Kenichi Ikezoe. ¥303,360,000. Lifetime
Record: 7-5-0-0. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Rey de Oro (Jpn), 126, c, 4, by King Kamehameha (Jpn)–La
Dorada (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S. O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern
Farm (Jpn); ¥120,960,000.
3–Cheval Grand (Jpn), 126, h, 6, Heart's Cry (Jpn)–Halwa Sweet
(Jpn), by Machiavellian. O-Kazuhiro Sasaki; B-Northern Farm
(Jpn); ¥75,480,000.
Margins: NK, 1 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 7.90, 1.20, 21.70.
Also Ran: Mikki Rocket (Jpn), Kiseki (Jpn), Satono Diamond (Jpn), Sakura Empereur (Jpn), Mozu Katchan (Jpn), Oju Chosan (Jpn), Makahiki (Jpn), Mikki Swallow (Jpn), Ridge Man (Jpn), Smart Layer (Jpn), Perform a Promise (Jpn), Clincher (Jpn), Sounds of Earth (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post chart. JRA Video.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
