Off the mark over this course and distance at first asking on Nov. 10, the newly minted 3-year-old Val d'Isere (Jpn) earned his first group tally in the G3 Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen on Sunday. Able to secure a spot against the fence in seventh behind a half-mile in :47.30, the dark bay burst up the inside once the field hit the home straight. Outfooting most of his rivals from there, he took charge but had to contend with the closing Meiner Flap (Jpn). He fended off that foe by a neck at the line. The ninth black-type winner and seventh group winner for his sire Lord Kanaloa (Jpn), Val d'Isere is the first foal from his three-time winning dam. Lord Kanaloa already has three Group 1 winners to his name, included recent G1 Hopeful S. victor Saturnalia (Jpn), 2018 Japanese Filly Triple Crown victress Almond Eye (Jpn) and G1 Mile Championship winner Stelvio (Jpn).
Sunday, Kyoto, Japan
NIKKAN SPORTS SHO SHINZAN KINEN-G3, ¥72,630,000 (US$669,026/£525,772/€587,019), Kyoto, 1-6, 3yo, 1600mT, 1:35.70, fm.
1–VAL D'ISERE (JPN), 123, c, 3, by Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)
1st Dam: Fargo (Jpn), by Heart's Cry (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Matikanesasameyuki, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Russian Ballet, by Nijinsky II
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-G1 Racing;
B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Kunihiko Watanabe; J-Yuichi
Kitamura. ¥38,441,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Meiner Flap (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Victoire Pisa (Jpn)–Meine Elena
(Jpn), by Roses in May. O-Thoroughbred Club Ruffian; B-Big
Red Farm (Jpn); ¥15,126,000.
3–Mikki Brillante (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Deep Brillante (Jpn)–Epic Love
(Ire), by Dansili (GB). (¥52,000,000 Wlg '16 JRHAJUL). O-Mizuki
Noda; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥9,563,000.
Margins: NK, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 5.80, 31.70, 4.40.
Also Ran: Passing Through (Jpn), Happy Hour (Jpn), Miyake (Jpn), Go Timing (Jpn), Intruse (Jpn), Donau Delta (Jpn), Copano Martin (Jpn), Shadow Emperor (Ire), Nihonpiro Henson (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. JRA Video.
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