2018 Japanese champion 3-year-old colt Blast Onepiece (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) rebounded from an unplaced effort in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October to take the G2 American Jockey Club Cup by 1 1/4 lengths at Nakayama on Sunday.
Tracking the leading trio in fourth past the stands and into the first turn, Kohei Matsuyama had the 5-year-old entire in an ideal tracking position as Stiffelio (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) set a measured pace on the front end. The stalking Meiner Frost (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}) went amiss at the 600-metre mark, and Matsuyama steered the favourite charge to the outside of the hooded grey and back towards the inner without mishap. He took aim on the laboring Stiffelio at the head of the lane, but Stay Foolish (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}), who had enjoyed a ground saving trip in second for much of the circuit, had all the momentum against the fence and took up the baton. Blast Onepiece persevered and passed that rival in the final 75 metres to win. Last Draft (Jpn) (Novellist {Ire}) closed from the centre of the course to take third, 1 3/4 lengths behind.
An up-and-down career has seen Blast Onepiece win his first three starts including the G3 Mainichi Hai in March of 2018. Only fifth in the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), he bounced back with a win in the G3 Niigata Kinen that September, and earned his sophomore championship title with a score in the G1 Arima Kinen that December. Unplaced in March and May of 2019, the then 4-year-old righted the ship with a win in the Aug. 18 G2 Sapporo Kinen. Testing the waters outside of his native land, he ran 11th in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last October.
Pedigree Notes
The first foal out of his three-timing winning dam, Blast Onepiece was followed in consecutive years by the winning fillies Victoria Piece (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}) and Ho O Peaceful (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}). G2 Nikkei Sho victor Al Nasrain (Jpn) (Admire Vega {Jpn}) shares his SP dam with Tsurumaru Onepiece. The Group 1 Classic-placed G2 Prix de Royallieu heroine Summer Trip (L'Emigrant) is from the same family as Blast Onepiece.
Sunday, Nakayama, Japan
AMERICAN JOCKEY CLUB CUP-G2, ¥119,720,000 (US$1,098,265/£839,244/€995,533), Nakayama, 1-26 4yo/up, 2200mT, 2:15.00, gd.
1–BLAST ONEPIECE (JPN), 126, h, 5, 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
O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Masahiro Otake;
J-Yuga Kawada. ¥62,854,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo Colt-
Jpn, G1SW-Jpn, 12-7-0-0. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Stay Foolish (Jpn), 123, h, 5, Stay Gold (Jpn)–Kauai Lane
(Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). O-Shadai Race Horse;
B-Shiraoi Farm (Jpn); ¥25,244,000.
3–Last Draft (Jpn), 121, c, 4, Novellist (Ire)–Marcellina (Jpn), by
Deep Impact (Jpn). O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn);
¥16,122,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 2.00, 7.00, 5.80.
Also Ran: Mikki Swallow (Jpn), Satono Chronicle (Jpn), Nishino Daisy (Jpn), Uranus Charm (Jpn), Stiffelio (Jpn), Luminous Warrior (Jpn), Kurosuke (Jpn), Globe Theatre (Jpn), Meiner Frost (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart and video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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