By Sean Cronin
It's been quite a while since El Condor Pasa (Kingmambo), Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) and Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) strutted their stuff around the Bois de Boulogne and Japan has a new globetrotter to laud after Shinji Maeda's Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) rolled back the years and made all to win Sunday's G2 Qatar Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp. Last year's G2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai and this year's G2 Hanshin Daishoten winner, who ran second in May's G1 Tenno Sho in his most recent start, was the sharpest of six into stride and seized an immediate lead in the 12-furlong Arc trial won by El Condor Pasa and twice by Orfevre in the past. Holding sway with an uncontested lead throughout, he was rowed along to shake off his closest pursuer Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in early straight and maintained a high tempo under continued urging inside the final quarter mile to comfortably hold that chaperone by 1 1/2 lengths. Jean-Claude Seroul's 7-5 favourite Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) employed his usual hold-up tactics in rear, but was unable to land a blow on the protagonists and finished a well-beaten fourth.
“He's quite a big horse and weighs approximately 500 kilograms, but he is light on his feet and has a very smooth action,” explained winning trainer Ryuji Okubo. When he races in Japan, he usually comes from behind because there is more rhythm to the races there. We wanted to make the running today to make sure he was in the optimum rhythm and the jockey [Cristian Demuro] managed that perfectly well. He had not raced for over four months, so I imagine there is plenty of room for improvement and he will most definitely come on for the run.”
Looking ahead to future options and with a chance to shine where the aforementioned trio stuttered, the trainer added, “We will give him an easy time next week and we will then have two weeks to build him up to the Arc. He'll be a vastly improved horse by then and we'll be very proud to run him in that race. I'll be staying in France for the next three weeks to oversee his preparations.”
Deep Bond is the third, and best, of five foals and as many runners to date out of the multiple winner Zephyranthes (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}), herself kin to the dam of MG1SW Japanese champion sprinter Laurel Guerreiro (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}), G3 Kisaragi Sho runner-up Rikisan Max (Jpn) (King Halo {Jpn}) and G3 Kyoto Sho Fantasy S. placegetter Amazing Moon (Jpn) (Admire Moon {Jpn}). The latter, in turn, produced G3 Radio Nikkei Sho third North Bridge (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}). The February-foaled dark bay shares his third dam Mogami Point (Jpn) (Maruzensky {Jpn}) with Listed Marguerite S. runner-up Ojono Kiseki (Jpn) (Kinshas No Kiseki {Aus}). Deep Bond is a half-brother to the once placed 3-year-old colt Drummondii (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn) and the winning 2-year-old colt Sparta Leonidas (Jpn) (Henny Hughes).
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
QATAR PRIX FOY-G2, €130,000, ParisLongchamp, 9-12, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:31.82, gd.
1–DEEP BOND (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Kizuna (Jpn)
1st Dam: Zephyranthes (Jpn), by King Halo (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Mogami Hime (Jpn), by Cacoethes
3rd Dam: Mogami Point (Jpn), by Maruzensky (Jpn)
O-Shinji Maeda; B-Bokujo Murata (JPN); T-Ryuji Okubo; J-Cristian Demuro. €74,100. Lifetime Record: MGSW & G1SP-Jpn, 13-4-2-1, €2,010,074. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. ClicSk for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Broome (Ire), 127, h, 5, Australia (GB)–Sweepstake (Ire), by Acclamation (GB). (€120,000 RNA Ylg '17 GOFOR; 150,000gns Ylg '17 TATDEY). O-Masaaki Matsushima, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €28,600.
3–Iresine (Fr), 128, g, 4, Manduro (Ger)–Inanga (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). (€6,000 Ylg '18 AROCT). O-Bertrand Milliere, Ecurie Jean-Paul Gauvin, Christian Goutelle & Jean-Pierre Gauvin; B-Pierre Soyaux & Marie-Louise van Dedem (FR); T-Jean-Pierre Gauvin. €13,650.
Margins: 1HF, 1 3/4, 3HF. Odds: 8.50, 2.30, 5.60.
Also Ran: Skalleti (Fr), Sublimis (Ire), Opasan (Ire). Scratched: Wonderful Tonight (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.
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