By Brian Sheerin
Had the distance for the G3 1351 Turf Sprint Presented By STC been set just a few metres longer, Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) may well have been recording his second victory in the race for Bill Mott on Saturday, but it was the front-running Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) who clung on from the fast-finishing runner-up to open the floodgates for the Japanese raiders on Saudi Cup night.
Trained by Yoshito Yahagi, who would go on to win the Saudi Cup with Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), Bathrat Leon was extremely brave under Ryusei Sakai in relegating Casa Creed to the runner-up spot for the second year in a row.
Successful in the G2 Godolphin Mile on dirt at the Dubai World Cup meeting last year, connections of Bathrat Leon suggested that the versatile 5-year-old would aim for a repeat success at Meydan next month.
Yahagi said, “Even as a trainer, I don't have the right answer if he is a turf horse or a dirt horse. I thought Bathrat Leon would suit the turf here and the distance. I think his best is seven furlongs, this is six-and-a-half furlongs.
“The jockey and I had the same opinion to go from the front. They get on very well. We won today, we have to have a discussion with the owner. He handles turf pretty well, but at the moment I would say we can look at the Godolphin Mile.”
It was a second major triumph in the last six days for the 25-year-old Sakai, who guided Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) to victory in the G1 February S. at Tokyo last Sunday.
He said, “I am very grateful to the owner and my boss Mr. Yahagi and the connections who gave me the chance to ride here. My horse had the best run, he had a great trip.”
Last year's winner Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) broke slowly and never recovered while Luis Saez, the rider of Casa Creed, was left ruing what might have been on the second.
He said, “He broke from there pretty well and I was in a good position. I thought we were going to get up to win but every time the winning horse just kept going and going and it was too late when we passed him. That's racing but I saw the line and I knew I was not in front in time. He tried pretty hard, it's just the winner was tough to catch. I thought we were going to get him.”
Prior to Saturday's winning effort, the 5-year-old ran fourth in the G2 Hanshin Cup on Christmas Eve.
Pedigree Notes
Kizuna is the sire of top-level winners Songline and Akai Ito (Jpn) among his 20 stakes winners. Although it is fairly early days yet for New Approach as a broodmare sire, his best are American champion Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and fellow top-tier winners Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) and Mustang Valley (NZ) (Vanbrugh {Aus}).
One of three foals and the only winner out of the unplaced Bathrat Amal (Jpn) (New Approach {Ire}), Bathrat Leon is followed by the 3-year-old filly Letter My Heart (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}). Two-time Group/Grade 1 winner Serious Attitude (Ire) (Mtoto {GB}) is a half-sister to Bathrat Amal, and she is the dam of triple group winner and G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) second Stiffelio (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}).
Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
1351 TURF SPRINT PRESENTED BY STC-G3, $1,500,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-25, 4yo/up, 1351mT, 1:17.48, gd.
1–BATHRAT LEON (JPN), 126, h, 5, by Kizuna (Jpn)
1st Dam: Bathrat Amal (Jpn), by New Approach (Ire)
2nd Dam: Zameyla (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire)
3rd Dam: Angelic Sounds (Ire), by The Noble Player
O-Hiroo Race Co., Ltd.; B-Mishima Bokujo; T-Yoshito Yahagi; J-Ryusei Sakai; $900,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-Jpn & UAE, 19-5-0-3, $2,600,990. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
2–Casa Creed, 126, h, 7, Jimmy Creed–Achalaya, by Bellamy Road. ($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSJAN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE Racing LLC & JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Luis Saez; $300,000.
3–Raaed (Ire), 126, g, 6, Dark Angel (Ire)–Ambassadrice (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (£90,000 Ylg '18 GOFAUG; 55,000gns HRA '20 TATOCT). O-Sharaf Mohammed S. Al Hariri; B-J. Hanly, A. Stroud & T. Stewart (Ire); T-Bedan Alsubaie; J-Ricardo Ferreira; $150,000.
Margins: HD, 1 3/4, NK. Odds: 8.00, 5.00, 22.00.
Also Ran: Happy Romance (Ire), Resistencia (Jpn), Lusail (Ire), Rozgar (Ire), Garrus (Ire), Lauda Sion (Jpn), Songline (Jpn), Pogo (Ire). VIDEO.
🤯 BATHRAT LEON バスラットレオン holds on!!
Fends off Casa Creed to take the G3 1351 Turf Sprint presented by stc.#TheSaudiCup🏆 #サウジカップ🏆🎌 pic.twitter.com/9fWS8floPL
— The Saudi Cup (@thesaudicup) February 25, 2023
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