By Heather Anderson
The undefeated SW Café Pharoah (American Pharoah), the even-money pick in Tokyo's 1600-meter G3 Unicorn S., made that price look like a gift on Sunday, as he won that Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier by five easy lengths and set a new stakes record in the process (1:34.90). Dieu du Vin (Jpn) (Declaration of War) was second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Kenshinko (Jpn) (Pyro), as American-bred sires were responsible for the first three home. It was the first winner on dirt at the graded/group level for his Ashford Stud-based sire.
The $475,000 OBSMAR breezer was aggressive from the bell from the extreme outside in gate 16 and was a good four paths off the fence in a battling fifth through a first quarter in :23 flat. Still shooting the breeze out in the middle of the course nearing the bend, he was full of run as he tugged his way up to second with the first three furlongs covered in :34.20. Able to sit just off the flank of the pacesetting filly and 2-1 second choice Lecce Baroque (Uncle Mo) on the turn while finally saving a bit of ground, Café Pharoah took dead aim and cruised past in a few strides at the 400-meter pole, pouring it on through the stretch to win with ears pricked. Dieu du Vin and Kenshinko unleashed good closing efforts for place and show honors, but they were never going to touch the winner.
“I had a good start, but I had a fast horse inside and used my mount to get [into] second,” jockey Damian Lane told Yahoo Japan. “Still, after I got second, the pace was slow. I was worried about the reaction when I first used my mount, but I was relaxed even when I entered the straight and [he] responded 300 metres out.”
A 10-length winner at first asking going 1800 meters at Nakayama Dec. 14, the bay earned 30 points on the Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby with a victory in the Listed Hyacinth S. cut back to a mile Feb. 23. After Sunday's score, he now has 70 points and sits atop the point standings in Japan, with just the July 8 Japan Dirt Derby (40-16-8-4) at Ohi remaining in the series.
Pedigree Notes:
One of seven stakes winner for his sire, Horse of the Year and 2015 Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah, Café Pharoah is the fourth group or graded winner, and first in Japan. American Pharoah's Sweet Melania, who won the GII Jessamine S. at Keeneland at two, added the GIII Wonder Again S. at Belmont Park June 20. He also has GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint victor Four Wheel Drive Stateside-also out of a More Than Ready mare–and the G3 Prix du Bois hero Maven at Chantilly in France.
The fifth foal of his dam, who won the GII Mrs. Revere S. and GIII Boiling Springs S. and placed in both the GIII Lake George S. and GIII Athenia S., Café Pharoah is a half-brother to the gelded GIII Dania Beach S. and GIII Transylvania S. hero Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), as well as the 4-year-old filly Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who saluted the judge in the GII Lake Placid S. and GIII Lake George S., both at Saratoga. The Paul Pompa-bred's year-younger Uncle Mo half-brother died, while Mary's Follies, a granddaughter of Wavering Monarch MSW Wave to the Queen, has since produced a yearling colt by Candy Ride (Arg) and a colt by Pompa's GI Cigar Mile hero Connect Apr. 16.
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
UNICORN S.-G3, ¥67,410,000 (US$630,772/£510,813/€564,321), Tokyo, 6-21, 3yo, 1600m, 1:34.90 (NSR), my.
1–CAFE PHAROAH, 123, c, 3, American Pharoah
1st Dam: Mary's Follies (MGSW-US, $338,889),
by More Than Ready
2nd Dam: Catch the Queen, by Miswaki
3rd Dam: Wave to the Queen, by Wavering Monarch
1ST GROUP WIN. ($475,000 2yo '19 OBSMAR). O-Koichi
Nishikawa; B-Paul P. Pompa (KY); T-Noryuki Hori; J-Damian
Lane. ¥35,567,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0. *1/2 to Night
Prowler (Giant's Causeway), MGSW-US, $475,682; and Regal
Glory (Animal Kingdom), MGSW-US, $455,084. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Dieu du Vin (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Declaration of War–Jealous Cat,
by Tapit. O-Three H Racing; B-Shimokobe Farm (Jpn);
¥14,162,000.
3–Kenshinko (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Pyro–Matriarca (Jpn), by Cryptic
Rascal. (¥5,832,000 Ylg '18 JBBAUG). O-Katsuhiko Amano;
B-Shizunai Yamada Farm (Jpn); ¥8,881,000.
Margins: 5, 1 3/4, 1. Odds: 1.00, 5.20, 161.50.
Also Ran: Thunder Blitz (Jpn), Kitano Octopus (Jpn), Full Flat, Kids Agacha (Jpn), Sunrise Hope (Jpn), Lecce Baroque, Meisho Bengal (Jpn), Lovely Angel (Jpn), Aurora Tesoro, Tagano Beauty (Jpn), Machaon Blanc (Jpn), Satono Rafale (Jpn), Apollo Abelia (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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