By Heather Anderson
Rated 109, just like fellow group winners Dolce More (Jpn) (Jpn) and Obamburumai (Jpn) (Discreet Cat), All Parfait (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) is one of the more fancied runners as 17 colts line up for the 1600-metre G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin on Sunday. Leaving from post three, the Ryoichi Endo homebred has won his past two starts, after running second in a Tokyo maiden in June. Resuming over this trip in a maiden at Nakayama on Oct. 2, he won by two lengths, prior to defeating Danon Touchdown (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {GB}) by a half-length over this course and distance in the G2 Daily Hai Nisai S. on Nov. 12.
Takuya Ono has ridden the horse in all his races and said, “He's coming along nicely, but he has to transport over to the track, so I don't want to overdo things with him. He found a good rhythm in the race last time after starting from a wide gate, and was strong in the finish.”
Undefeated in two starts–a Sapporo newcomer affair in August, and besting Granite (Jpn) (Danon Ballade {Jpn}) by 1 1/4 lengths in Tokyo's G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup on Oct. 8, Dolce More has been pleasing trainer Naosuke Sugai in his gallops.
“He has been training well, and while he's not one to really catch the eye, he's done enough work and looks fine,” said Sugai. “In his final work, checking his rhythm was more important than his time, and his breathing's been good. He has gained some weight, but that's him developing and it should help him in a race. He ran right-handed in his first race and I'm not worried about it being his first time at the course this time. He doesn't have any bad habits and he's quite a serious horse that can race well, so I don't have any worries with him and hope he can run a good race.”
Last year's champion sire in Britain and Ireland, and this term's European champion sire elect, Frankel (GB) has a pair of colts entered to build on his earlier Japanese successes in the winners Labeling (GB) and Tinia (Ire). Three of Frankel's four stakes winners in the Land of the Rising Sun are Group 1 scorers, with 2020 hero Grenadier Guards (Jpn) holding the stakes record for this race in a snappy 1:32.30. In addition, his Soul Stirring (Jpn) won the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies–the filly equivalent–as his very first top-level winner back in 2016, the first year the Juddmonte supremo had runners.
Trainer Yuichi Shikato commented on the prospects of Labeling, “There hasn't been long between races, but he's in very good shape. He ran a good race last time, and with the ability he seems to have, I'll look forward to things from now.”
Bolt d'Oro, who is an excruciatingly close three-way battle with Justify and Good Magic for leading freshman sire Stateside, is represented by $200,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $900,000 OBS March juvenile From Dusk. The progressive colt was second by a length in the G2 Keio Hai Nisai S. to the 109-rated Obamburumai on Nov. 5.
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