Mozu Ascot became the first black-type winner and group winner on dirt for Juddmonte's brilliant Frankel, as he saluted by 1 1/4 lengths over favoured MGSW Copano Kicking in the G3 Negishi S. at Tokyo on Sunday. It was the 6-year-old entire's first try over the surface.
Winless since taking the 2018 G1 Yasuda Kinen, Mozu Ascot had performed with credit since then and was second two starts back in the G2 Swan S. on Oct. 26. Fourteenth after a wide trip in the G1 Mile Championship last out, the Kentucky-bred completely missed the break. Recovering to perch out in the middle of the track in midpack for the backstretch run, the 8-1 shot followed a :34.90 600-metre split. Looping the field five deep on the far turn, he produced a strong stretch drive, tackled the aforementioned dirt specialist Copano Kicking (who had won last year's Negishi S.) inside the final 100 metres, and kicked away to win well.
Pedigree Notes
One of 10 Group 1 winners for his Banstead Manor Stud-based sire, Mozu Ascot is a half-brother to Kareena (Medaglia d'Oro), who won the Listed Jersey Girl S. over the Belmont dirt. His dam, GII Cotillion Breeders' Cup H. heroine India foaled the unraced fillies I Thee Wed (Hard Spun) and Silver Strand (Frosted) in 2017 and 2018, respectively. A half-sister to SW Pilfer (Deputy Minister), she was covered by Quality Road last spring. Besides winning the Listed Go For Wand S., Pilfer is responsible for dirt winners: GI Woodward S. and GI Cigar Mile H. hero To Honor and Serve (Bernardini), GI Chandelier S. victress Angela Renee (Bernardini) and SW and GI Donn H. third Elnaawi (Street Sense).
NEGISHI S.-G3, ¥72,830,000 (US$671,990/£508,905/€605,735), Tokyo, 2-2, 4yo/up, 1400m, 1:22.70, gd.
1–MOZU ASCOT, 128, h, 6, Frankel%20(GB)&log=#tot">Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: India (MGSW-US, $630,859), by Hennessy
2nd Dam: Misty Hour, by Miswak
3rd Dam: Our Tina Marie, by Nijinsky II
($275,000 RNA Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Capital System; B-Summer
Wind Farm (KY); T- Yoshito Yahagi; J-Christophe Lemaire.
¥38,581,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Jpn, 20-6-5-0. *1/2 to
Kareena (Medaglia d'Oro), SW-US, $148,000. Werk Nick
Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.2–Copano Kicking, 128, g, 5, Spring At Last–Celadon, by Gold
Halo(Jpn). ($19,000 RNA Ylg '16 KEESEP; $100,000 2yo '17
FTFMAR). O-Sachiaki Kobayashi; B-Reiley McDonald (KY);
¥15,166,000.
3–Smart Avalon (Jpn), 123, h, 8, South Vigorous–Suzuka Bloom
(Jpn), by Scatter the Gold. (¥6,000,000 Wlg '12 JRHAJUL).
O-Toru Okawa; B-Grand Farm (Jpn); ¥9,583,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, 3/4. Odds: 8.90, 0.90, 38.00.
Also Ran: Danon Face (Jpn), Wide Pharaoh (Jpn), T O Genius (Jpn), Nobo Baccara (Jpn), Wonder Lider (Jpn), Bullbear Iride (Jpn), Kafuji Take (Jpn), Mikki Wild (Jpn), Adler (Jpn), I O Helios, Dream Kirari, Yoshio (Jpn), Sun Grass (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart and video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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