The progressive Victipharus (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) narrowly secured a first group victory in the G2 Fuji TV Sho Spring S. at Nakayama on Sunday.
Bearing the G1 Racing silks, the 6-1 third choice was floated very wide into the right-handed turn and ended up second last through the early stages. He steadily improved from there with a sustained run up into ninth midway on the second bend and was steered widest of all into the home straight by pilot Ryuji Okubo.
Displaying a stellar set of gears with 200 metres remaining, he passed pacesetter World Revival (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), as well as the hard charging duo of Asamano Itazura (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}) and 2-1 crowd's pick Boden (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}). A few jumps from the wire, Victipharus bettered Asamano Itazura, winning by a head with Boden 1 3/4 lengths back in third. World Revival faded to sixth.
A Hanshin newcomer winner in November going this trip, Victipharus was second to Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) in the G3 Kyodo News Hai at Tokyo on Valentine's Day.
Pedigree Notes
Shadai Stallion Station's Heart's Cry is now the sire of 51 black-type winners and 35 group winners after Victipharus's win. However, the winner is the only black-type winner with Galileo (Ire) as a broodmare sire. The Coolmore Stud supremo's daughters have foaled 191 black-type winners and 103 group winners to date.
The second foal and second winner for his three-time winning dam, Victipharus is the last reported foal for Virginia. The daughter of two-time French Group 3 winner Silverskaya (Silver Hawk) and full-sister to G1 Metropolitan victor and G1 Irish Derby runner-up Seville (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}) was covered by Kitasan Black (Jpn) last spring.
Sunday, Nakayama, Japan
FUJI TV SHO SPRING S.-G2, ¥105,040,000, Nakayama, 3-21, 3yo, c/f, 1800mT, 1:52.00, sf.
1–VICTIPHARUS (JPN), 123, c, 3, Heart's Cry (Jpn)
1st Dam: Virginia (Jpn), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Silverskaya, by Silver Hawk
3rd Dam: Boubskaia (GB), by Niniski
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-G1 Racing;
B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Manabu Ikezoe; J-Kenichi Ikezoe.
¥55,078,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0. Werk Nick Rating: D+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Asamano Itazura (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Victoire Pisa (Jpn)–High
Touch Queen (Jpn), by King Halo (Jpn). O-Juichi Hoshino;
B-Maeno Farm (Jpn); ¥22,308,000.
3–Boden (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Harbinger(GB)–Beau Geste (Jpn), by
King Kamehameha (Jpn). O-Katsumi Yoshida; B-Northern Farm
(Jpn); ¥14,154,000.
Margins: HD, 1 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 6.10, 20.20, 1.40.
Also Ran: Elusive Panther (Jpn), Veil Nebula (Jpn), World Revival (Jpn), Land of Liberty (Jpn), Road to Fame (Jpn), Serge (Jpn), R Baron (Jpn), Bisonte No Bufalo (Jpn), On the Line (Jpn), Rain from Heaven (Jpn), Nishino Oikaze (Jpn), Vigore (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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