By Heather Anderson
Winless since taking the 2020 edition of the G2 Mainichi Okan, Silk Racing's Salios (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) rebounded with a new course record of 1:44.10 in the 1800-metre Tokyo Group 2 on Sunday.
Favoured at 2-1 despite his lengthy winless drought, the 5-year-old entire was content to stalk in fourth as a rank Red Belle Aube (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) cut out the running while tossing his head. That foe eventually settled down to business while shaded by Lei Papale (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and covered the first 1000 metres in a sparkling :57.90.
Facing a wall of horses to traverse after dropping to sixth on the bend, Salios still had is work cut out for him, but a gap opened around the 300-metre mark and he bulled his way through. The story was much the same within the final furlong, and once again the chestnut found a path between foes, pinned his ears and surged to the lead. His winning margin was a half-length over Justin Café (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), who'd made an encouraging run along the outside. The 2020 Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Danon The Kid (Jpn) (Just A Way {Jpn}), winner of that term's G1 Hopeful S., was another length back in third.
A winner of his first three starts, culminating in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. in 2019, Salios placed in the first two legs of the Japanese Triple Crown as a sophomore and was also a winner of the G2 Mainichi Okan that October. Winless in 2021, his best showing was a third in the G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin that December. Unplaced in the Mar. 27 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the 5-year-old was third in the G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo on Jun 5, before being shelved until the Mainichi Okan on Sunday.
Pedigree Notes
The second stakes winner out of G1 German Oaks victress Salomina (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}), Salios's older half-sister Salacia (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) claimed the G2 Fuchu Himba S. and was second in both the G1 Arima Kinen Grand Prix and the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup. All six of Salomina's foals to race are winners, including the 3-year-old Deep Impact filly Saliera (Jpn), second in the G2 Rose S. Salomina's juvenile colt and yearling filly are both full-siblings to the winner, while her most recent foal is a filly by Duramente (Jpn).
Tracing to one of Germany's premiere families, Salios's second dam is Saldentigerin (Ger) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), a Group 3 winner in her native land and also placed in both the German Oaks and G1 Preis von Europa, who threw the stakes winner Salut (Ger) to the cover of Lomitas, as well as the group-placed Skyful Sea (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). His great granddam Salde (Ger) (Alkalde {Ger}) foaled a quartet of German stakes winners, of which Saldentigerin was her best, as well as the multiple Group 1-placed Saltas (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}). Another of Salde's black-type placed daughters, the Highest Honor (Fr) mare Saldenehre (Ger), is the dam of German Oaks winner Serienholde (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), who foaled, in turn, the G1 NHK Mile Cup hero Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}), second in both the G1 Yasuda Kinen and G1 Mile Championship.
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
MAINICHI OKAN-G2, ¥128,700,000, Tokyo, 10-9, 3yo/up, 1800mT, *1:44.10 (NCR), fm.
1–SALIOS (JPN), 123, h, 5, by Heart's Cry (Jpn)
1st Dam: Salomina (Ger) (G1SW-Ger, $332,689),
by Lomitas (GB)
2nd Dam: Saldentigerin (Ger), by Tiger Hill (Ire)
3rd Dam: Salde (Ger), by Alkalde (Ger)
O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Noriyuki Hori; J-Kohei
Matsuyama. ¥67,700,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Jpn,
14-5-2-2. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Justin Café (Jpn), 123, c, 4, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Casino Boogie
(Jpn), by Workforce (GB). 1ST BLACK-TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK
TYPE. O-Masahiro Miki; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥27,200,000.
3–Danon the Kid (Jpn), 123, c, 4, Just a Way (Jpn)–Epic Love
(Ire), by Dansili (GB). (¥100,000,000 Wlg '18 JRHAJUL). O-Danox Inc.; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥17,100,000.
Margins: HF, 3/4, 1. Odds: 2.00, 4.90, 5.70.
Also Ran: Lei Papale (Jpn), North Bridge (Jpn), Potager (Jpn), Kingston Boy (Jpn), King Of Koji (Jpn), Happy Hour (Jpn), Red Belle Aube (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.
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