Japan On Song Again In The Turf Sprint

Sunday Racing's group winner Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) was up to the scrutiny on the world stage and delivered the G3 1351 Turf Presented By STC 1351 to Japan by a neck over American hopeful Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) in Riyadh on Saturday. It was the second win on the night for jockey Christophe Lemaire and the Japanese contingent.

The Listed Kobai S. went to Songline last January, and, after an unplaced run in the G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas that April, she improved to second in the G1 NKH Mile Cup in May. The bay dropped a spot in the G3 Sekiya Kinen returning off a break in August of last year, but then stepped up to win the 1600-metre G2 Fuji S. on Oct. 23. A final 2021 run in the G2 Hanshin Cup resulted in a 15th-place finish, but she was still the third choice on Saturday.

Songline raced in midfield as Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) cut out the running with Pogo (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) and Third Kingdom (GB) (Make Believe {GB}) shadowing his hoofsteps. The pace was hot as the field entered the turn and the 4-year-old filly was still several lengths off the vanguard cornering for home. Lemaire steered Songline out into the center of the course, and she began to let down as Naval Crown clung on to the lead with a quarter mile remaining. Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) was making a similar move to Songline's inside as Naval Crown and Pogo faded, and just a length behind the top four was the ominous presence of American Grade I winner Casa Creed.

It was a true rubber match between the determined fillies, with the two exchanging blows and neither giving an inch in the straight. Songline thrust her nose in front of Happy Romance with 50 metres to travel, but Casa Creed had hit high gear and had reached her saddle towel on her outside. Songline's margin shrank with every stride, but she just lasted as Casa Creed snatched second by a neck over a gritty Happy Romance as the trio finished in a tightly packed bunch. There was a gap of 3 1/2 lengths back to Lauda Sion (Jpn) (Real Impact {Jpn}) in fourth.

Trainer Toru Hayashi said, “This is the greatest moment of my career. I have been training for only four years and it is my first time racing a horse outside of Japan, so for Songline to do this… I think I am dreaming!

“She is such a brilliant filly and the ride from [Christophe] Lemaire was perfect. The owners also deserve great credit for their ambition in coming here. As a 3-year-old last year she raced well in this counter-clockwise direction over a mile and she has a lot of natural speed, so we thought we could run well coming back in distance a little.

“Thanks also to Authority (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) from Japan for winning the first race. That made me think we had the momentum and that Songline could also run well, and it is amazing that she did!”

Of Casa Creed's second, rider Luis Saez said, “We ran pretty good. He finished strong. After the second jump we were getting there but it was too late.”

“She's run absolutely superbly,” said hoop Tom Marquand. “I think it's [a] testament to her heart more than anything that she could come out here and run so well. To be honest, we were hoping for that, but it's tough racing out here so for her to have gone so close is great.”

Pedigree Notes

Already the sire of 16 stakes winners with his oldest foals just 5-year-olds, Kizuna has 10 group winners among that bunch with G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup heroine Akai Ito (Jpn) leading the way. She is out of a Symboli Kris S mare, just like the 1351 Turf winner.

The first foal out of her four-time winning dam who specialized at 1200-1400metres, Songline is followed by the winning 3-year-old Teegarden (Jpn), by Duramente (Jpn). Her dam, a half-sister to dual Japanese group winner Jeune Ecole (Jpn) (Kurofune), did not produce a foal to the cover of Real Steel (Jpn) in 2020. Luminous Parade has a yearling colt by Real Impact (Jpn) and visited Songline's sire Kizuna in 2021.

Under the unraced third dam are the group winners Renforcer (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S), Northern River (Jpn) (Agnes Tachyon {Jpn}) and the G1 Shuka Sho/G1 Nassau S. heroine Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}). The Classic-winning French champion 3-year-old filly Sonic Lady (Nureyev) is the fourth dam and boasts the Classic-placed descendants Furner's Green (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and Lady Lupus (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), both also group winners.
Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
1351 TURF PRESENTED BY STC 1351-G3, $1,500,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-26, 4yo/up, 1351mT, 1:18.00, gd.
1–SONGLINE (JPN), 121, f, 4, Kizuna (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Luminous Parade (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S.
                2nd Dam: Luminous Point (Jpn), by Agnes Tachyon (Jpn)
                3rd Dam: Soninke (GB), by Machiavellian
O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Toru
Hayashi; J-Chistophe Lemaire; $900,000. Lifetime Record: GSW
& G1SP-Jpn, 9-4-2-1, $2,187,655. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
   *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Casa Creed, 125, h, 6, Jimmy Creed–Achalaya, by Bellamy
Road. ($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSJAN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP).
O-LR Racing LLC & JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud,
LLC (KY); T-William Mott; J-Luis Saez; $300,000.
3–Happy Romance (Ire), 121, f, 4, Dandy Man (Ire)–Rugged Up
(Ire), by Marju (Ire). (£25,000 Ylg '19 GOFAUG). O-The
McMurray Family; B-Redpender Stud Ltd (Ire); T-Richard
Hannon; J-Tom Marquand; $150,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 3HF.
Also Ran: Lauda Sion (Jpn), Pogo (Ire), Happy Power (Ire), Rohaan (Ire), Cold Front (GB), Masaabeeh (KSA), Horoscope (Ire), Naval Crown (GB), Entscheiden (Jpn), Third Kingdom (GB), Thunder Moon (Ire). Click for the Racing Post chart and VIDEO.  Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.