By Alan Carasso
6th-Hanshin, ¥14,250,000 ($106,284), Allowance, 2yo, 1800m, 1:53.9, ft.
YUTTITHAM (JPN) (c, 2, Justify–Zipessa {GISW, $783,550}, by City Zip) improved for a debut second at Sapporo Aug. 27 to graduate by eight lengths when last seen over this course and distance Dec. 3 and was a warm item to put them back-to-back in this seasonal finale. Beaten for speed, the flashy chestnut was content to punch the breeze three wide and was poised to strike from the position as they neared the straight. Asked for his best by premiership-winning jockey Yuga Kawada with a furlong and a half to run, Yuttitham opened up with fluid strides and went on to score by three lengths as the 1-2 chalk. Upset winner of the 2017 GI First Lady S. at Keeneland for Empyrean Stables and trainer Michael Stidham, Zipessa was hammered down to Shadai for $1.25 million at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale and was bred to this Triple Crown winner before heading to Japan. The investment was immediately recouped when Makoto Kaneko–in whose silks the legendary Deep Impact (Jpn) was campaigned–paid ¥200 million for the colt at last year's JRHA Select Sales. Yuttitham has a yearling half-brother by Isla Bonita (Jpn) that fetched ¥76 million ($558,835) at this year's Select Sale and a weanling half-sister by Deep Impact's son Kizuna (Jpn). Zipessa is due to Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) for 2023. Sales history: $1,815,520 Ylg '21 JRHAJUL. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $$115,019.
O-Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co Ltd; B-Shadai Farm; T-Naosuke Sugai
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