By Alan Carasso
Making his first start since breaking his maiden impressively over 1700 meters (about a mile and a sixteenth) at Sapporo Racecourse in July, Natural Rise (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) swept widest of all into the long Tokyo straight and held off a late bid from Clay King (Jpn) (Nadal) to take out Saturday's Cattleya Stakes (allowance), the first of four races that comprise the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. Natural Rise picks up 10 Kentucky Derby points for the victory.
Sent off the 13-5 second betting favorite behind fellow impressive debut winner Snappy Dresser (Union Rags) at 3-2, Natural Rise was off slowly from gate 12 and wanted to be closer in the run than his rider Takeshi Yokoyama wished, tugging fairly hard for rein while racing in the clear in the journey to the turn. Still hard held on the bend, the colt was given his head and made ominous headway six or seven deep at the top of the lane.
Accelerating sharply to lead in hand entering the final 400 meters, Natural Rise opened a bit of a break and was home first in solid time to remain perfect in two tries. Clay King, the distant third choice in the field, raced worse than midfield and inside for most of the opening six furlongs and got home well once clear to beat T O Elvis (Volatile) for the place spot. Snappy Dresser was one of the last away and raced in heavy traffic in upper stretch, but finished powerfully to be fourth.
Winner of the 2013 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and that year's champion 3-year-old colt, Kizuna raced exclusively on the turf, but is the sire of G2 Godolphin Mile winner Bathrat Leon (Jpn), Teleos Bell (Jpn), a two-time listed winner on dirt, and Alice Verite (Jpn), who was a respectable fourth behind Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Kizuna's half-brother Sunday Break (Jpn) (Forty Niner) won the 2002 GII Peter Pan Stakes and was third in that year's GI Wood Memorial Stakes and GI Belmont Stakes for trainer Neil Drysdale.
Natural Rise is the first winner from his dam, who was purchased in utero by Narvick International for $285,000 carrying the filly that would become Lady Madonna at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. His SW & GSP third dam Rebridled Dreams (Unbridled's Song) produced MGISW Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway), MGSW/GISP Farrell (Malibu Moon), GISW J. B.'s Thunder (Harlan's Holiday) and European SW & MGSP Doncaster Rover (War Chant).
Lady Madonna has a yearling filly by Henny Hughes and a weanling filly by Le Vent Se Leve (Jpn).
Saturday's Results:
CATTLEYA STAKES (Alw), ¥30,400,000 ($196,414), Tokyo, 11-23, 2yo, 1600m, 1:36.4, gd.
1–NATURAL RISE (JPN), 123, c, 2, Kizuna (Jpn)–Lady Madonna (Jpn), by Distorted Humor. (¥33,000,000 Wlg '22 JRHAJUL). O-Hiroyuki Yoshioka; B-Grand Stud; T-Keizo Ito; J-Takeshi Yokoyama; ¥16,000,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $148,141.
2–Clay King (Jpn), 123, c, 2, Nadal–Queen Amaranthus (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). O-Silk Racing Co Ltd; B-Tenei Horse Park Ltd; T-Eiji Nakadate; J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥6,400,000.
3–T O Elvis, 123, c, 2, Volatile–Stopshoppingdebbie, by Curlin. O-Tomoya Ozasa; B-Jeff & Melissa Prunzik (KY); T-Daisuke Takayanagi; J-Katsuma Sameshima; ¥4,000,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1 3/4, 2. Odds: 2.60, 5.20, 15.20.
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