By Heather Anderson
Second choice Arte Veloce (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) led home paternal half-brother Taisei Current (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) en route to breaking his black-type duck in the G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup at Tokyo on Saturday. The Teruo Ono-raced colt was trying 1600 metres for the first time and remained unbeaten.
A July 27 maiden winner over 1500 metres at Sapporo at first asking, Saturday's 5-2 shot was not hindered by the rain and was taken under a firm hold when too eager down the backstretch by pilot Naosuke Sugai. Shin Forever (Complexity) loped along on the front end while shadowed by Food Man (Kingman {GB}), and Meinter Ticket (Jpn) (Danon Ballade {Jpn}) and favoured Arlecchino (Jpn) (Bricks And Mortar) maintained a close watch on the leading pair on the bend.
Switched to the outside for his bid, Arte Veloce was given his cue, and he began his trek toward the vanguard as the field entered the home straight. Sugai delivered an animated ride on his charge, and any one of five had a decent shot at the furlong grounds. The eventual winner kept gaining, eventually bursting past his rivals with five strides to spare and kept going to win by a length. It was a half-length between Taisei Current and Meiner Ticket in second and third. Pacesetter Shin Forever held on for fourth, another half-length back.
Pedigree Notes
Shadai Stallion Station resident Maurice now has 29 stakes winners and 20 group winners. Arte Veloce is his fifth stakes winner out of a Deep Impact (Jpn) mare after G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup heroine Geraldina (Jpn), and fellow group winners Divina (Jpn), Al Naseem (Jpn) and Rooks Nest (Jpn).
The first foal out of Culminate (Jpn), the winner has a yearling half-brother by Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) and a half-sister by Poetic Flare (Ire) born this year. His granddam Cursora (Arg) (Candy Stripes) was a champion in Argentina with a pair of Group 1 victories to her name. Besides Culminate, she has stakes winner and G3 Sirius Stakes second Pionero (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}), the group-placed Seleccion (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and the G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas/G1 Japanese Oaks-placed Culminar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) to her credit.
Saturday, Tokyo, Japan
SAUDI ARABIA ROYAL CUP-G3, ¥62,960,000, Tokyo, 10-5, 2yo, 1600mT, 1:33.00, gd.
1–ARTE VELOCE (JPN), 123, c, 2, by Maurice (Jpn)
1st Dam: Culminate (Jpn), by Deep Impact (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Cursora (Arg), by Candy Stripes
3rd Dam: Calorica (Arg), by Ahmad (Arg)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. (¥90,000,000 Wlg '22
JRHAJUL). O-Teruo Ono; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Naosuke
Sugai; J-Daisuke Sasaki; ¥33,252,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
¥40,452,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Taisei Current (Jpn), 123, c, 2, Maurice (Jpn)–Irish Sea (Ire),
by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
O-Seiho Tanaka; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥13,072,000.
3–Meiner Ticket (Jpn), 123, c, 2, Danon Ballade (Jpn)–Entry
Ticket (Jpn) by Matsurida Gogh (Jpn). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST
GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Thoroughbred Club Ruffian; B-Big Red
Farm (Jpn); ¥8,336,000.
Margins: 1, HF, HD. Odds: 2.50, 11.90, 12.80.
Also Ran: Shin Forever, Arlecchino (Jpn), Nishino Lua Nova (Jpn), Food Man. Click for the JRA chart & video.
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