Mendelssohn Colt Favored At First Asking at Chukyo

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Saturday running at Chukyo Racecourse. The weekend feature comes up on Sunday at Hanshin with the running of the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity, where the US-conceived and Japanese-foaled Jantar Mantar (Jpn) (Palace Malice) tries to run his record to three wins from three starts. Read our preview here:

Saturday, December 16, 2023
5th-CKO, ¥13,720,000 ($97k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
WET SEASON (c, 2, Mendelssohn–Season Maker, by Pioneerof the Nile) is out of a daughter of Seasons Greetings (Ire) (Ezzoud {Ire}), a stakes winner and placed three times at group level in France, but better known as the dam of Grace Hall (Empire Maker), winner of the GI Spinaway S. and runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2011; as well as G1 Prix Ganay runner-up Wren's Day (Medaglia d'Oro). This colt's half-brother Hardwired (Hard Spun) won two of his first three starts, including his debut, and was most recently unplaced in Group 3 competition. B-Godolphin (KY)

INDICATOR (JPN) (c, 2, Liam's Map–Ice Cream Silence, by Street Sense) is the first Japanese-foaled starter for his dam, upset winner of the 2013 GIII Doubledogdare S. at Keeneland for G. Watts Humphrey and Rusty Arnold and later sold to J S Company for $70,000 with this colt in utero at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. Having been foaled Feb. 21, 2021, Indicator took his spot in the ring for the JRHA Select Sale about five months later and was hammered down for ¥19 million ($172,173). B-Okada Stud