More Japanese 'Pride' In UAE Derby

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — There is seemingly very little Japanese horses cannot accomplish these days.

Four weeks after scooping four races at a variety of distances and on both surfaces in Saudi Arabia, Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}) made it three wins on the Dubai World Cup undercard–with the possibility of even better to come–with a determined defeat of pacesetting Summer Is Tomorrow (Summer Front) in the $1-million G2 UAE Derby as night began to take hold at Meydan Racecourse. Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) struck for Japan at cricket score odds in the G2 Godolphin Mile, while Stay Foolish (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) won his second straight in the desert in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup at two miles on the turf.

Knocked sideways at the break by America's Gilded Age (Medaglia d'Oro), Crown Pride recovered nicely and raced in about sixth spot and three wide into the first turn as Summer Is Tomorrow was hounded along by G3 Saudi Derby hero Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) through strong early sectionals. Asked for a bit of acceleration 1100 metres out, Crown Pride improved–albeit deep on the track–outside of Saudi Derby second Sekifu (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) as they raced into the final half-mile.

Summer Is Tomorrow took them into the final two furlongs and had a nice kick over a track that was playing kindly to speed, but Australia's Damian Lane asked Crown Pride for his best approaching the eighth pole and the duo wore down the stubborn long-time leader despite racing on his incorrect lead through the line. Island Falcon (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) ran on for third, while Pinehurst hit a wall 600 metres out and was effectively eased under the wire.

“He stepped out okay, but didn't travel too well thereafter and it just took a little bit to get him in a rhythm and get him going,” said Lane, who has ridden with considerable success in Japan and won a G1 Cox Plate atop Horse of the Year Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) for Yoshito Yahagi. “I got crowded a little early, but as I say he was able to stride through and take up position and it was plain sailing from there, really. I was confident a long way out and although he made hard work of it in the straight, ultimately he was the toughest out there. He's a strong, tough horse and saw the distance out well.”

He added: “Whenever you jump aboard (a Japanese-trained horse), you can be confident they're going to be strong and they're going to run well and it's just a privilege to be a part of it.”

Bhupat Seemar, trainer of the runner-up, indicated that connections could have a look at the GI Kentucky Derby after earning 40 points.

“Why not though?,” said Seemar. “There were some good horses behind him, a couple of Grade 1 horses from America, so now that he's had that run I think we'd have to think about it.”

Pedigree Notes:

Crown Pride is the second stakes winner and second group winner for his sire, a son of Special Week (Jpn) and a himself a winner at Group 2 and Group 3 level. Crown Pride is the first foal from his dam, a nine-time winner at the races at Funabashi and Mombetsu on the National Association of Racing Circuit. Emmy's Pride is the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Pyro that sold for $226,940 at last year's JRHA Select Sales. She was most recently bred to American import Nadal (Blame). Like Stay Foolish, Crown Pride is out of a mare by King Kamehameha (Jpn).

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
UAE DERBY SPONSORED BY MUBADALA-G2, $1,000,000, Meydan, 3-26, 3yo, 9 1/2f, 1:59.76, fs.
1–CROWN PRIDE (JPN), 121, c, 3, by Reach the Crown (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Emmy's Pride (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Emmy's Smile (Jpn), by Agnes Tachyon (Jpn)
                3rd Dam: Hemisphere (Jpn), by White Muzzle (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Teruya Yoshida;
B-Shadai Farm (JPN); T-Koichi Shintani; J-Damian Lane.
$580,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $734,569. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Summer Is Tomorrow, 121, c, 3, Summer Front–Always
Tomorrow, by Badge of Silver. 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP
BLACK TYPE. ($25,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $14,000 Ylg '20
KEESEP; £120,000 2yo '21 ARQMAY). O-Michael Hilary Burke &
Negar Burke; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Bhupat Seemar.
$200,000.
3–Island Falcon (Ire), 121, c, 3, Iffraaj (GB)–Adoringly (Ire), by
Dubawi (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Saeed bin Suroor. $100,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1 1/4, 3/4.
Also Ran: Bendoog, Quality Boone (Arg), Reiwa Homare (Jpn), Kiefer (Brz), Sekifu (Jpn), Azure Coast, Withering (GB), Combustion (Jpn), Arabian Gazelles, Gilded Age, Irwin (Arg), Get Back Goldie, Pinehurst.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.