By Heather Anderson
Mozu Katchan (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) became the second Group 1 winner for her sire with a game victory in the 2200-metre G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kyoto on Sunday. Crocosmia (Jpn) (Stay Gold Jpn) was a neck back in second, while Mikki Queen (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was only a head further behind to complete the trifecta.
Forwardly placed in fifth as the field loped into the backstretch, hoop Mirco Demuro allowed the fifth choice on the board at 7-1 relax well against the rails through the first mile in 1:39.90. Improving to fourth at the head of the lane, she split horses and took aim on Crocosmia with the grey Maximum de Paris (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) to her outside also quickening. Mikki Queen was also letting down like a freight train farther out, but it was Mozu Katchan who nabbed Crocosmia in the final jump to win narrowly.
“I'm so happy to have won this title again this year,” said Demuro, who had piloted Queen's Ring (Jpn) (Manhattan Cafe {Jpn}) to win the 2016 edition. “Mozu Katchan is such an honest and talented filly and it was such a shame that she'd lost a shoe last time out in the Shuka Sho, so I'm glad that we were able to prove her ability in this race. We had a good draw and everything went as planned. She was so strong nearing the finish and pinned the leader for the win.”
Mozu Katchan landed her first stakes win, her third win in a row, in the G2 Sankei Sports Sho Flora S. at Tokyo over 2000m on Apr. 23. Runner-up to Soul Stirring (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}) in the 2400-metre G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) on May 21, the Meguro Farm-bred was only seventh cut back to 1800m in the G2 Kansai Telecasting Corp.Sho Rose S. at Hanshin on Sept. 17. She warmed up for this first top-level score with a solid third behind paternal half-sister Deirdre (Jpn) after losing a shoe, in the G1 Shuka Sho going 2000 metres on Oct. 15.
Pedigree Notes…
The third foal out of the unraced Site Dealer, Mozu Katchan is the second winner and first stakes winner and is followed by year-younger full-brother Mozu Ryuo (Jpn). The winning second dam is a half-sister to Japanese MSW Gold Tiara (Seeking the Gold). Gold Tiara's descendants include the GSW & MG1SP Staphanos (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), as well as G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. hero and sire Poet's Voice (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Sunday, Kyoto, Japan
QUEEN ELIZABETH II CUP-G1, ¥181,760,000 (US$1,601,925/£1,214,262/€1,373,031), Kyoto, 11-12, 3yo/up, f, 2200mT, 2:14.30, fm.
1–MOZU KATCHAN (JPN), 119, f, 3, by Harbinger (GB)
1st Dam: Site Dealer (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Best Boot, by Storm Boot
3rd Dam: Bright Tiara, by Chief's Crown
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Capital System; B-Meguro Farm (Jpn);
T-Ippo Sameshima; J-Mirco Demuro; ¥96,822,000. Lifetime
Record: 9-4-1-2. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Crocosmia (Jpn), 123, f, 4, Stay Gold (Jpn)–Developpe (Jpn),
by Boston Harbor. O-Ryoichi Otsuka; B-Kojima Farm (Jpn);
¥38,092,000.
3–Mikki Queen (Jpn), 123, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Musical
Way (Fr), by Gold Away (Ire). (¥100,000,000 Ylg '13 JRHAJUL).
O-Mizuki Noda; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥23,546,000.
Margins: NK, HD, 1 1/4; Odds: 6.70, 25.00, 6.20.
Also Ran: Maximum de Paris (Jpn), Vivlos (Jpn), Smart Layer (Jpn), Queens Ring (Jpn), Lys Gracieux (Jpn), Rouge Buck (Jpn), Tosen Victory (Jpn), Eterna Minoru (Jpn), Deirdre (Jpn), Denko Ange (Jpn), Queen's Milagro (Jpn), Happy Yunibansu (Jpn), Jour Polaire (Jpn), Touching Speech (Jpn), Ukiyono Kaze (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post chart, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. JRA Video.
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