By Alan Carasso
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 Sunday running at Hanshin and Tokyo Racecourses, featuring the much-anticipated debut of one of this year's breeze-up sales toppers:
Sunday, November 7, 2021
2nd-TOK, ¥9,680,000 ($85k), Maiden, 2yo, 1400mT
WALKER TESORO (f, 2, Speightstown–January Jones {Brz}, by Shirocco {Ger}) is the second foal from her Brazilian Group 1-winning dam, who was acquired privately by these breeders and mated to a sire with which they have experienced much success. Walker Tesoro returns to the course and distance of her Oct. 17 career debut, a solid runner-up effort from a high draw that should have her sitting on a win (see below, SC 16). Speightstown, the sire of 33 winners from 41 to race in Japan, has accounted for the owner's Rieno Tesoro, a stakes winner on dirt and Group 1-placed going a mile on turf against males. B-Mr & Mrs Kenji Ryotokuji (KY)
4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200m
CLOS DE MESNIL (f, 2, Practical Joke–Valiant Emilia {Per}, by Pegasus Wind) was bought back for $65K as a Keeneland November weanling in 2019, but improved into a $120K KEESEP yearling and attracted a sales-topping bid of $750K from trainer Hideyuki Mori at this year's OBS March Sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in the bullet time of :9 4/5. The Mar. 18 foal was the most expensive of the eight juveniles Mori signed for at OBSMAR. Each of the remaining seven horses has already started, led by Dugat (Practical Joke), a $190K purchase who broke his maiden for this filly's owner Susumu Fujita by four lengths at Hanshin Oct. 16. Clos de Mesnil's third dam produced Peruvian GSW/G1SP Thundering Emilia (Thunder Gulch), whose son Helium (Ironicus) upset this year's GII Tampa Bay Derby, and she is also the dam of Peruvian G1SW Emilia's Moon (Malibu Moon). B-Teneri Farm (KY)
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