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 weekend running at Tokyo and Hanshin Racecourses. The 3-year-old fillies' Classics concluded with last weekend's G1 Shuka Sho and 3-year-old males get their final chance at Classics glory in Sunday's G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) at Hanshin. A full field of 17 colts and one filly includes the progressive US-bred Air Sage (Point of Entry), winner of three of his four starts to date:
Saturday, October 23, 2021
2nd-TOK, ¥9,680,000 ($85k), Maiden, 2yo, 1400m
SPEED GLAMOUR (f, 2, Into Mischief–Island Escape, by Petionville) debuted with a solid fourth behind the highly promising $4.7-million juvenile colt Dobune (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn} x Premier Stars {Ire}) at Sapporo Sept. 4 and just missed over this course and distance Oct. 10. A $250K Keeneland September buyback turned $500K OBS March breezer (under-tack video), the bay filly is out of a dual stakes winner whose daughter Tricky Escape (Hat Trick {Jpn}) was successful three times at the graded level on the turf. B-Machmer Hall (KY)
4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($118k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m
ADVANCE DREAM (c, 2, Speightstown–Jolene, by Malibu Moon) was acquired for $220K in utero by David Fennelly's Mountmellick Farm and was the last of four KEENOV purchases ($970K gross) in 2018 for the native of County Cork, Ireland. Advance Dream was sold on for $150K as a weanling at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale and was retained on a bid of $190K at KEESEP last fall a few months before his half-brother Arabian Prince (Mshawish) finished third in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Advance Dream's stakes-placed dam is out of MSW Velvet Snow (Subordination). B-Mountmellick Farm (KY)
PER AA (f, 2, American Pharoah–Nomee, by City Zip), a $210K graduate of the 2019 KEENOV sale, is out of an unraced half-sister to MGSW Secret Gypsy (Sea of Secrets), whose three other graded placings include a runner-up effort in the 2008 GII Lexus Raven Run S. Secret Gypsy was sold to Shadai Farm for $540K at KEEJAN in 2011 and has produced six winners from as many to start. Her final foal is the unraced 2-year-old colt Herrenchiemsee (Jpn) (Isla Bonita {Jpn}), who fetched the equivalent of $230K at the 2019 JRHA Select Foal Sale. B-Zayat Stables LLC (KY)
Sunday, October 24, 2021
8th-HSN, ¥19,110,000 ($168k), Allowance, 2yo, 1400m
CONCH PEARL (f, 2, American Pharoah–A Z Warrior, by Bernardini) finished runner-up on debut behind 'TDN Rising Star' Command Line (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) on the turf at Tokyo June 5 and the form was flattered when the latter resumed from a four-month absence to scoop the G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup two weekends ago. Third in a local grass maiden June 26, Conch Pearl most recently broke the track record when graduating by eight lengths over 1700 meters in her first spin on the dirt Sept. 4 (see below, gate 7). The daughter of the 2010 GI Frizette S. heroine, a $340K KEESEP yearling acquisition, cuts back to seven furlongs for this test. B-Triemore Stud (KY)
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