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 holiday weekend running at Tokyo and Hanshin Racecourses. Sunday's action at the latter venue features the G1 Mile Championship, which has drawn this year's G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600mT) and G1 Sprinters' S. (1200mT) heroine Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a daughter of dual US Grade I winner Tapitsfly (Tapit):
Saturday, November 21, 2020
5th-TOK, ¥13,400,000 ($129k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT
ALIENOR (JPN) (f, 2, Nyquist#tot">Nyquist–Land Over Sea, by Bellamy Road) is the first foal from her dam, third in the 2015 GI Del Mar Debutante and victorious in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks ahead of a runner-up effort to Cathryn Sophia (Street Boss) in the GI Kentucky Oaks in 2016. A half-sister to MGSW & GISP War Story (Northern Afleet), Land Over Sea was acquired by Shadai Farm for $1.3 million at Fasig-Tipton November in 2017. Land Over Sea is also the dam of a yearling Deep Impact (Jpn) filly and a weanling filly by Daiwa Major (Jpn). Alienor is the first Japanese runner for her leading US freshman sire. B-Shadai Farm
9th-HSN, ¥19,110,000 ($184k), Allowance, 2yo, 1800m
RUSSIAN SAMOVAR (f, 2, American Pharoah–Megalicious, by Songandaprayer) validated debut odds of 7-10 over this distance at Kyoto Oct. 24, overcoming a three-wide, no-cover trip to prevail by a neck (see below, gate 8). A half-sister to MSP My Sweet Stella (Eskendereya) and out of a winning half-sister to MSW & GSP Abbondanza (Alphabet Soup), Russian Samovar was a $70K Keeneland November weanling, $165K KEESEP yearling and matured into a $650K OBS March breezer. Fellow US-bred Vanishing Point (Tapit), a full-brother to champion Unique Bella and a debut winner on grass earlier this year, tries dirt for the first time in this heat. B-Zayat Stables LLC (KY)
Sunday, November 22, 2020
6th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($129k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
NEFERTARI (JPN) (f, 2, American Pharoah–What a Spot, by Arch) was acquired for $225K in utero at KEENOV in 2017 and is out of a winning half-sister to MGISW Coil (Point Given), the late GISW Chiroprator (Kitten's Joy), MGSP Decorating (Galileo {Ire}) and MSP Ellyb (Pioneerof the Nile). Nefertari, whose third dam Avasand (Avatar) was responsible for champion Possibly Perfect (Northern Baby), has a yearling half-brother by Sinister Minister named Geraldo Barows (Jpn) and a weanling half-sister by Heart's Cry (Jpn). B-Hattori Bokujo
Monday, November 23, 2020
6th-TOK, ¥13,400,000 ($129k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400mT
PERSEUS TESORO (c, 2, Speightstown–January Jones {Brz}, by Shirocco {Ger}) races as a homebred for this breeder, who has campaigned three of Speightstown's 31 Japanese winners, including MSW & G1SP Rieno Tesoro. The colt's Brazilian Group 1-winning dam produced a Kentucky-bred full-sister to Perseus Tesoro in 2019 and was covered once again by the WinStar sire prior to being exported to Japan. January Jones foaled another Speightstown filly this season. B-Mr & Mrs Kenji Ryotokuji (KY)
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