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. We have one horse to focus on over the coming weekend at Hanshin Racecourse. The weekend's main event takes place Sunday at Tokyo with the running of the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over a metric two miles:
Sunday, May 1, 2022
5th-HSN, ¥14,250,000 ($109k), Allowance, 3yo, 1400mT
MOZU GOLD BARREL (f, 3, Optimizer–Sweeter Still {Ire}, by Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) validated 1-2 favoritism in winning her maiden cozily on debut over 1400 meters at Chukyo in late December (see below, SC 1) and drops precipitously in class and is back in trip off a pair of competitive efforts at Group 3 level over a mile in her last two starts. Breeder Timothy Thompson acquired this filly's Grade III-winning dam for $1,500 at Keeneland November in 2018 and saw the mare's value begin to skyrocket when her foal of 2017, a Kitten's Joy colt named Kameko, won the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at the tail end of 2019. Kameko would go on to add the 2020 G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and Mozu Gold Barrel fetched $190K at KEESEP that fall. A half-sister to G1 Racing Post Trophy hero Kingsbarns (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Group 3 winner Belle Artiste (Ire) (Namid {GB}), Sweeter Still has foaled fillies by Kitten's Joy in each of the last two seasons. B-Timothy Lesley Thompson (KY)
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