By Alan Carasso
With the winners of the first two legs of the Japanese Triple Crown–G1 Satsuki Sho hero Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong) and G1 Tokyo Yushun victor Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn})–targeting upcoming spots versus open rivals, Sunday's G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) looms a competitive affair, with a pair of colts from the penultimate crop of the last Deep Impact (Jpn)–who completed his own Triple Crown here in 2005–looming especially large. Deep Impact is already the sire of four Kikuka Sho winners.
Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was Group 1-placed over 10 furlongs as a juvenile, but did not make a serious impact in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, finishing ninth in the Guineas and in the Derby. Given a four-month break, the half-brother to the GI Belmont S. hero Palace Malice (Curlin) made a smashing return to action in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai Sept. 25, defeating Yaminin Zest (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S) by a resounding 3 1/2 lengths, with Boldog Hos (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) another half-length back in third.
#9 is 3c JUSTIN PALACE (Deep Impact x Palace Rumor🇺🇸 (Royal Anthem)) final fast ahead of the G1 3000m Kikuka Sho (St Leger) (no geldings) Sunday
1/2 bro to the great PALACE MALICE 🇺🇸
Impressive LS G2 2400m winner
Right in the classic on Sunday#JRA pic.twitter.com/XgSPTjWdEz
— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) October 19, 2022
“They did a good job with him at the farm before the Kobe Shimbun Hai,” said trainer Haruki Sugiyama, who will also saddle the well-fancied Gaia Force (Jpn), a son of 2015 Kikuka Sho hero Kitasan Black (Jpn). “The jockey also had some good contact with the horse before the race. In his last run, he easily got into a good position, and getting a good start does seem to be one of the keys with him.”
A ¥190 million (about $1.77 million) purchase out of the 2020 JRHA Select Yearling Sale, Justin Palace will need to be on his best gate behaviour from barrier 17.
Gaia Force is one of the fresh faces in the Kikuka Sho and is drawn at the other end of the stalls. Narrowly second to the Derby winner on debut last September, the gray has since won three of his last four, a track record-setting conditions success at Kokura (2000m in 1:56.80 July 3) and a head defeat of Ask Victor More (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in one of the Leger trials, the G2 Asahi Hai St Lite Kinen (2200m) at Nakayama Sept. 19.
Stunner 3c GAIA FORCE (Kitasan Black x Natale (Kurofune)) attacking the Ritto slope ahead of the classic G1 3000m Kikuka Sho (St Leger) (no geldings) on Sunday
His sire won it, and on this work his son is the one to beat on Sunday!#JRA #KitasanBlack pic.twitter.com/tLNWkCAT6T
— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) October 19, 2022
“After winning in record time at Kokura, the switch to Nakayama with the extra distance and strong opposition was never going to be easy, but he ran above my expectations,” Sugiyama said. “We gave him a break at the farm afterwards, as it must have taken a lot out of him, but he seems fine on his return to the stable.”
Ask Victor More got the better of Do Deuce in the G2 Deep Impact Kinen in March before finishing a respectable fifth in the Satsuki Sho and third in the Tokyo Yushun. He was just held by Gaia Force last time, but can certainly improve for that first-up run.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
