Cafe Pharoah

The summer season in Japan customarily sees that country's heaviest turf hitters awaiting major late summer and early fall, and a pair of American-bred runners should have a say in the outcome of this weekend's two major races at group level on the turf. Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah), winner of this year's G1 February S. going a mile over the Tokyo dirt track (video) and one of 14 winners from 18 Japanese starters for his sire, switches to the grass for Sunday's $709,167 G3 Hakodate Kinen over the metric mile...

Café Pharoah delivered a first win at the highest level on dirt for his sire, U.S. Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, in the G1 February S. going a mile over the Tokyo dirt on Sunday. His three-quarter length victory guaranteed him a spot in the starting gate in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic this fall. Favoured at 2-1, the 4-year-old entire settled in a tracking fifth, as Wide Pharoah (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) and Air Almas (Majestic Warrior) slugged it out on the front end....

Group 1 racing action returns to Japan with Tokyo's G1 February S., a 'Win and You're In' event for the Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be held at Del Mar this fall. Heading the 16-horse field is Café Pharoah (Jpn) (American Pharoah), who aired by 10 lengths in an 1800-meter maiden race at Nakayama in December 2019 before reeling off three consecutive wins, including Tokyo's G3 Unicorn S. (1600m) last June. Favored in the 2000-meter G1 Japan Dirt Derby at NAR-Oi in July, he finished an even seventh over the...

Chrysoberyl (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}, the reigning champion dirt horse in Japan, and the nation's top 3-year-old dirt galloper Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) meet for the first time in Sunday's G1 Champions Cup (1800m) at Chukyo Racecourse, one of two top-level events on the main track each season. Chrysoberyl is undefeated in eight starts at home, including a narrow defeat of 2017 winner Gold Dream (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn) in this event 12 months ago (see below). Seventh to Maximum Security (New Year's Day) in the US$20-million Saudi Cup in...

Longtime owner and breeder Paul Pompa, Jr., who campaigned dual Classic winner Big Brown (Boundary) in partnership, passed away suddenly Saturday, according to Jerry McClenin, Pompa's cousin-in-law and stable manager. He was 62. A highly respected businessman, Pompa was owner and President of the Brooklyn-based trucking company Truck-Rite Corp., which he recently sold. He got into Thoroughbreds in 2000 with the help of McClenin. "Paul was a tremendous businessman who ran his trucking business almost exclusively on his own," McClenin said. "He came to me saying he wanted to get...

Café Pharoah (Jpn) (American Pharoah) dispatched his elders with deceptive ease when taking Saturday's 1900-metre G3 Sirius S. at Chukyo. Pounded down to 70 cents on the dollar, the son of 2015 American Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was taking his second Japanese group race. The favourite settled in midfield while Chimera Verite (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) opened up several lengths on the chasing pack. Still eighth on the far turn, Café Pharoah swung wide into the homestretch. Fanned out to the centre of the track for the stretch drive, the...

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 Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses, the latter of which plays host to Sunday's G1 Sprinters' S., the first of 13 fall Group 1s in Japan and featuring US-breds Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) and Mr Melody (Scat Daddy): Saturday, October 3, 2020 4th-CKO,...

The bettors had it right--well, in a sense. They pounded the previously undefeated Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) into 1-10 favoritism for Wednesday's Japan Dirt Derby, but Danon Pharaoh (Jpn) (American Pharoah) had other ideas, as he put away pacesetting Daimei Corrida (Jpn) (Eskendereya) in the final 150 meters en route to a 1 3/4-length success. Kitano Octopus (Jpn) (Fenomeno {Jpn}) rounded out a longshot trifecta that returned better than 7,700-1. The victory was worth 40 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. Daimei Corrida jumped alertly from his...

Having already sewn up the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and a berth in the starting gate at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday of September if connections so choose, Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) will stretch out to 2000 meters for the first time in his career as he tries to make it four wins from as many starts in Wednesday's $711,743 Japan Dirt Derby at Ohi Racecourse. The $475,000 OBS March graduate won his debut going nine furlongs in December, then cut back to Toyko's one-turn mile for...

The undefeated SW Café Pharoah (American Pharoah), the even-money pick in Tokyo's 1600-meter G3 Unicorn S., made that price look like a gift on Sunday, as he won that Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier by five easy lengths and set a new stakes record in the process (1:34.90). Dieu du Vin (Jpn) (Declaration of War) was second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Kenshinko (Jpn) (Pyro), as American-bred sires were responsible for the first three home. It was the first winner on dirt at the graded/group level for his...

The postponement of the GI Kentucky Derby from May to September forced a reworking of the Road to the Kentucky Derby points races, both at home and abroad. The Japanese component of the series, which offers the highest points-getter an automatic berth in the gate at Churchill Downs, has been extended by two races, and the first of those, the G3 Unicorn S. (1600m), is set for Sunday afternoon at Tokyo Racecourse. A pair of American-bred imports, each undefeated in two career appearances, figure to dominate the market. Cafe Pharoah...

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, which awards the horse that accumulates the most points an automatic berth in the gate for the 'Run for the Roses' Sept. 5, has been extended to include two additional races, officials at Churchill Downs announced Friday. The G3 Unicorn S. (1600m) at Tokyo Racecourse Sunday, June 21, has been added to the series, as has the July 8 Japan Dirt Derby, a 10-furlong listed test at Ohi Racecourse. Both races will offer points on a scale of 40-16-8-4 for the top four...