Grenadier Guards

A carefully managed career comes to a close Sunday afternoon for three-times champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who faces a crack group of Japanese milers in defence of her title in the G1 Mile Championship S. at Hanshin Racecourse. The daughter of the late multiple Grade I and Breeders' Cup winner Tapitsfly (Tapit) has finished outside the top three just twice in her 14 starts to date, including a fourth in the G1 Osaka Hai in April, contested in unsuitably wet ground and over a 2000-metre trip that...

Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.'s Grenadier Guards (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}), a son of GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington), will look to return to winning ways as one of the top couple of betting choices in Sunday's G1 NHK Mile Cup at Toyko Racecourse. The bay colt graduated at third asking over 1400 metres at Hanshin last November, then belied odds of 16-1 to upset future G1 Satsuki Sho third Stella Veloce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity going this distance in mid-December....

Saturday's G3 Falcon S. at Chukyo featured the return of last year's Japanese champion 2-year-old colt Grenadier Guards (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}), a son of American champion sprinting mare Wavell Avenue (Harlington), but it was the mild longshot Rooks Nest (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) who led nearly gate to wire to post a mild upset when winning by a head over Grenadier Guards. Hustled from the rail draw, Rooks Nest grabbed the lead exiting the first furlong and led a three-deep flight of runners, including Grenadier Guards in the middle, by a...

Grenadier Guards (Jpn), the first foal out of the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington), became Frankel's 12th Group 1 winner in Sunday's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. in Japan. Stalking the pace off the six-length lead set by Mondreise (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), Grenadier Guards was poised in second by the time they straightened. Grenadier Guards gradually cut down that rival's advantage in the lane, hit the lead at the furlong marker and held off a rallying Stella Volce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) to...