Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features the second foal out of Classic heroine Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 2.00 Naas, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, f, 5f 205yT BEGINNINGS (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) is the second foal out of the 1000 Guineas, Irish 1000 Guineas, G1 Coronation S. and G1 Nassau S. heroine Winter (Ire) (Galileo...

Danon Scorpion (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn) recorded a career-high win when taking the G1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo Sunday. Unhurried in the early going exiting after exiting the widest stall, the colt settled in mid-division as the leaders slugged it out up front. Inching closer approaching the home turn, he reeled in late-leader and favorite Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn} in the stretch, drew even at the 100-meter marker and held off the late-closing Matenro Orion (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) by a neck with Kawakita Reverie (Jpn) (Drefong) a...

Dual Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) delivered her first foal shortly after midnight on Jan. 13, Silk Racing Company Limited announced. The bay foal is a colt by Shadai Stallion Station's Epiphaneia (Jpn). Bred by Northern Farm and raced by Silk Racing, the 7-year-old claimed nine Group 1 victories throughout her career. Ridden all bar one race by Christophe Lemaire and trained by Sakae Kunieda, the bay won the 2018 Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown and G1 Japan Cup. Named the Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and...

Following more Classic success, this time with his son Efforia (Jpn) in 2021, Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S)'s fee has increased to ¥18,000,000 (£117,174/€139,172/$156,021), tops of the Shadai Stallion Station 2022 roster. The 11-year-old also celebrated group winners Aristoteles (Jpn) and Circle of Life (Jpn). Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), the sire of Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn), remains at ¥15,000,000. Kizuna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn})'s fee has been raised to ¥12,000,000 on the back of 11 2021 black-type winners including G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup...

The catalogue is now online for the 2021 JRHA Select Sale, which features four yearlings from the last crop of Deep Impact (Jpn) who died in July of 2019. Held at the Northern Horse Park near New Chitose Airport, the yearling session has 248 lots set to go through the ring on July 12, while there are 241 weanlings slated to sell on July 13. Kicking off the yearling portion of the sale is a Deep Impact colt who will be offered as lot 1 and is out of the...

Danon Smash (Jpn) finally broke through at the highest level in Japan with a neck defeat of boom mare Resistencia (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in Chukyo's G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen on Sunday.  The Danox Inc. colourbearer followed in his sire's hoofprints, who captured the 1200-metre grass feature in 2013. Sent off at 5-1, the Takayuki Yasuda trainee assumed position off the fence near the back of the field as the 2020 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) rocketed straight to the front. That rival remained glued to the fence and set...

Dual Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}-Fusaichi Pandora {Jpn}, by Sunday Silence) was scanned in foal to Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S) on her sixth birthday, Nikkan Sports reported on Wednesday. A winner of the G1 Japanese St. Leger and G1 Japan Cup, Shadai Stallion Station's Epiphaneia is the sire of 2020 Japan Fillies' Triple Crown heroine Daring Tact (Jpn) and more recently, Efforia (Jpn) in the G3 Kyodo News Hai among his four black-type winners. Bred by Northern Racing and raced by Silk Racing...

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...

For the first year since 2008 there will be no Deep Impact (Jpn) foals born this season, but the late Shadai resident was still Japan's champion sire in 2020, a title he has held without pause since 2012. That was the year his eldest runners were four; he had also been champion first-season sire in 2010. He had already been responsible for former Horse of the Year Gentildonna (Jpn) but Deep Impact's crowning glory among his many talented colts has come posthumously, with his son Contrail (Jpn) having become his...

Lord Kanaloa (GB) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) leads the Shadai Stallion Station roster for 2021. The sire of recent dual G1 Japan Cup heroine and Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn), he will command ¥15,000,000 (US$143,654/£107,013/€119,227) tops among the 30-member roster next year. Shadai welcomes three new recruits for the upcoming breeding season-GI Arkansas Derby hero Nadal (Blame) (¥4,000,000), G1 Irish 2000 Guineas victor Siskin (First Defence) (¥3,500,000) and G1 Champions Cup winner Le Vent Se Leve (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S) (¥1,500,000). A trio of stallions stand at ¥10,000,000 and...

The 2020 G1 Japan Cup delivered on its billing as primarily a three-way battle between 2018 Fillies' Triple Crown Winner Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) and this year's undefeated pair of Triple Crown hero Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and 2020 Fillies' Triple Crown victress Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}). The 2400-metre contest went to Silk Racing's 2018 Horse of the Year duly saluting as the 6-5 favourite over second choice Contrail at 9-5. Daring Tact narrowly secured third place as the 5-2 third pick. When the gates opened,...

Not having the rub of the green when runner-up in the G3 Leopardstown Fillies Trial S. over seven furlongs last time June 9, Qatar Racing's Know It All (GB) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) took a sizeable step forward to dominate Wednesday's G3 Derrinstown Stud Fillies S. over another furlong at that venue. Always travelling with ease in a pocket on the rail tracking the leading duo, the 3-1 second favourite struck the front approaching the furlong pole en route to a 2 1/4-length defeat of Celestial Object (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with...