Yukito Ishikawa

G1 Racing's Christmas Parade (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) earned her first stakes victory and group win in the G2 Shion Stakes on Saturday. The filly blitzed the 2000 metres in a new stakes record of 1:56.60. Sent off at 28-5, the Shizuya Kato runner stalked Isola Felice (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}) from second as that foe sped through splits of :22.90, :46.70, and 1:10.70. The final four furlongs were all under :12 seconds each, with the eventual winner asked for her best inside the final 600 metres. She surged to...

In a dramatic finish to Sunday's G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo, Jun Light Bolt (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) collared G2 UAE Derby hero Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach The Crown {Jpn}) by a neck just before the wire. Sent off at 6-1 in this 1800-metre contest, the 5-year-old entire settled one off the rail in midpack as Red Soldado (Jpn) (Majestic Warrior) dashed to the front. That rival, setting an uncontested pace, got away with middling fractions on the backstretch, with the first 1000 metres covered in 1:02.40. As a result,...