By Alan Carasso
Ecoro Sieg (Twirling Candy), a smashing five-length debut winner when unveiled over 1200 meters at Niigata Aug. 17, remained perfect in two starts with a 2 1/2-length success at Nakayama Saturday, stopping the clock in 1:07.2. The final time shaved 0.6 seconds off the 2-year-old track record and was 0.3 faster than the Japanese record time for a 2-year-old at the distance.
Sent off the 2-5 favorite with Christophe Lemaire once again at the controls for Hideyuki Mori, the $95,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $250,000 OBS March breezer was not the fastest away from the inside stall, but mustered for speed inside to claim command inside the opening 200 meters. He was made to work for it, however, as the first 400 meters–from a standing start–was timed in :21.8 as he took heat from an outside rival. Maintaining a narrow advantage for the run around the turn, but still taking a fair amount of pressure, Ecoro Sieg was past the 400-meter marker in :43.8, but nevertheless kept on strongly through the wire to score comfortably.
“He was a bit slow to begin, but he was amazing after that,” the winning trainer told the Japanese publication Chunichi.co.jp. “It was a bit fast!”
The victory has connections thinking big for the colt's next start.
“For now I will consult with the owner and I would like to consider the [GI] Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint [at Del Mar Nov. 1].”
Added Lemaire: “He can run at his own speed, he's set a record and he's got the ability and it's home for him. I think I'll be able to go and I'm looking forward to it.”
Mori is not bashful about pointing his runners towards overseas targets, and was the first Japanese trainer to saddle a Group 1 winner on foreign soil when sending out Seeking the Pearl to victory in the 1998 Prix Maurice de Gheest in France. He saddled his first runner at the Breeders' Cup in 2000 (Agnes World in the Sprint) and has since been represented by an additional eight starters, including Jasper Krone (Frosted) in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
When the Breeders' Cup was last staged at Del Mar in 2021, the Japanese were represented by its first two winners at the Championships–Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the Filly & Mare Turf and Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) in the Distaff.
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