Pounded down to 10 cents on the dollar, dual Classic hero Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) marked his return to the races with an easy-as-he-pleased victory in the 2200-metre G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai at Chukyo on Sunday.
Away in good order, pilot Yuichi Fukunaga eased Contrail back to sit in midfield while well covered up in the early stages. Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) showed the way through a half in :47.40 and a mile in 1:36.30 with positions largely unchanged. Nearing the final bend the heavy favourite had a wall of horses to navigate. A gap opened at the head of the lane and Contrail dashed through, taking over 250 metres from home before winning under hands and heels without ever being asked a serious question. Weltreisende (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) closed from out of the clouds to take second, two lengths adrift, while Robertson Quay (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was third a neck off of the runner-up.
Never tried under 1800 metres, Contrail won his debut at that trip at Hanshin in September of last year, before setting a new record in Tokyo's G3 Tokyo Sports Hia Nisai S. on Nov. 16, covering the distance in a blazing 1:44.50. Tested at Group 1 level in the 2000-metre Hopeful S., he maintained his unbeaten record at Nakayama on Dec. 28 and was named Japan's 2019 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt. This term, he picked up where he left off, adding the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) in April and the May 31 2400-metre Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).
Pedigree Notes
The near-black colt is one of two Group 1 winners for his late sire out of Unbridled's Song mares, the other being Danon Platina (Jpn), while Group 2 winner Red Bel Jour (Jpn) struck in the G2 Kyoto Daily Hai Nisai. Placed four times as a juvenile in Japan after selling to Koji Maeda for $385,000 at Keeneland September in 2011, Rhodochrosite foaled two winners from two runners prior to Contrail. Barren in 2018, she has a yearling colt from the second-to-last crop of Deep Impact and a Heart's Cry (Jpn) colt foal born on Mar. 26. Her dam, the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and GI Matron S. heroine Folklore (Tiznow) was named the 2005 Eclipse Award Champion Juvenile Filly.
Sunday, Chukyo, Japan
KOBE SHIMBUN HAI-G2, ¥105,300,000 (US$997,673/£783,013/€857,539), Chukyo, 9-27, 3yo, c/f, 2200mT, 2:12.50, fm.
1–CONTRAIL (JPN), 123, c, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Rhodochrosite, by Unbridled's Song
2nd Dam: Folklore, by Tiznow
3rd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
O-Shinji Maeda; B-North Hills (Jpn); T-Yoshito Yahagi; J-Yuichi
Fukunaga. ¥55,260,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-Jpn,
MG1SW-Jpn, 6-6-0-0. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Weltreisende (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Dream Journey (Jpn)–
Mandela (Ger), by Acatenango (Ger). O-Sunday Racing;
B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥22,360,000.
3–Robertson Quay (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Rulership (Jpn)–Tokai
Megami (Jpn), by Sunday Silence. (¥10,000,000 Wlg '17
JRHAJUL). O-Kazutaka Hosaka; B-Nagahama Farm (Jpn);
¥14,180,000.
Margins: 2, NK, 1. Odds: 0.10, 19.30, 111.70.
Also Ran: Deep Bond (Jpn), Turkish Palace (Ire), Endymion (Jpn), L'Excellence (Jpn), Iron Barows (Jpn), Man of Spirit (Jpn), Deep King (Jpn), Bitterender (Jpn), Panthalassa (Jpn), Shimbo (Jpn), Irogotoshi (Jpn), Meisho Bosatsu (Jpn), Falconia (Jpn), Grande Mare (Jpn), My Rhapsody (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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