Fierement Narrowly Takes Japanese St. Leger

[Wandering Eyes]

Sunday Racing’s Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) prevailed in a fierce duel with Etario (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) to take the final Classic of the Japanese season, the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) by a nose at Kyoto on Sunday. It was the colt’s first win at the stakes level and first try at 3000 metres.

Sent off at 13-1, the seventh pick in the full field of 18, the bay settled one off the fence in the middle of the pack, as Generale Uno (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) doled out splits of :50.10 for the first half-mile and 1:15.10 for the initial 1200 metres. Generale Uno still led approaching the third corner, with Fierement gradually finding the outside back in sixth. Kept in closer touch to the vanguard from there, pilot Christophe Lemaire was sitting on a lot of horse as the field fanned out for the final quarter mile charge. Generale Uno (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) faded at that point, with Epoca d’Oro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn) challenging up the inside and Etario unveiling a similar move up the middle of the course. Fierement charged up in between that pair and You Can Smile (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) was also launching his bid in behind. Fierement was always holding Etario safe in the rush to the line however, and won by a nose, with 1 1/2 lengths back to You Can Smile in third. Favoured Blast Onepiece (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) raced in the middle of the field for most of the race, swung to the outside on the backstretch and, although finishing well, settled for fourth, three-quarters of a length behind.

“I had confidence in him as he felt good during training,” said Lemaire, who had booted home Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G1 Shuka Sho just seven days ago en route to her Fillies’ Triple Crown triumph. “We briefly met traffic in the straight, but my mount stretched really well with his bursting kick. I congratulated Mirco [Demuro] right after crossing the wire, thinking that we had lost, so it’s unbelievable that we were able to win the race.”

The Sunday Racing runner did not debut until Jan. 28 of his 3-year-old year with a win going 1800 metres at Tokyo. He doubled up at that distance switched to Nakayama on Apr. 14, and was second in the G3 Radio Nikkei Sho at Fukushima on July 1 before being shelved. The Kikuka Sho was his first try beyond 1800 metres.

Pedigree Notes…

Fierement is the 120th black-type winner and 38th Group 1 winner for his Shadai Stallion Station-based sire. Italian highweight Lune d’Or, who won the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio and was placed in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks, produced Last Noodle (Jpn), a winning full-brother to Fierement in 2016. Twice Group 3 placed in France, second dam Luth D’Or (Noir et Or {GB}) is a half-sister to French champion miler Luth Enchantee (Fr) (Be My Guest), who won both the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

Sunday, Kyoto, Japan
KIKUKA SHO (JAPANESE ST. LEGER)-G1, ¥267,260,000 (US$/£/€), Kyoto, 10-21, 3yo, c/f, 3000mT, 3:06.10, fm.
1–FIEREMENT (JPN), 126, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)
      1st Dam: Lune d’Or (Fr) (Hwt. 3yo-Ity at 9 1/2-11f,
              G1SW-Ity, MGSW-Fr, G1SP-Eng, $440,124),
              by Green Tune
      2nd Dam: Luth D’Or (Fr), by Noir et Or (GB)
      3rd Dam: Viole d’Amour (Fr), by Luthier (Fr)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Takahisa Tezuka;
J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥147,482,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: D.
2–Etario (Jpn), 126, c, 3, by Stay Gold (Jpn)–Hot Cha Cha, by
Cactus Ridge. (¥87,000,000 yrl ’16 JRHAJUL). O-G Riviere
Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥55,852,000.
3–You Can Smile (Jpn), 126, c, 3, by King Kamehameha (Jpn)–
Mood Indigo (Jpn), by Dance in the Dark (Jpn). O-Makoto
Kaneko Holdings; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥33,926,000.
Margins: NO, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 13.50, 2.60, 30.70.
Also Ran: Blast Onepiece (Jpn), Glory Vase (Jpn), Time Flyer (Jpn), Chardonnay Gold (Jpn), Epoca d’Oro (Jpn), Generale Uno (Jpn), Grail (Jpn), Stay Foolish (Jpn), African Gold (Jpn), Grandiose (Jpn), Meisho Tekkon (Jpn), Cosmic Force (Jpn), Aithon (Jpn), Kafuji Vanguard (Jpn), Oken Moon (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post chart. JRA Video.

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