Brown Ratchet Faces May Day Ready In Hanshin Juvenile Test

[Wandering Eyes]

Normally held at Hanshin, the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies has moved to Kyoto this year as the former track is being renovated, and a full field of 18 vie for top-level honours on Sunday. Leading Team Japan is Brown Ratchet (Jpn), a Kizuna (Jpn) half-sister to GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic third Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}). Two-for-two in her young career, the daughter of Forever Darling (Congrats) won a Nakayama affair in her bow on Sept. 16 over 200 metres farther than Sunday's distance, and captured the G3 Artemis Stakes going this trip in Tokyo, defeating runner-up Mistress (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) and third-placed Shonan Xanadu (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) among others on Oct. 26.

Trainer Takahisa Tezuka said, “She got regular work at the farm and came back to Miho last week in good condition. Her body condition and her breathing are both at almost 100%, so this week I just breezed her alongside another horse on the woodchip course to check her rhythm. Everything looked good.

“She's very mature and easy to handle. Christophe Lemaire commented that her maneuverability was good. For now, there's nothing that needs to improve. She's a top-class filly and you don't find horses like her often. She's not that big, but she has a whole lot of power.”

Although not undefeated, having finished sixth at Nakayama in her debut, Run For Vow (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) graduated at Kyoto in October, and was last seen taking the G2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes there on Nov. 9. Kohei Matsuyama has the call from gate 14.

Trainer Yuichi Fukunaga said, “She won a Group 2 amid colts with a good performance and is maturing nicely. She is a bit difficult but not as far as her ability to maneuver goes. Her times and the quality of her footwork have been good. This week we just did a final check, but she got a better time than expected. And she did that easily, so I think we may see improvement from her last start.

“I never thought I'd be winning graded races and aiming for a Group 1 the very year I opened my stable. To have met a horse like this was a great good fortune. Her win over the same course is a strong point and I'm hoping to finish in the top spots.”

American challenger May Day Ready (Tapit) is three-for-four in her native land and looms a talented challenger for the local brigade to overcome. A winner of a maiden at Saratoga in August, she added the Listed Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes over that quirky Franklin turf course. Sent to Keeneland in October, she won again, this time by a nose in the GII Jessamine Stakes. Facing Cartier Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, the granddaughter of More Than Ready was not disgraced when taking second by 1 1/2 lengths after a less-than easy passage and will be the first international challenger in the race. Trainer Joseph Lee, who met his wife Suzuyo in Japan, spent a decade working for his father-in-law Takemi Kaga, a Japanese Hall of Fame jockey turned trainer.

“With my father-in-law being a Hall of Fame jockey and trainer when he retired, and then having myself went to Japan for multiple international races from '94 to 2000, I went to Japan just about every year,” Lee told the NYRA notes team. “Japan racing has everything: the facilities are big, clean, you've got restaurants, noodle shops, multiple places to eat and sit down.”

Of his charge who will be reunited with Frankie Dettori and leave from stall 17, he said, “She got into a little bit of trouble there in the first turn and then Frankie got her into a great spot following the eventual winner, Lake Victoria. It was like trying to follow a car on the highway. I'd like to see for fun with a clean trip–not saying we would have beat her–I'd just like to see. I'm extremely pleased, even in defeat.”

The one-two finishers from the G3 Fantasy Stakes also return in Dantsu Elan (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) and Mozu Nana Star (Jpn) (Moz Ascot). The field also boasts a pair of fillies who are undefeated in two starts each: Vip Daisy (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}) and Kurino Mei (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), who break from stalls one and 11, respectively.

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