Alohi Alii Strikes For Japan With Impressive Guillaume D’Ornano Success

[Wandering Eyes]

Well-beaten in the G2 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) when last seen in April, Tsuyoshi Suzuki's Alohi Alii (Duramente) proved a class apart on his European bow in Saturday's G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville. Allowed to bowl along in front by Christophe-Patrice Lemaire, the Hiroyasu Tanaka-trained 5-1 shot took off in early straight to dominate the 10-furlong test and was eased late to beat the solid yardsticks Rashabar (Holy Roman Emperor) and Cualificar (Lope De Vega) by 3 1/2 lengths and a head.

This race was run almost three seconds slower than the card's opening G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron, with the G2 Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen third Alohi Alii able to cruise before opening up in the straight and use his superior acceleration as a lethal weapon. Whether that potency can be employed over a mile and a half in a truly-run Arc staged probably on easy ground remains to be seen, but his sire was a Tokyo Yushun winner and the dam is by one of the ParisLongchamp showcase's storied horses in Orfevre.

Tanaka, who rode in France during his first career, gave the lowdown on the winner afterwards. “We first planned to come to France for the Grand Prix de Paris in July, but the horse was not quite ready,” he explained. “With a view to giving him a race before the Arc, we looked at the program and decided to come here. The race had been won in the past by horses that went on to excel in the Arc, so we felt it was right to run here.”

“I have a lengthy working relation with Christophe Lemaire, Deauville is like home for him, so it was an obvious choice to have him ride the horse. The race today is over 2000 metres and that is what we wanted for his prep,” he added. “The further the better with this horse, so I have no doubt that he will stay the Arc trip. The timing is just perfect between the two races.”

Japanese-raider Alohi Alii blows the field away in the Group Two Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville! @netkeiba | @christo68914587 pic.twitter.com/KK6HLuhp3x

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) August 16, 2025

Pedigree Notes

Alohi Alii's dam Espoir won over this trip, but was probably at her best over shorter, finishing runner-up in the G3 Turquoise Stakes at a mile. She is a half-sister to the G2 Hai Aoba Sho winner and G1 Tokyo Yushun-placed Admirable (Deep Impact), while the family includes the GII American Jockey Club Cup winner and G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) runner-up Aristoteles (Epiphaneia) and the Oaks, Yorkshire Oaks and St Leger heroine Sun Princess. Espoir's yearling filly is by Contrail.

Saturday, Deauville, France
PRIX GUILLAUME D'ORNANO-G2, €183,000, Deauville, 8-16, 3yo, 10fT, 2:08.61, sf.
1–ALOHI ALII (JPN), 129, c, 3, by Duramente (Jpn)
1st Dam: Espoir (Jpn) (MGSP-Jpn, $773,113), by Orfevre (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Scarlet (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S
3rd Dam: Grace Admire (Jpn), by Tony Bin (Ire)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (¥60,000,000 Wlg '22 JRHJUL). O-Tsuyoshi Suzuki; B-Grace Inc; T-Hiroyasu Tanaka; J-Christophe Lemaire. €104,310. GSP-Jpn, 5-2-1-0, €256,684. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Rashabar (Ire), 129, c, 3, Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)–Amazonka (Ire), by Camelot (GB). (€120,000 Ylg '23 ARAUG). O-Manton Thoroughbreds IX; B-SARL Ecurie Haras de Beaufay; T-Brian Meehan. €40,260.
3–Cualificar (GB), 129, c, 3, Lope De Vega (Ire)–Qualify (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus). O/B-Godolphin; T-Andre Fabre. €18,215.
Margins: 3HF, HD, 3. Odds: 5.30, 2.50, 0.70.
Also Ran: Dumonet (Ire), Batal Youmzain (Fr).

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