World Premiere Colt Shocks Hopeful Stakes Field

[Wandering Eyes]

Forest Racing's Lovcen maintained his unbeaten record with a three-quarter length win in the 2000-metre G1 Hopeful Stakes at Nakayama on Saturday. The son of World Premiere is the first horse to win the Hopeful in his second start since the race was promoted to Group 1 status in 2017.

Sent off at 18-1, the dark bay was part of the early pace discussion but soon dropped back to midfield entering the first turn. The first 1000 metres was covered in 1:01.30 by T O Al Ain (Al Ain), with positions largely unchanged entering the final furlongs. Making up ground with a quarter-mile to go, Lovcen was steered from the rail to the far outside and unleashed a devastating turn of foot to win going away over the stalking Forte Angelo (Fierement). It was a half-length back to Ask Edinburgh (Leontes) in third. Favoured Anduril (Saturnalia) made up some late ground but ultimately faded away to seventh.

“I was hoping that he would break well, run in good rhythm and have plenty left in the tank, which I'm happy that he did,” said rider Kohei Matsuyama. “He had shown a remarkable turn of foot in training so I knew he would have the strength to catch the leaders. Since his first win was over yielding ground, the colt has proven his versatility today so we have a lot to look forward to in his future starts.”

Pedigree Notes

World Premiere, winner of the 2019 G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) and G1 Tenno Sho Spring in 2021, has joined the ranks of top-level sires with the victory of Lovcen, his first stakes winner. The son of Deep Impact is credited with a mere 26 foals from his first crop. Ten of his progeny have made the races with a trio of winners among them, including Lovcen. The late Giant's Causeway has sired 248 stakes winners (125 group/graded). Lovcen is his 37th Group 1 scorer worldwide, with Deep Impact's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Beauty Parlour bred on similar lines.

The sixth foal, and fifth runner and winner out of the placed Songwriting (Giant's Causeway), the colt broke his maiden by three lengths going this trip at Kyoto in November over yielding ground. Sold for $800,000 by Niall Brennan Stables to Katsumi Yoshida at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Songwriting has a weanling colt by Copano Rickey and was bred back to that sire this spring.

Second dam Embur's Song (Unbridled's Song) was a Champion Older Mare in Canada and a multiple graded winner there. Classic winner and three-time Grade I winner Exaggerator (Curlin) is under the third dam.

Saturday, Nakayama, Japan
HOPEFUL STAKES-G1, ¥135,660,000, Nakayama, 12-27, 2yo, 2000mT, 2:01.00, fm.
1–LOVCEN (JPN), 123, c, 2, by World Premiere (Jpn)
            1st Dam: Songwriting, by Giant's Causeway
            2nd Dam: Embur's Song, by Unbridled's Song
            3rd Dam: Embur Sunshine, by Bold Ruckus
   1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
O-Forest Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Haruki Sugiyama;
J-Kohei Matsuyama; ¥71,162,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
¥78,662,000.
2–Forte Angelo (Jpn), 123, c, 2, Fierement (Jpn)–Lady Angela
(Ire), by Dark Angel (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK
   TYPE. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Silk Racing; B-Northern
Farm (Jpn); ¥28,332,000.
3–Ask Edinburgh (Jpn), 123, c, 2, Leontes (Jpn)–Honey Trip
(Jpn), by Manhattan Café (Jpn). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE.
O-Toshihiro Hirosaki; B-Mishima Bokujo (Jpn); ¥18,166,000.
Margins: 3/4, HF, 1. Odds: 18.80, 5.40, 31.90.
Also Ran: Aure Ares (Jpn), Badrinath (Jpn), Olufsen (Jpn), Anduril (Jpn), Justin Vista (Jpn), T O Al Ain (Jpn), Noche Cerrada (Jpn), Matenro Zero (Jpn), Gene King (Jpn), Winners Nine (Jpn), Shonan Gulf (Jpn), Nowhere Man (Jpn), Meisho Hachiko (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video.

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