Danon Fantasy Smooth In Tulip Sho

[Wandering Eyes]

After checking in second on debut last June, Danon Fantasy (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) has maintained an unbeaten record since, and she will go into the Apr. 7 G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) as the favourite after winning the key prep, Saturday’s G2 Tulip Sho at Hanshin. Danon Fantasy was making her seasonal debut on Saturday and her first start since winning the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December, the race that annually crowns the country’s champion 2-year-old filly.

Danon Fantasy bounced out of her inside gate in front and, despite racing keenly, allowed herself to be rated back and eventually settled about two lengths off the pace on the rail. As the field turned into the straight and the inside rail dropped away, the favourite found herself locked up behind and in between rivals and had to take back and switch to the outside for clear runway. Her backers may have had a few anxious seconds as longshot Donau Delta (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) made a break for the lead, but Danon Fantasy was soon in top gear and charging down the middle of the track. She overtook that rival under a handride in the final 50 metres and won comfortably while the placegetters rallied from further back.

Pedigree Notes

As highlighted earlier in today’s edition, Danon Fantasy is the third foal out of Life For Sale (Arg) (Not For Sale {Arg}), a dual Group 1 winner at three and two-time group winner at two in Argentina. Life For Sale’s current 2-year-old is a colt by Heart’s Cry (Jpn).

Saturday, Hanshin, Japan
TULIP SHO-G2, ¥100,360,000, Hanshin, 3-2, 3yo, f, 1600mT, 1:34.10, fm.
1–DANON FANTASY (JPN), 119, f, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Life For Sale (Arg) (MG1SW-Arg, $199,227),
by Not For Sale (Arg)
2nd Dam: Doubt Fire (Brz), by Ski Champ
3rd Dam: My Little Life (Brz), by Ghadeer (Fr)
(¥90,000,000 yrl ’17 JRHAJUL) O-Danox Inc; B-Northern Farm;
T-Mitsumasa Nakauchida; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥52,952,000.
Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly & G1SW-Jpn, 5-4-1-0. Werk Nick
Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Shigeru Pink Dia (Jpn), 119, f, 3, Daiwa Major (Jpn)–
Moonlight Bay (Jpn), by High Chaparral (Ire). O-Shigeru
Morinaka; B-Amaba Farm; ¥21,272,000.
3–Noble Score (Jpn), 119, f, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Final Score
(Ire), by Dylan Thomas (Ire). (¥155,000,000 wnlg ’16 JRHAJUL)
O-Hidenori Futagi; B-Northern Farm; ¥13,136,000.
Margins: 1, NO, HD. Odds: 0.30, 16.20, 33.10.
Click for the JRA chart and video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

View the full article