Champ Upsets Almond Eye In Yasuda Kinen

[Wandering Eyes]

Sunday’s G1 Yasuda Kinen was meant to be a homecoming party for the G1 Dubai Turf victress Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), but in the end the two-for-six record of runners returning from Meydan in this contest showed out, with last year’s Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly flying late to grab third. Instead, it was Indy Champ (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) who earned his first Group 1 win while racing at the highest level for the first time. The 4-year-old had won two straight over this trip to wrap up his 3-year-old campaign, which also included a third in the G3 Mainichi Okan, and after notching his first black-type win on seasonal debut in the Feb. 3 G3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai over this course and distance, Indy Champ slipped to fourth when last seen in the Apr. 21 G2 Yomiuri Milers Cup.

Sent off the 18-1 fourth choice, Indy Champ found himself a close third shortly after the break, but lost a few lengths as Aerolithe (Jpn) (Kurofune) set out with a hot pace. Almond Eye, meanwhile, was shuffled back from the 14 post at the break and had to settle midpack while racing wide.

Indy Champ was briefly boxed in behind runners after turning for home but once in the clear, he rolled down the middle of the track to peg Aerolithe on the line, with Almond Eye flying from further back to grab third while posting the fastest final 300 metres of the race and suggesting that, while she has won three times over a mile, a return to longer trips will suit.

Jockey Yuichi Fukunaga said, “He was tuned up well, was in great shape, and had a good draw, so I just tried hard not to miss our break. He tends to get distracted when he’s up front so I kept him off the pace. We were up against fierce competition, but I believed that he had a good chance as long as I didn’t make any mistakes and he certainly responded beautifully to our expectations.”

Pedigree Notes
Indy Champ is a half-brother to current 3-year-old filly A Will a Way (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}), who was beaten a nose in the G2 Keio Hai Nisai S. last November and most recently came home 10th of 18 in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas). The dam, Will Power, is a half-sister to Real Impact (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who won the Yasuda Kinen and Australia’s G1 George Ryder S. and who now shuttles between the two countries where he posted his biggest wins. Will Power is also a half-sister to the G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Neorealism (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}), and the stakes-winning I’ll Love Again (Jpn) (El Condor Pasa).

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
YASUDA KINEN-G1, ¥214,860,000, Tokyo, 6-2, 3yo/up, 1600mT, 1:30.90, fm.
1–INDY CHAMP (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Stay Gold (Jpn)
1st Dam: Will Power (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Miller’s Lily (Fr), by Miller’s Mate (GB)
3rd Dam: Lymara (Fr), by Lyphard
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm;
T-Hidetaka Otonashi; J-Yuichi Fukunaga; ¥113,402,000.
Lifetime Record: 10-6-1-1. *1/2 to A Will a Way (Jpn) (Just a
Way {Jpn}), GSP-Jpn, $430,037. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Aerolithe (Jpn), 123, m, 5, Kurofune–Asterix (Jpn), by Neo
Universe (Jpn). O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm;
¥44,972,000.
3–Almond Eye (Jpn), 123, f, 4, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–Fusaichi
Pandora (Jpn), by Sunday Silence. O-Silk Racing; B-Northern
Farm; ¥28,486,000.
Margins: NK, NO, 1HF. Odds: 18.20, 11.50, 0.70.
Also Ran: Guanciale (Jpn), Sungrazer (Jpn), Mozu Ascot, Keiai Nautique (Jpn), Stelvio (Jpn), Logi Cry (Aus), Persian Knight (Jpn), Sakura Empereur (Jpn), Lord Quest (Jpn), Smart Odin (Jpn), Fiano Romano (Aus), Entecheiden (Jpn), Danon Premium (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart and video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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