Karakontie’s Kenzai Warrior Battles to Horris Hill Success

[Wandering Eyes]

   As with Friday night’s rescheduled G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy, Saturday’s G3 Heath Court Hotel Horris Hill S. at Newmarket went the way of an original entrant when Kenzai Warrior (Karakontie {Jpn}) pounced late to secure a career high in just his second start. The March foal had subdued subsequent G3 Zetland S. victor Max Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) when making all over one mile at Salisbury in his Sept. 5 debut and went postward for this rearranged seven-furlong test as a 13-2 chance. Positioned several lengths off the clear pacesetter Impressor (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) in third for the most part, he was rowed along to close approaching the quarter-mile marker and kept on relentlessly under sterner urging inside the final furlong to deny Ropey Guest (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) and Impressor by a half-length and 3/4-of-a-length, respectively, nearing the line. Now unbeaten in two, Kenzai Warrior becomes the first pattern-race winner for his freshman sire (by Bernstein).

   “I went down [to the yard] to sit on Kenzai Warrior the other day and when [trainer] Roger [Teal] says he has a good one he’s usually right,” winning rider Jack Mitchell told Racing Post. “I liked the way he galloped out up the hill and he should be a nice Classic prospect for next year.”

   Kenzai Warrior, half-brother to a 2019 filly by Kantharos, is the first of two foals produced by Lemon Sakhee (Lemon Drop Kid), herself kin to the dual stakes-placed Jaish (Seeking the Gold) and to the winning Jawaaneb (Kingmambo), who in turn is the dam of 2016 G3 Horris Hill S. runner-up Kings Gift (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) and the dual stakes-placed Queens Gift (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}). Lemon Sakhee, who was bred to Uncaptured this year, is a granddaughter of G2 Ribblesdale S. victress Thawakib (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells)–a half to MG1SP sire Celestial Storm (Roberto)–who produced MG1SW sire Sakhee (Bahri) and the stakes-winning ancestress of GSW GI Beverly D. S. runner-up Alnadana (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). Thawakib is also kin to the dam of MGISW distaffer River Memories (Riverman) and hails from a family featuring MG1SW sire Mastercraftsman (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
HEATH COURT HOTEL HORRIS HILL S.-G3, £40,000, Newmarket, 11-2, 2yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:28.74, hy.
1–KENZAI WARRIOR, 126, c, 2, by Karakontie (Jpn)
1st Dam: Lemon Sakhee, by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Khazayin, by Bahri
3rd Dam: Thawakib (Ire), by Sadler’s Wells
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. ($6,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; £45,000 2yo ’19 GOFBRE). O-Mr & Mrs Rae Borras; B-John D Gunther (KY); T-Roger Teal; J-Jack Mitchell. £22,684. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $35,298. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ropey Guest (GB), 126, c, 2, Cable Bay (Ire)–Hadeeya (GB), by Oratorio (Ire). (31,000gns Wlg ’17 TATFOA; £110,000 Ylg ’18 GOUKPR; £55,000 2yo ’19 TATABR). O-John Guest Racing; B-Mrs S Hamilton & Kirtlington Stud Ltd (GB); T-George Margarson. £8,600.
3–Impressor (Ire), 126, c, 2, Footstepsinthesand (GB)–Little Empress (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). (55,000gns Ylg ’18 TAOCT). O-R C C Villers; B-Cottage Bloodstock (IRE); T-Marcus Tregoning. £4,304.
Margins: HF, 3/4, 3 1/4. Odds: 6.50, 8.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: Gravity Force (GB), Embolden (Ire), Tomfre (GB), Hong Kong, Surf Dancer (Ire), Aberama Gold (GB), San Pedro (Ire), Tom Collins (GB). Scratched: Boccaccio (Ire), Raaeq (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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