Frankel’s ‘Ascot’ Gains BC Berth

[Wandering Eyes]

Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) became the third Group 1 winner for his Juddmonte sire with a late lunge in the G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo on Sunday, a “Win And You’re In” for the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs this November. The Capital System’s colourbearer is the second Japanese Group 1 winner for Frankel after Soul Stirring (Jpn) and tied the race record of 1:31.3 set by Strong Return (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S) in 2012. The margin was only a neck back to Aerolithe (Jpn) (Kurofune) in second, who had appeared a sure winner until the final few strides, with Suave Richard (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) 3/4 of a length behind in third. The top three finishers are eligible to start in the Aug. 12 G1 Prix Jacques le Marois over 1600 metres with their entry fees waived and a travel allowance provided.

One of three Yoshito Yahagi-trained runners after Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) and Real Steel (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the 15-1 shot settled in between horses in 11th, as Win Gagnant (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) showed the way through splits of :23 flat and :45.50. The field fanned out at the top of the lane, but Mozu Ascot remained in tight quarters, as Aerolithe set out to challenge Win Gagnant at the 400-metre pole. The grey filly took over 200 metres from home, but Mozu Ascot was letting down powerfully in between horses, as was favoured Suave Richard to his immediate outside. Given some right-handed encouragement from Christophe Lemaire, the chestnut found that little bit extra to nab Aerolithe in the shadow fo the wire.

“The only thing I wanted to do was to have my horse relaxed and to follow a good horse in the straight,” said Lemaire, who was winning his 17th Group 1 title. “I also didn’t plan whether to go inside or outside. As a result, the space became narrow and we were bumped and pushed towards the inside. I didn’t want him to lose his balance, so I waited for an opening and a good horse to follow, once I found a gap I asked for full power from the horse…he responded very well and kept on strongly to the finish line.”

It was trainer Yoshito Yahagi’s first Yasuda Kinen victory and fourth Japanese Group 1 title and he commented, “After so many misses [in second] in my previous attempts in this race, I am truly happy to have finally won this title. In a normal situation, we would gallop him on a Wednesday and again on the Sunday before the Yasuda, but my judgement was that he needed a stronger run [in the Azuchijo S. on May 27] and it ended up being the spot on decision. Of course, the recovery process in addition to the transport and such, it’s not an easy task, but it just proves how well my stable staff has handled everything–they’ve done a great job.”

Debuting less than a year ago on June 10 with a fourth in a Hanshin 3-year-old maiden, the $275,000 Keeneland September RNA yearling was off the mark two starts later at Chukyo in July and rattled off three more wins in succession culminating in a win going 1400 metres at Kyoto in the Togetsukyo S. on Nov. 26. Only fourth in the Dec. 23 G2 Hanshin Cup trying group company for the first time, Mozu Ascot rolled twos in his next three starts, in his 4-year-old bow in Hanshin’s G3 Hankyu Hai on Feb. 25, in the G2 Yomiuri Milers Cup on Apr. 22 and just seven days ago, in the Listed Azuchijo S. there.

Pedigree Notes…

Bred by Jane Lyon’s Summer Wind Farm and the fifth foal from his dam, whose biggest claim to fame during her racing career was a victory in the GII Fitz Dixon Cotillion Breeders’ Cup H., Mozu Ascot follows in the hoofsteps of his year-older Listed Jersey Girl S. winning half-sister Kareena (Medaglia d’Oro). India’s 3-year-old filly by Tapit, Secret Sigh, is unraced, while her yearling filly by Hard Spun has already been christened I Thee Wed. Frosted filly Silver Strand, who was born on May 4, is the latest produce of her dam, a half-sister to listed winner Pilfer (Deputy Minister). The latter is responsible for Grade I winners To Honor And Serve (Bernardini) and Angela Renee (Bernardini), as well as the SW and GI Donn H. third Elnaawi (Street Sense). Under the third dam is Canadian champion grass horse Rahy’s Attorney (Crown Attorney), who won the GI Woodbine Mile S., while fellow Grade I winner Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk) is nestled under the fourth dam, the MGSW Java Moon (Graustark).

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
YASUDA KINEN-G1, ¥214,980,000 (US$1,962,965/£1,470,584/€1,683,054), Tokyo, 6-3, 3yo/up, 1600mT, 1:31.30, fm.
1–MOZU ASCOT, 128, c, 4, Frankel (GB)
                1st Dam: India (MGSW-US, $630,859), by Hennessy
                2nd Dam: Misty Hour, by Miswak
                3rd Dam: Our Tina Marie, by Nijinsky II
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
($275,000 RNA Ylg ’15 KEESEP). O-Capital System; B-Summer
Wind Farm (KY); T-Yoshito Yahagi; J-Christophe Lemaire;
¥113,486,000. Lifetime Record: 11-5-3-0. *1/2 to Kareena
(Medaglia d’Oro), SW, $148,000. **3rd Group 1 winner for his
sire (by Galileo {Ire}). Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Aerolithe (Jpn), 123, f, 4, Kurofune–Asterix (Jpn), by Neo
Universe (Jpn). O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
¥44,996,000.
3–Suave Richard (Jpn), 128, c, 4, Heart’s Cry (Jpn)–Pirramimma,
by Unbridled’s  Song. (¥155,000,000 Wlg ’14 JRHAJUL).
O-NICKS Inc.; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥28,498,000.
Margins: NK, 3/4, HF; Odds: 14.70, 9.70, 1.80.
Also Ran: Satono Ares (Jpn), Sungrazer (Jpn), Persian Knight (Jpn), Win Gagnant (Jpn), Lys Gracieux (Jpn), Red Falx (Jpn), Western Express (Aus), Campbell Junior (Aus), Reine Minoru (Jpn), He’s in Love (Jpn), Dashing Blaze, Real Steel (Jpn), Black Moon (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post chart, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. JRA Video.

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