Latest news with #YasudaKinen
UPI
10 hours ago
- Sport
- UPI
Coolmore, trainer Aiden O'Brien enjoyed Derby weekend at Epsom
Jantar Mantar cruises to victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse, earning a "Win and You're In" spot in the Breeders' Cup Mile in November. Photo by and courtesy of Masakazu Takahashi June 9 (UPI) -- While American fans and punters were focused on a stakes-filled weekend at Saratoga, much of the rest of the world had eyes on Epsom Downs in England this past weekend, where the Irish Coolmore "lads" and trainer Aidan O'Brien carried all before them. Jantar Mantar grabbed the mantle of leading Japanese miler with a smooth victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse, earning a spot in the Breeders' Cup Mile into the bargain. England The weekend couldn't have gone much better for the Coolmore squad at Epsom, as Aidan O'Brien notched his 11th Derby victory Saturday after posting a 1-2 finish in the Betfred Oaks and a win in the Group 1 Coronation Cup on Friday. Admittedly, the Derby triumph came with a horse most would have regarded antepost as no better than second-best of three O'Brien runners. But it only matters what goes on the board after the race, and that was the name Lambourn, who led virtually every step of the 1 1/2 miles and held on stubbornly for jockey Wayne Lordan to win by 3 3/4 lengths over Lazy Griff. Coolmore's main chance and the race favorite, Delacroix, had trouble early in the race and lost position. Jockey Ryan Moore said that essentially eliminated him from any chance and he got home ninth, passing some tired rivals. The outfit's third runner, The Lion In Winter, reported 14th, tiring late. Lambourn is a son of 2024 Derby winner Australia, who in turn was sired by 2001 Derby winner Galileo. O'Brien said Lambourne's performance was not unexpected in the Ballydoyle yard. "Wayne rides him in all his work and, after his last piece, he told me he's absolutely there," O'Brien said, according to Racing Post. "He knew exactly what this horse was and what he was capable of doing and the word in our place was that Wayne wanted to ride the filly [Oaks runner-up Whirl] and him." "He's a Derby winner by a Derby winner by a Derby winner. It's pretty extraordinary," Coolmore's M V Magnier said. "I don't want to sound like a broken record, but that's how we win a Derby -- by breeding precocious horses that are quick enough to do it." Lordan and Coolmore filly Whirl almost pulled off a similar feat a day earlier in the Oaks, leading until the final strides before yielding to the better-fancied stable companion Minnie Hauk by a mere neck. That pair handed a first career defeat to the favorite, Desert Flower, winner of the Betfred 1000 Guineas among her five previous victories. The Godolphin filly never looked comfortable while stretching out to the 1 1/2 miles. She flattened out when asked by William Buick and was third, 4 lengths adrift of Whirl, at the finish. Minnie Hauk, a Frankel filly, was making her fourth start and first since winning the Cheshire Oaks at Chester on May 7. "Ryan gave her a beautiful ride and she's a very exciting filly, Racing Post quoted O'Brien as saying. "She's obviously learning and she's going to improve with racing." While O'Brien might have been comfortable watching the final furlong of the Oaks with a 1-2 finish seemingly in bag, he would have been less so in the late stages of the Coronation Cup. In that, Moore got Jan Brueghel to the front right about at the 2-furlong marker only to see Mickael Barzalona urge the favorite, Calandagan, up on his outside. The two were on even terms with a furlong to go, with neither yielding until Jan Brueghel inched clear in the final strides to win by 1/2 length. The 4-year-old Galileo colt now has won four of five starts and finished second in the other. "He stays the trip very well, he's an uncomplicated horse," Moore said on ITV Racing. "Aidan had him, as he always does, in unbelievable shape. He showed a great attitude." Japan His connections have yet to figure out why Jantar Mantar finished 13th in last December's Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile -- by far his worst-ever performance. But they likely care less about what happened six months earlier after the 4-year-old cruised to a trouble-free win in Sunday's Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse -- his third top-level victory. The Palace Malice colt, with Yuga Kawada up, took command while cresting the stretch hill and reported 1 1/2 lengths ahead of runner-up Gaia Force. The favorite, Soul Rush, last seen winning the Group 1 Dubai Turf over Romantic Warrior, settled for third. Jantar Mantar earned a "Win and You're In" spot in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar. Soul Rush already owns a ticket to that heat, thanks to the Dubai win. After a clean break from the middle of the 18-horse field, Kawada held an eager Jantar Mantar in check just behind the early leaders, while sticking to a path well off the inside rail. Turning into the stretch, he let the colt run, and he responded to grab the lead and finished with enthusiasm. Kawada said the race, from his perspective, wasn't as easy as it as Jantar Mantar was keen after his six-month vacation after Hong Kong. "The colt broke well and was in a good position in third to start," Kawada said. "But then he got a little over-excited as horses came from behind, so I got a little worried. The colt just barely managed to contain himself as much as he could after that." The son of Palace Malice won the Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity at age 2 and the NHK Mile Cup last season. "I knew he would become a potential miler when he won the Asahi Hai as a 2-year-old and was certain he was the best miler in Japan when taking the NHK Mile Cup title," the jockey said. Today, he's justified his talent, so I'm happy for that."
Japan Forward
2 days ago
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Jantar Mantar Wins the 75th Yasuda Kinen by a Comfortable Margin
With the victory at Tokyo Racecourse, the Palace Malice progeny became the first horse to win the NHK Mile Cup and the Yasuda Kinen. Yuga Kawada guides Jantar Mantar to victory in the 75th Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse on June 8, 2025. (©SANKEI) Second favorite Jantar Mantar claimed his third G1 title in the 75th running of the Yasuda Kinen, his first outing of 2025, on Sunday, June 8 at Tokyo Racecourse. In 2023, the son of Palace Malice won all three starts in his 2-year-old season, including the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes (G2, 1,600 meters) and the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1, 1,600 meters) to become the season's Best Two-Year-Old Colt. With Sunday's win, Jantar Mantar became the first NHK Mile Cup winner (May 2024) to claim the prestigious mile Yasuda Kinen. Trainer Tomokazu Takano registered his ninth Japan Racing Association G1 title following his 2024 Queen Elizabeth II Cup with Stunning Rose. Jockey Yuga Kawada scored his 29th G1 victory. It was his fourth Yasuda Kinen title following previous wins aboard Maurice in 2015, Satono Aladdin in 2017 and Danon Kingly in 2021. Jantar Mantar closes in on a victory in the Yasuda Kinen. (©SANKEI) Jantar Mantar was quick out of the gate and raced in a prominent position around third behind Mad Cool (Ryusei Sakai's ride). Keeping the keen Palace Malice colt in control while choosing the better part of the track off the rails and asking his mount to stay patient entering the stretch, Kawada gave Jantar Mantar the green light after the 400-meter pole. The 4-year-old responded with good speed to take command just before the 100-meter marker. And he pulled away to win by a comfortable 1½-length margin over Gaia Force. ( Watch the race on the JRA's YouTube channel. ) Winning jockey Yuga Kawada (©SANKEI) "The colt broke well and was in a good position in third to start. But then [he] got a little overexcited as horses came from behind so I got a little worried," Kawada said after the race. He then said, "The colt just barely managed to contain himself as much as he could after that, and I was still in doubt as to how he would respond at the stretch. But, considering the circumstances, he really put in a good performance in the end and really exceeded my expectations as to how strong he is." The 75th running of the Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse. (©SANKEI) Gaia Force (Seinosuke Yoshimura) raced in mid-division between rivals after a smooth break and edged forward approaching the final turn as Soul Rush (Suguru Hamanaka) passed him on the outside. After a brief struggle to find space to angle out early in the stretch, the 6-year-old son of Kitasan Black unleashed an impressive turn of foot that timed the second-fastest finish (tying with Soul Rush and Water Licht) soon after the furlong pole. Gaia Force overtook several rivals, including the race favorite, to outduel that foe by a neck for second while unable to match the winner. Race favorite Soul Rush was unhurried after a good break, sat in mid-field around 11th and made headway approaching the final corner. He was in good position for a clear run on the outside for the stretch run. But Hamanaka's ride was unable to pick up speed early enough while quickening in the final 100 meters. As a result, Soul Rush finished a neck's length behind the runner-up. Fourth favorite Brede Weg (Keita Tosaki) and 11th favorite Win Marvel (Kohei Matsuyama) placed fourth and fifth, respectively. The Takarazuka Kinen is the JRA's next G1 race on Sunday, June 15 at Hanshin Racecourse. Read the full report , including details on each of the Yasuda Kinen entrants, on JRA News. Author: JRA News
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Soul Rush back at the races for the first time since humbling Romantic Warrior
Soul Rush (outside) pips Romantic Warrior in the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m) at Meydan in April. Photo: Kenneth Chan Two months after humbling Romantic Warrior in the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m), Soul Rush headlines the 75th running of the Group One Yasuda Kinen (1,600m) at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday, contesting the prestigious contest for the fourth time. Third behind Romantic Warrior in last year's Yasuda Kinen, Soul Rush has posted two wins, two seconds and a third from his past five races and looks like he is improving with age. The seven-year-old son of Rulership will be ridden by Suguru Hamanaka. The 36-year-old jockey breezed the horse over 1,200m on May 29 in a time of 1 minute 21.5 seconds with a final 200m of 10.5 seconds. On June 4, under a trainer's assistant, Soul Rush worked solo up the Ritto hill course over 800m, switching gears to extend powerfully over the final 200m. His overall time over the slightly heavy going was 52.3 seconds with a final 200m of 11.8 seconds. 'He was pretty much ready last week,' trainer Yasutoshi Ikee said. 'So, I figured working alone up the hill this week was sufficient. His movement was good and it looks like he's in about the same condition as he has been for his races up to now.' Oh, my .... 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 dramatically lowers the colours of 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑 in the @DPWorldUAE Dubai Turf! 🇯🇵#DWC25 | @emirates — Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) April 5, 2025 Ikee, who won the Yasuda Kinen with Satono Aladdin in 2017, added: 'I really want him to win over the Tokyo 1,600m, which would help spur on his career at stud. He's in excellent shape – nowhere is he coming up short.' Seen as one of Soul Rush's biggest rivals is Jantar Mantar, a two-time Group One winner over 1,600m with victories in the 2023 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes for two-year-olds and the 2024 NHK Mile Cup for three-year-olds. Like runner-up Soul Rush, he contested the 2024 Group One Hong Kong Mile and, with added traffic problems in the stretch, finished 13th of 14 runners behind Voyage Bubble. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. On June 4, under an assistant to trainer Tomokazu Takano, Jantar Mantar clocked 11.7 seconds over the final furlong of his work. 'He looked fantastic and he used his body extremely efficiently,' Takano said. 'He has proven himself over the Tokyo 1,600m and it's a venue where he can run with confidence. No Golden Sixty this year! 😏 Second in the 2023 renewal, Voyage Bubble takes the @LONGINES Hong Kong Mile with @mcacajamez for Ricky Yiu! #HKIR | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) December 8, 2024 'There was too much time off before he went to Hong Kong and I've been putting the pressure on myself to help him get the results he deserves.' Three-time Group Two winner Sixpence returns from a seventh-placed finish in the Group One Osaka Hai (2,000m) under Takeshi Yokoyama. With all of the colt's five victories coming over 1,600m and 1,800m, the Osaka Hai proved a stretch at 2,000m and a return to 1,600m bodes well. The Kizuna colt looked in excellent condition in trackwork on May 28 working under Christophe Lemaire and, in final work on June 4, he worked with another horse on the flat. 'His movement was good,' trainer Sakae Kunieda said. 'He was in good shape for his last race too but he wasn't able to keep something in reserve for the finish. Lemaire knows this horse very well and they work well together.' Lemaire has ridden four of Sixpence's five career wins.
