Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: Nov. 30 & Dec. 1, 2019 – Thoroughbred Daily News

By Alan Carasso

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses, including the priciest first-crop juvenile by WinStar freshman sire Carpe Diem:

Saturday, November 30, 2019
6th-NKY, ¥13,400,000 ($122k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
MR SAND (c, 2, Tapit–Smart Surprise, by Smart Strike), a $400K Keeneland September yearling, is the latest foal from his Grade III-winning dam, whose MGSW daughter Moonlit Promise (Malibu Moon) is the reigning Sovereign Award-winning female sprinter. Smart Surprise, who RNAd for $2.25 million carrying this foal in utero at Fasig-Tipton November in 2016, is a half-sister to MGISW Court Vision (Gulch)–sire of GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile hero Storm the Court–while third dam Weekend Surprise (Secretariat) produced the likes of living legend A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew) and fellow Classic winner Summer Squall (Storm Bird). B-Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings Inc (KY)

Sunday, December 1, 2019
1st-CKO, ¥9,550,000 ($87k), Maiden, 2yo, 1800m
PRIMEVERE (f, 2, Pioneerof the Nile-R Heat Lightning, by Trippi) finished well down the field in a 1200-meter turf test on July debut at Hakodate, but is a candidate to improve with a surface switch and stretch-out in distance here. The $375K KEESEP acquisition is out of the 2010 GI Spinaway S. winner and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up who is already responsible for Aster Pegasus (Giant’s Causeway), a Group 3 winner on turf in Japan. Stonestreet acquired R Heat Lighting for $1.3m in foal to Bernardini at KEENOV in 2013. B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY)

4th-CKO, ¥9,550,000 ($87k), Maiden, 2yo, 1200mT
SEIUN HUGE (c, 2, Competitive Edge-Daydawn {Ire}, by Hawk Wing) took action at 37-10 for his Nov. 17 debut at Kyoto and made the majority of the running before being caught late (see below, gate 7). A $28K KEESEP yearling, the Mar. 28 foal breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 flat and was hammered for $100K at OBS March. Seiun Huge hails from the family of El Gran Senor and will be ridden once again by leading jockey Christophe Lemaire. B-Pope McLean (KY)

5th-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($122k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400mT
ARANCIA AMIGO (c, 2, Carpe Diem–Brampton, by Smart Strike) fetched $75K as a KEESEP yearling last fall, but became the most expensive of his freshman sire (by Giant’s Causeway)’s 30 first-crop juveniles to sell this year when Katsumi Yoshida paid $650K for the Cary Frommer-consignee at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale (:10 1/5, see below). Descending from the Joe Shields, Jr. family of Wagon Limit, Arancia Amigo has lured Ryan Moore for the debut. B-Foxpointe Thoroughbreds (KY)

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