Gran Alegria's upset in Japan another feather in cap of her dam, Tapitsfly

Tapitsfly didn’t need to take her track with her, competing successfully around the United States during an accomplished career. Her first foal, Gran Alegria, has taken Tapitsfly’s success in the breeding shed global.

Already a Japanese champion, Gran Alegria won Sunday’s Group 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse, upsetting Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye.

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Tapitsfly, trained by Dale Romans for Frank Jones Jr., earned more than $1.4 million, racing at ages 2, 4, and 5. Although she won the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita, her best season came as a 5-year-old in 2012, as she won the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes at Belmont and Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland, as well as the Grade 2 Honey Fox at Gulfstream. In total, Tapitsfly won or placed in 12 stakes at six different tracks.

Tapitsfly, a daughter of Tapit, was sold for $1.85 million to Katsumi Yoshida as a broodmare prospect out of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale.

Gran Alegria is by late leading Japanese sire Deep Impact. Gran Alegria won last year’s Japanese 1000 Guineas to earn her championship. Meanwhile, Tapitsfly’s only other foal to start, Blutgang, also by Deep Impact, won his lone start, which came as a juvenile last year.