Japan: Cavallerizzo surges from far back to take Asahi Hai Futurity
Cavallerizzo closed from ninth in a field of 14 to reach the front in the final strides of Sunday’s Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity for 2-year-olds at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan.
Ridden by Cristian Demuro, Cavallerizzo (who paid $9 in American pools) caught 6-1 Diamond Knot late to win the one-mile turf race by three-quarters of a length. Admire Quads, who won his first two starts and was the 2-1 favorite, rallied wide through the final half-mile but could not threaten the first two finishers, losing by 1 3/4 lengths.
Ecoro Alba and Realize Sirius, who won their first two starts, including graded stakes in their second appearances, finished fourth and fifth.
Demuro had Cavellerizzo in ninth with a half-mile remaining and closed along the inside.
“When I asked my horse to go inside, he had a good reaction, a good turn of foot,” Demuro told Japan Racing Association publicity. “My horse was very strong at the end.”
Cavellerizzo, a colt by Saturnalia, has won 2 of 3 starts for owner Silk Racing Co., Ltd., and trainer Tatsuya Yoshioka.
Cavellerizzo won a one-mile race for first-time starters at Chukyo Racecourse on Aug. 31, and was second by a head behind Admire Quads in the Grade 2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes at a mile at Kyoto Racecourse on Nov. 15.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.