Rosacea, Welwal, and Junko won prep races for French Classics on Sunday at ParisLongchamp.
Rosacea, the most impressive of the three horses, captured the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte for fillies over one mile. Welwal was triumphant in the one-mile Prix de Fontainebleau over one mile for colts and geldings, while odds-on Junko had to work hard prevailing by a narrow margin in the Prix Noailles over 1 5/16-miles, the distance of the Prix du Jockey Club, France’s derby.
Geoglyph, beaten in his first two appearances in graded stakes, recorded an 11-1 upset in Sunday’s Grade 1 Japanese 2000 Guineas at 1 1/4 miles at Nakayama Racecourse, the first race in the country’s Triple Crown.
Ridden by Yuichi Fukunaga, Geoglyph closed from the middle of a field of 18 to win the $2.53 million Japanese 2000 Guineas by a length over 4-1 Equinox. Trainer Tatsuya Kimura swept the exacta. Do Deuce, the 2021 champion 2-year-old male in Japan, finished third, beaten 2 1/4 lengths.
The four-time winner Nikau Spur is well-placed to add to his resume in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Australia on Monday.
Trained by the powerful team of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Nikau Spur finished a fast-closing third in a handicap at 6 1/4 furlongs at Canterbury Park on March 30, losing by a little more than 1 1/4 lengths in his first start since September.
Ask Victor More has had a flashy start to his 3-year-old campaign in Japan in recent months.
After winning an allowance race at 1 1/4 miles at Nakayama Racecourse on Jan. 5, Ask Victor More beat 2021 champion 2-year-old male Do Deuce by a neck when they were first and second in the Grade 2 Deep Impact Kinen at 1 1/4 miles at Nakayama on March 6.
The Australian gelding Lorente appears to be rounding into form at an ideal time in advance of Sunday’s Stawell Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Stawell Racecourse.
The distance is one that suits Lorente, who has won 4 of 12 starts, including two races at 1 1/4 miles.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Lorente has started three times at increasingly longer distances this year. On March 16 at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, Lorente was third by 1 3/4 lengths in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles.
Three-year-old races in England and France over the past week offered clues for spring Classics in both countries, while the hard-knocking French gelding Skaletti got back in the win column Sunday.
In England, Godolphin’s Native Trail ran his career record to five wins from five starts while remaining the antepost favorite for the 2000 Guineas on April 30 with a dominant April 13 victory in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket.
Andrew Le Jeune:
R1: 2-10-3-1
R2: 11-7-3-8
R3: 13-2-3-8
R4: 3-10-2-5
R5: 7-2-5-4
R6: 4-1-6-2
R7: 1-2-10-6
R8: 7-9-12-1
R9: 1-4-7-9
R10: 13-3-1-5
Best: R5 #7 Right As Rain
Each/way: R10 #13 Emerging
Play: Q/QP R10 1-3-13
Paul Lally:
R1 2-9-10-3
R2 7-11-8-1
R3 8-1-13-6
R4 2-3-10-5
R5 10-9-2-7
R6 4-1-6-10
R7 1-2-6-10
R8 6-9-4-8
R9 4-1-7-2
R10 3-1-2-4
A sleepy Saturday card at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong is a mere warm-up for next weekend’s major racing card.
The Group 1, $3.19 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup over 2,000 meters, the Group 1, $2.55 million Champions Mile, and the Group 1, $2.55 million Champions Sprint headline racing on April 24 at Sha Tin. The program will unfortunately be diminished by a lack of international shippers owing to the difficult COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong.
Fireburn has scorched her way through the Australian 2-year-old division in recent months with stretch runs that have led to wins in three consecutive group races.
Saturday at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Fireburn can become the first horse to win the 2-year-old Triple Crown in a decade when she starts as an odds-on favorite in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes at a mile.
