Copana Richard, a 4-year-old colt by Daiwa Major, won his first Grade 1 race and his fourth career graded stakes in Sunday’s $1,935,357 Takamatsunomiya Kinen for sprinters at Chukyo Racecourse in Nagoya, Japan.
Ridden by Mirco Demuro, Copana Richard closed from fourth in a field of 18 to win the six-furlong turf race by three lengths over 18-1 Snow Dragon. Straight Girl, a 5-year-old mare and the 8-5 favorite, finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Snow Dragon.
Gentildonna, the Japanese mare who finished second in the 2013 Sheema Classic, was extricated from stretch traffic in the nick of time by jockey Ryan Moore and beat 2012 Sheema winner Cirrus des Aigles by 1 1/2 lengths in the $5 million Sheema Classic on Saturday night at Meydan Racecourse.
Gentildonna’s victory came one race after another Japanese horse, Just A Way, easily won the $5 million Dubai Duty Free, giving the Japanese a sweep of the major turf races on the card. Just A Way had beaten Gentildonna by four lengths last fall in the Tenno Sho at Tokyo Racecourse.
African Story, fifth in the 2013 Dubai World Cup and winless for more than a year, won his first Group 1 race with a career-best performance in Saturday’s $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.
The 7-year-old gelding was the beneficiary of a patient ride from jockey Silvestre de Sousa to win the world’s richest race by 2 3/4 lengths.
Six months and three starts ago, the Japanese-bred and campaigned 5-year-old horse Just A Way was a two-time winner whose peak success had come at the Group 3 level. But something transformed the horse last fall, and on Saturday night at Meydan Racecourse, he delivered a dazzling performance in the $5 million Dubai Duty Free.
Sterling City closed from off the pace to catch Rich Tapestry in the final strides in Saturday’s $2 million Golden Shaheen, giving Hong Kong-based runners a sweep of the first two positions in the valuable sprint at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.
Sterling City was ridden by Joao Moreira, who also won the Al Quoz Sprint earlier on the program with Hong Kong’s Amber Sky. While Amber Sky led throughout, Sterling City, the 9-4 favorite, was the third horse to lead in the stretch of the Group 1 Golden Shaheen, run over six furlongs.
Toast of New York, whose previous claim to fame was a romping $6,400 allowance-race win Nov. 1 over the synthetic surface at Wolverhampton in England, crushed 11 rivals in the UAE Derby on Saturday night in Dubai, winning by 2 1/2 lengths over Asmar.
Toast of New York had earned $8,115 coming into the UAE Derby, but took home the winner’s share of a $2 million purse for his owner, Michael Buckley.
Amber Sky, a Group 1 winner in Hong Kong in January, proved his status as a world-class turf sprinter with an impressive win in Saturday’s $1 million Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan.
Ridden by Joao Moreira, Amber Sky led throughout the five-furlong turf race and held off threats from Ahtoug and the 6-5 favorite Shea Shea in the final yards. Amber Sky, the 5-2 second choice, was timed in 56.21 seconds.
Amber Sky won by a neck over Ahtoug, who finished a head in front of Shea Shea.
[bc_video_id:319782:]Certerach won the $1 million Dubai Gold Cup on Saturday at Meydan Racecourse in a race that had as much drama after it had ended as it did during the running.
Certerach, under Jamie Spencer, was leading in the homestretch of the two-mile Gold Cup when he lugged toward the inside rail, crossing in front of several chasing rivals. Among them was Godolphin’s favored Cavalryman, who had to switch out for running room, came charging at Certerach, and missed catching him by a neck.
[bc_video_id:319774:]South African export Soft Falling Rain failed to repeat his 2013 win in the $1 million Godolphin Mile, falling a length short of another South African export, Variety Club, in a sharp renewal Saturday at Meydan Racecourse of the one-mile race over Tapeta.
The 5-year-old Japanese mare Straight Girl is in the best form of her career, having won six of her last seven starts. Sunday, Straight Girl will be favored to win her first Grade 1 race in the $1,935,357 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo Racecourse in Nagoya, Japan. The Takamatsunomiya Kinen is run over six furlongs on turf on a left-handed track.
