Preakness Contender France Go de Ina Arrives at Pimlico

Image: 
Description: 

Photo: Dubai Racing Club/Neville Hopwood
France Go de Ina trains March 23 at Meydan

France Go de Ina arrived May 8 at Pimlico Race Course to prepare for the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1).

Yuji Inaida's Kentucky-bred colt, based in Japan with trainer Hideyuki Mori, will become the first horse from Japan to compete in the Preakness since Lani  in 2016 and the first Japanese-trained horse to compete in a Triple Crown race since Master Fencer  ran in the 2019 Belmont Stakes (G1).

A chestnut colt by Will Take Charge  , France Go de Ina arrived in California May 5 to quarantine. The colt left California Saturday afternoon and made a stop in Newark, N.J. before arriving in Baltimore and Pimlico at approximately 7:45 p.m. ET.

After finishing fourth in his debut, France Go De Ina won two consecutive races at Hanshin Racecourse to end his 2-year-old season. In his only start this year, he finished sixth in Dubai in the UAE Derby Sponsored by Emirates NBD (G2) after an awkward start. Joel Rosario has the call in the Preakness.

According to Kate Hunter, Triple Crown representative for the Japan Racing Association, France Go de Ina is expected to go to the track Monday.

Betz, Kidder, B & K Canetti & Jim Betz bred France Go de Ina out of the Curlin   mare Dreamy Blues . He was a $100,000 purchase by his trainer from Betz Thoroughbreds' consignment to the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.