Grenadier Guards Third in Breeders' Cup Mile Prep

Frankel 's group 1-winning son Grenadier Guards could manage only third Sept. 12 as the favorite for the Keisei Hai Autumn Handicap (G3) at Nakayama Racecourse.

The mile race on turf for 4-year-olds and up went to Catedral trained by Manabu Ikezoe and ridden by Keita Tosaki, who was settled in midfield before emerging from the pack coming into the home straight.

He caught the leader Contra Check, who was carrying the same Carrot Farm colors, in the last stride to register a first graded stakes win by a neck.

For Catedral, by Heart's Cry  and out of Rock of Gibraltar mare Abyla, this was a fourth win on his 19th career start.

Grenadier Guards finished fast down the outside in the 16-runner race and was a further half-length back in third.

The connections of Grenadier Guards had seen this race as a prep for the Nov. 6 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T), and jockey Yuga Kawada, who will also ride him at Del Mar, said: "He was very calm this week and came into the race in the same mood.

"A better result would have been nice, but this was not the main goal. He has a little bit of a difficult personality, so we will have to train him a different way before the next race."

Grenadier Guards, the victor of last year's Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1), is winless in three starts this year. Prior to the Autumn Handicap, he was third in the NHK Mile Cup (G1) and the Chunichi Sports Sho Falcon Stakes (G3).

Also on the Breeders' Cup beat, Carrot Farm announced that their stakes-winning mare Marche Lorraine would challenge for the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), with Kawada also in line for the mount.

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi plans to bring the 5-year-old by Orfevre , out of French Deputy mare Vite Marcher, to concert pitch for what will be a tough assignment in California.

The DMM Banusy, meanwhile, revealed that their Loves Only You , trained by Yoshito Yahagi, will be targeted at either the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) or the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T). Kawada is set to ride. She will be sent to the United States Oct. 27.

The Deep Impact  5-year-old, out of Storm Cat's daughter Loves Only Me, was ridden by Kawada for the first time in this year's Kyoto Kinen (G2) in February, which she won, and after she raced overseas twice—finishing third in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) before landing the May 25 FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) in Hong Kong—he partnered her for the second time when runner-up to Sodashi in the Sapporo Kinen (G2).