Do Deuce Remains Unbeaten With Asahi Hai Futurity Win

Six 2-year-olds entered the Asahi Hai Futurity (G1) Dec. 19 with unblemished records but only Do Deuce emerged with his mark intact.

With Yutaka Take riding, the Heart's Cry  colt got by the favorite, Serifos, another of the previously unbeaten, in the final 100 meters to win the Futurity by a half-length. Danon Scorpion suffered his first defeat despite a good late bid that got him up for third.

The disappointment, at least for his owner, was Dobune. Intranet entrepreneur Susumu Fujita, a relatively new but enthusiastic owner, paid ¥517.1 million (about US$4.55 million) for the Deep Impact  colt at the Chiba 2-Year-Old Sale earlier this year.

He, too, came into the Futurity at Hanshin Racecourse with two wins against no losses but could only manage a seventh-place finish, passing a few tiring rivals in the stretch.

Among the other previously unbeaten juveniles, Geoglyph finished fifth and Sprit the Sea, the only filly in the field, reported 10th while making her second start.

Do Deuce, out of the Vindication  mare Dust and Diamonds , took station in the second half of the field during the run down the backstretch in the 1,600-meter (about one-mile) Futurity. Entering the sweeping turn on the outer turf course, Yutake took the overland route, swinging out to the middle of the lane to launch his bid.

Serifos, a Daiwa Major  colt with Cristian Demuro riding, emerged to take the lead with 100 meters to run but couldn't withstand the late rush of the winner while holding second.

"Do Deuce is an honest colt," Take said. "We were able to run in a good position and in good rhythm while observing the others. He responded well going into the straight and although the favorite was stubborn and hard to beat, he dug in remarkably all the way to the line."

The Futurity in recent years has been a springboard to important races both at a mile and farther. Salios won the 2019 Futurity and went on to finish second in both the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) the following year. Admire Mars, the 2018 hero, won the NHK Mile Cup (G1) and the Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1) in 2019.

Yutaka indicated Do Deuce, bred by Northern Farm and racing for Kieffers Co., could follow in those hoofprints with longer distances an option.

"He's getting stronger by every race," the popular jockey said. "We can look forward to the spring classics next year."

Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi said before the race he does not see distance as an issue for Do Deuce, a grandson of Sunday Silence  and, on the bottom of his pedigree, a great-grandson of Seattle Slew .

"He could perhaps do with further distance in the race," Tomomichi said, noting his two earlier wins came at 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles). "But the 1,600 meters at Hanshin should suit him."

Although his connections see Do Deuce as a candidate to move along to the longer classics of 2022, 2-year-olds already primed for those distances get their last chance of 2021 in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) on Dec. 28. That's at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) over the Nakayama turf.

The last three runnings of the Hopeful were won by Danon the Kid, third in last month's Mile Championship (G1); recently retired 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail; and Saturnalia , winner of the 2019 Satsuki Sho.