Promising Juveniles to Contest Hopeful at Nakayama

The Hopeful Stakes (G1) for 2-year-olds, a race that has led to future glory, rounds out the Japan Racing Association's top-level season for 2018 at Nakayama Racecourse Dec. 28.

Past Hopeful winners include Victoire Pisa in 2009 and Rey de Oro in 2016. Victoire Pisa went on to win the Arima Kinen (G1) in 2010 and the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) in 2011. Rey de Oro won the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) and this year won the Tenno Sho Autumn (G1) in October and finished second in the Arima Kinen Dec. 23.

This year's field includes the likes of Saturnalia, a half brother to Epiphaneia. The latter won the Hopeful, then known as the Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes (G3) and run at Hanshin, in 2012 and progressed to victory in the Japan Cup (G1) two seasons later. Saturnalia is by Lord Kanaloa and both he and Epiphaneia were produced by Cesario, a daughter of Special Week, by Sunday Silence.

"He's just a 2-year-old, so a little playful," said Yasuyuki Tsujino, assistant to trainer Kazuya Nakatake. "In recent work, the woodchip course was a little heavy, but it didn't matter at all, and he ran very well. He gets his power from his hindquarters and seems different to other horses."

Nakatake also is expected to saddle Breaking Dawn, a colt by the aforementioned Victoire Pisa. Breaking Dawn won at first asking at Hanshin over 1,800 meters (1 1/8 miles) in June, and then finished second in the grade 3 Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nisai Stakes over 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in November.

Admire Justa, a Just a Way colt, finished second on debut June 14, behind Breaking Dawn, and advanced to win his next two starts. The latest victory at Kyoto Racecourse was over the same 2,000-meter (1 1/4 mile) trip as the Hopeful. Christophe Lemaire, Japan's top jockey by a wide margin, retains the mount. Admire Justa brought just more than US$1.37 million (151,200,000 yen) at the 2016 Select Sale.

Among the other hopefuls in the Hopeful:

Mikki Black, a Black Tide colt, is 2-for-3 with one of the wins over the course and distance. Nishino Daisy, by Harbinger, comes to the Hopeful with a pair of grade 3 victories to his credit. Vin de Garde won his first start, then finished third to Nishino Daisy in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G3). By Deep Impact, Vin de Garde is trained by Hideaki Fujiwara and jockey Cristian Demuro will sport the colors of Shadai Race Horse Co.--connections not to be ignored in a big race.

The Hopeful is contested right-handed on the inner turf course at the sprawling Nakayama facility with a purse of 152.2 million yen (about US$1.384 million). The 2,000 meters sets it apart from the earlier top-level juvenile races, run at one mile.