Hong Kong duo, Contentment and Beauty Only, arrive safely for Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen

Contentment

Beauty Only

Contentment and Beauty Only, the one-two finishers of the Grade 1 Champions Mile held earlier this month at Sha Tin and the two foreign contenders in this year's Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen, arrived safely at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture early Tuesday morning. The pair were then transported to the quarantine facilities at the JRA Horseracing School Quarantine Center, where they arrived at 09:40 a.m., completing about a ten-hour journey from their home base at Sha Tin.

“Drawing on last year's experience, he looks this time to be in better condition upon arrival than he had been last year,” said Sing Hon Pang, assistant trainer to John Size, of Contentment. “The trainer has instructed me to carry on training the same as we would do back home. We plan to give him a fast gallop on Friday (May 26).”

“It's his first overseas trip and he does seem a bit nervous, but after a few days I think he'll get used to things,” said Wai Kit Mo, assistant trainer to Anthony Cruz, of Beauty Only. “While we're in quarantine, the trainer gave us instructions to keep the horse nice and relaxed. While we're at the horseracing school, the plan is for him to have a fast gallop on Thursday. (May 25).”

In the Champions Mile, Contentment held off Beauty Only by a neck to clinch his first win since winning the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) in February 2016. A 7-year-old gelding by Hussonet out of the Commands mare Jemison, Contentment has an overall record of 10 wins from 29 starts (with four seconds and two thirds) and will look to avenge his 12th place finish in the Yasuda Kinen last year. Trainer John Size is no stranger to JRA racing, having raced Contentment in last year's Yasuda Kinen as well as Glorious Days in the Yasuda Kinen for three consecutive years from 2012, but has yet to find the winner's circle on Japanese soil.

This will be the first trip to Japan for the 6-year-old Beauty Only, which defeated the Japanese trio of Neorealism, Logotype and Satono Aladdin to win the Grade 1 Hong Kong Mile last December. Consistency has been the key for the Holy Roman Emperor-sired gelding, with an overall record of 10 wins from 32 starts and not missing the board since finishing eighth in the Hong Kong Cup in December 2015. His trainer, Anthony Cruz, is the last Hong Kong trainer to take the Yasuda Kinen title, winning with Bullish Luck in 2006.

The Hong Kong duo will not have to challenge the overwhelming champion in Maurice this time, however, will have a testing field of Japanese local runners. Among the nominated horses for the Yasuda Kinen field are last year's winner of the race Logotype, as well as the fourth-place finisher Satono Aladdin and fifth-place Isla Bonita. Last year's Sprinters Stakes winner Red Falx, fresh off a win in the Grade 2 Keio Hai Spring Cup, is also among the nominated horses for the Yasuda Kinen.

The Yasuda Kinen will be run on Sunday, June 4 at Tokyo Racecourse, with a scheduled post time of 15:40 local time.