PDF(305kb)

Lauda Sion Becomes First G1 Winner for Sire Real Impact in NHK Mile Cup

Ninth favorite Lauda Sion landed his first career G1 title in this year’s NHK Mile Cup. The Real Impact colt won two out of three starts between 1,200 and 1,400 meters before finishing eighth in his first mile challenge in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1, 1,600m) as a two-year-old. He kicked off his three-year-old campaign with a win in the Crocus Stakes (Listed, 1,400m) and finished second in his last start, the Falcon Stakes (G3, 1,400m) in March. The NHK Mile Cup victory was the second JRA-G1 title for trainer Takashi Saito after his winning the Shuka Sho with Chrono Genesis last year. Jockey Mirco Demuro, who also won the same race last year with Admire Mars, scored his 32nd JRA-G1 victory with his latest G1 victory being only last month in the Osaka Hai with Lucky Lilac. Lauda Sion is among the first crop sired by Real Impact (JPN, by Deep Impact) and the first G1 winner produced by the 2011 Yasuda Kinen and 2015 George Ryder Stakes victor.

Lauda Sion, who had come off a runner-up effort in a 1,400-meter sprint in March, broke sharply and disputed the lead with Resistencia before Mirco Demuro eased the keen son of Real Impact back in second. Settling well while never more than half a length behind the race favorite and pressing the pace, Lauda Sion demonstrated his strength with perfect timing as Resistencia started to weaken in the last furlong and drew away with ease to win by a comfortable 1-1/2-length margin.

“I knew that the track today ran better for front runners, and considering that he’s usually an evenly-paced colt, I planned to keep him well up in front. He’s always quick out of the gate so we were able to secure a good position and I felt he had plenty to outrun Christophe’s filly in the final stages,” commented Mirco Demuro.

Race favorite Resistencia, six kilos less from her last start, broke smoothly from an inside draw and took command after a brief duel with Lauda Sion, maintained her lead halfway into the straight and dueled again with the eventual winner before giving way in the last furlong for second.

Other Horses:
4th: (2) Taisei Vision—saved ground around 3rd, dueled with Gilded Mirror in last 200m, nose short
5th: (14) Luftstrom—sat around 15th, failed to find clear path, switched to inside, accelerated in last 200m
6th: (5) Shine Garnet—raced around 8th, showed effort between horses, even paced in last 200m
7th: (18) Win Greatest—trailed in rear, angled out, showed fastest late kick, belatedly
8th: (9) Rhinebeck—settled wide around 8th, showed effort but never threatened
9th: (12) Bon Om Touk—ran 3-wide around 6th, ran willingly until 100m out, weakened thereafter
10th: (15) Soul Train—traveled 4-wide around 12th, struggled to find clear path, quickened in last 200m
11th: (7) Meisho Titan—settled around 10th, switched to outside 400m out, unable to reach contention
12th: (16) Stone Ridge—chased leaders around 3rd, ran gamely until 200m pole, dropped back
13th: (17) Satono Impresa—ran 2nd from rear, advanced after 3rd corner, checked at early stretch, never fired
14th: (8) Succession—sat 3-wide around 10th, checked at early stretch, failed to respond
15th: (4) Prince Return—tracked leaders around 3rd, met traffic 400m out, fell back
16th: (1) Shachi—was off slow, hugged rails around 12th, failed to find clear path at early stretch, showed little
17th: (10) Harmony Magellan—raced around 12th, found little room at early stretch, never a threat
18th: (13) Nishino Storm—traveled wide around 15th, checked at early stretch, no factor

THE 25TH NHK MILE CUP (G1)
3-year-olds, Colts & Fillies, 1,600 meters (about 8 furlongs), turf, left-handed
Sunday, May 10, 2020          Tokyo Racecourse          11th Race           Post Time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 226,800,000 (about US$ 2,100,000 <US$1=¥107>)
3-y-o: 57 kg (about 126 lbs), 2 kg allowance for Fillies, 2 kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2017
Course Record: 1:30.5         Race Record: 1:31.4 [Danon Chantilly (JPN, by Fuji Kiseki), 2010]
Safety factor: 18 runners     Going: Firm           Weather: Fine

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 14,001,917,000          Turnover for the Day: ¥ 23,007,262,700

Winner= 7 starts, 4 wins, 1 second, 1 third / Added money: ¥ 108,864,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 175,405,000

* NHK Mile Cup (G1)

While races in Japan for three-year-olds had been programmed mainly to facilitate those aiming towards the middle-long distance three-year-old Classics as typified by the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400m), the interest in speed races is growing both within and outside Japan, and earning much respect as the traditional Classics. In 1996, JRA reorganized its races in order to accommodate and promote the three-year-olds suited to short distances, and established the NHK Mile Cup which was named after its sponsor Nippon Hoso Kyokai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)—Japan’s only public broadcaster. The race was designated as an international race in 2009.
Past NHK Mile Cup winners include subsequent derby winners King Kamehameha (JPN, by Kingmambo; ’04) and Deep Sky (JPN, by Agnes Tachyon; ’08) while El Condor Pasa (USA, by Kingmambo; ’98) and Kurofune (USA, by French Deputy; ’01) won the Japan Cup (G1, 2,400m) and the Japan Cup Dirt (G1, dirt, 2,100m), respectively. Last year’s champion Admire Mars (JPN, by Daiwa Major) went on to claim his third G1 title in the Hong Kong Mile (G1, 1,600m) against strong older foes.
Key contenders coming off the two official NHK Mile Cup trials included Luftstrom and Win Greatest who were first and third, respectively, in the New Zealand Trophy (G2, 1,600m; Apr.11) while Taisei Vision, runner-up last year in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1, 1,600m), Gilded Mirror and Prince Return finished in the top three in that order in the Arlington Cup (G3, 1,600m; Apr.18).
JRA’s Best Two-Year-Old Filly of 2019 Resistencia came off a runner-up effort in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m; Apr.12) and opted to run against the boys in the mile G1 instead of stepping up in distance for the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m). Rhinebeck also chose to aim for his first G1 title at a mile instead of the Tokyo Yushun after finishing 15th in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, G1, 2,000m; Apr.19). Other key runners in the field included Shine Garnet and Lauda Sion, the top two finishers in the Falcon Stakes (G3, 1,400m; Mar.14); Succession, third-place finisher in the Spring Stakes (G2, 1,800m; Mar.22); and Satono Impresa, winner of the Mainichi Hai (G3, 1,800m; Mar.28).