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Danon Smash Marks Another Father-Son Victory in Takamatsunomiya Kinen

Danon Smash, the son of Lord Kanaloa, claimed this year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen to register his first JRA-G1 victory in his eighth attempt while accomplishing another father-son victory following the previous Hong Kong Sprint. This is the second father-son victory in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen since the race was promoted to G1 in 1996, the first accomplished by King Halo (2000) and Laurel Guerreiro (2009). The connections of Danon Smash has accepted an invitation to race in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on April 25. This win marked trainer Takayuki Yasuda’s 13th JRA-G1 victory following his Hopeful Stakes win with Danon the Kid at the end of last year and his third Takamatsunomiya Kinen victory following his title with Curren Chan (2012) and Lord Kanaloa (2013). Jockey Yuga Kawada registered his 16th JRA-G1 win and his second Takamatsunomiya Kinen victory since his triumph with Fine Needle in 2018.

This year’s race commenced with defending champion Mozu Superflare immediately assuming command and setting a fast pace despite the yielding going due to rain. Six-year-old Danon Smash, breaking from stall 14, traveled around 9-10th from the front while eyeing race favorite Resistencia on the outside. Turning the corners wide, the Hong Kong Sprint champion weaved his way between horses entering the stretch and outdueled the race favorite in the last 100 meters to claim his first JRA-G1 title.

“I knew that the ground condition was going to be the key factor but I decided not to make any plan and let the horse race where he wants to. We were able to race while eyeing Resistencia in the front. He responded really well at the fourth corner and, although there was a long duel (with the race favorite) at the stretch, he showed his strength at the end. Last year’s result (10th) was very disappointing so I’m really glad he was able to register his first G1 title in Japan,” commented Yuga Kawada.

Race favorite Resistencia traveled wide around 6-7th from the front, surged out from the pack at the 200-meter pole and, although outdueled by Danon Smash, overtook the front two horses before the wire to pass the wire a neck behind in second.

Other Horses:
4th: (13) Travesura—settled around 11th, struggled to find clear path, quickened in last 200m
5th: (4) Mozu Superflare—set pace, showed tenacity along rails, weakened in final strides
6th: (17) Sound Chiara—advanced to 6th from wide draw, sustained bid while checked by rival 300m out
7th: (8) Eighteen Girl—sat near rear around 16-17th, circled wide and showed tied fastest late kick
8th: (15) Maltese Diosa—raced 4-wide around 13th, accelerated on outer stretch, never a threat
9th: (12) Seiun Kosei—chased leader around 3rd, showed tenacity, weakened in last 100m
10th: (18) Mikki Brillante—was off slow, ran 3-wide around 13th, switched to outside, improved position
11th: (5) Daimei Fuji—positioned around 15th, passed tired rivals at stretch
12th: (6) Danon Fantasy—tracked leader in 2nd, tired and outrun in last 200m
13th: (7) Astra Emblem—hugged rails around 16th, failed to respond on inner stretch
14th: (10) Lauda Sion—chased leader in 2nd or 3rd, drifted to outside slightly before 200m pole, showed little thereafter
15th: (11) Katsuji—raced 3-4wide around 6th, sustained to reach contention until 200m pole
16th: (1) A Will a Way—trailed in rear, angled out, never fired
17th: (3) Right on Cue—traveled around 6th, showed brief effort, outrun in last 200m
18th: (2) Red en Ciel—took economic trip around 5th, faded after 300m marker

THE 51ST TAKAMATSUNOMIYA KINEN (G1)
4-year-olds & up, 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs), turf, left-handed
Sunday, March 28, 2021         Chukyo Racecourse          11th Race         Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 248,000,000 (about US$ 2,362,000 <US$1=¥105>)
4-y-o & up: 57kg (about 126 lbs),
2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 1kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2017
Course Record: 1:06.7            Race Record: 1:06.7 [Big Arthur (JPN, by Sakura Bakushin O), 2016]
Safety factor: 18 runners     Going: Yielding     Weather: Rainy

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 13,383,756,400       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 20,413,688,400       Attendance: 1,939

Winner= 23 starts, 11 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third / Added money: ¥ 133,822,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 759,148,300

* Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1)

The Takamatsunomiya Kinen, one of two G1 championship events for sprinters held by the JRA together with the Sprinters Stakes (G1, 1,200m) in autumn, was formerly named Takamatsunomiya Cup in honor of Prince Takamatsunomiya who presented the trophy to the winner in 1971. The race was shortened from 2,000 meters to 1,200 meters and granted a Japanese G1 status in 1996, then renamed Takamatsunomiya Kinen in 1998. The first of flat turf G1 events held annually, the race was temporarily shifted to Hanshin Racecourse in 2011 and was contested over the newly renovated track back at Chukyo in the following year with added challenges of an uphill and a longer homestretch exceeding 400 meters.
The Takamatsunomiya Kinen was designated an international race in 2001 and welcomed its first two foreign participants—Disturbingthepeace (13th) and Echo Eddie (17th)—from the U.S. in 2003 and was part of the Global Sprint Challenge, the international championship series for sprinters between 2011 and 2017. Aerovelocity (NZ, by Pins) from Hong Kong became the first foreign horse to win the race in 2015 and Blizzard (AUS, by Starcraft), also from Hong Kong, finished fifth in 2018.
This year’s race featured defending champion Mozu Superflare who came off a disappointing 17th in the Silk Road Stakes (G3, 1,200m, Jan.31) where Right on Cue, last year’s NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1,600m) winner Lauda Sion and 2017 Takamatsunomiya Kinen champion Seiun Kosei finished second, third and fifth, respectively. Coming off the Hankyu Hai (G3, 1,400m, Feb.28) were 2019 Best Two-Year-Old Filly Resistencia who won the race in record time, with two-time G1 winner Indy Champ and 2018 Best Two-Year-Old Filly Danon Fantasy finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. The field also included Hong Kong Sprint (G1, 1,200m) winner Danon Smash who commenced his 2021 season with this race and Maltese Diosa, coming off a runner-up effort behind Danon Fantasy in last year’s Hanshin Cup (G2, 1,400m, Dec.26).