2021 News
Japan's Deep Bond captures Prix Foy wire to wire
Deep Bond
Deep Bond
Deep Bond
Entscheiden
Entscheiden finishes fifth in Prix du Pin Deep Bond laid claim to the Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp Racecourse on Sunday, Sept. 12 with an aggressive ride under Cristian Demuro that landed him victory and buoyed hope in Japan’s 52-year pursuit of the Holy Grail - a win of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Deep Bond was Japan’s only Arc nominee to be given a prep at ParisLongchamp ahead of the Oct. 3 Arc, which marks its 100th running this year. The 4-year-old son of Kizuna took the lead from the gate and was stalked by Broome. Ridden clear from 3 furlongs out, Deep Bond kept on well while Broome gave chase, but Deep Bond showed no signs of tiring and stayed his ground to the finish. Deep Bond’s winning time under 58 kg was 2 minutes 31.82 seconds over 2,400 meters of good turf. The Aidan O’Brien-trained Broome, ridden by Lanfranco Dettori, followed the winner home in second by 1 1/2 lengths. Race favorite Skalleti, who had fought Gerald Mosse much of the way, finished nearly 7 lengths off Deep Bond in fourth place. Deep Bond’s trainer, the Ritto-based Ryuji Okubo commented from ParisLongchamp.“I did have some reservations about racing him in France, but at 4 years old, he has matured in leaps and bounds (and is still maturing), and I thought he’d be suited to the heavy turf of Longchamp.” The Prix Foy was Deep Bond’s third Grade 2 win. He has, however, yet to win a top-level race and was 10-5-4 in last year’s classics. This year mid March, he scooped the Grade 2 Hanshin Daishoten over 3,000 meters of yielding turf, then ran second in the May 2 Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3,200 meters missing the win by only 3/4 length. “The owner had the Arc in mind since the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), but even more so after the Hanshin Daishoten,” Okubo said. “Deep Bond’s a big horse at 500 kg with dynamic movement and he moves in a big way. The pace here is different from Japan and I had wanted him to ride the rhythm a bit more as he often does, and race from further back. “But, he went for the lead and the jockey made the decision to go with it and let Deep Bond race at his own rhythm. And that turned out to be a winner.” Asked about the expected stronger pace in the Arc, Okubo replied, “I think that will work in his favor. . . . I think we can go to the 100th running of the Arc with confidence.” Cristian Demuro was riding Deep Bond for the first time. The 29-year-old younger brother of Mirco said he’d had the lead in mind before the break. “It had been my plan to send him forward. He’s a one-pace kind of horse and I thought that if no one wanted to go to the front, I would.” Demuro, who won his first Arc last year aboard Sottsass, added, “I think today’s turf condition suited Deep Bond well. We’ve been given a fabulous ticket to the Arc.” Deep Bond’s owner is Shinji Maeda, who owns last year’s Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail. He also owned Deep Bond’s sire Kizuna, who won the Arc trial Prix Niel in 2013 and, the following month, ran fourth in the Arc. Elder brother KojiMaeda, representing North Hills, the farm that bred all three horses, said, “There’s been a lot of depressing news during the corona epidemic so I’m happy to have some good news reach Japan. He ran a very strong race. “Most of all, I’m excited to have a North Hills-bred son of Kizuna win in France. His sire won the Prix Niel and went to the Arc and finished fourth. I’m looking forward to seeing Deep Bond better that.” # # # Later in the day, Deep Bond’s travel mate Entscheiden took on the Prix du Pin, a 1,400-meter turf G3. Entscheiden, running under 58 kg (1.5-3 kg more than the horses who beat him home) finished fifth amid a field of nine, with Christophe Soumillon aboard the winner, the 4-year-old France-trained H. H. Aga Khan-owned Sagamiyra. He was followed by three more French runners, Axdavali, Speak Of The Devil and Valloria, but the total margin between the winner and Entscheiden was a mere 1 1/2 lengths. Ritto-based and trained by Yoshito Yahagi, Entscheiden was piloted by Ryusei Sakai. The 6-year-old gray son of Deep Impact broke from the inside gate and took the lead. He was driven hard from 2 furlongs out, but was overtaken at the furlong mark. Sakai expressed his satisfied with the run. “I think he was able to run his own race. The winner was strong but the margins were slim from second place on, which means I’m going do my best to turn the tables next time out.” Entscheiden is nominated for both the Oct. 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein (G2, 1,600) and Oct. 3 Prix de la Foret (G1, 1,400) # # # The Prix Foy win was Japan’s fourth from 15 bids, the first in eight years. El Condor Pasa and Orfevre both won the Foy, the latter twice. Nakayama Festa finished second, and all three went on to give Japan’s its four second-place Arc finishes thus far. In addition to the Prix Foy, ParisLongchamp showcased two other races on Sept. 12 over the Arc distance of 2,400 meters - the Prix Niel and the Prix Vermeille. The Niel was won by Chantilly-trained Bubble Gift, with Baby Rider in second. The Vermeille went to the Ireland-bred Teona, trained by Roger Varian, with the Japan-bred filly and race favorite Snowfall, trained by A.P. O’Brien, in second. Japan is also sending Chrono Genesis to the Arc. The 5-year-old mare will be racing for only the third time this year, following her win of the June 27 Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen and her second in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1, 2,410 meters). Chrono Genesis’s stablemate Ikat is nominated for the Oct. 3 Prix de l’Opera (G1, 2,000). Please refer to the following website for further details.
France Galop
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