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Durezza Beats G1 winners in Kikuka Sho Triumph

Fourth pick Durezza conquered the 3,000-meter distance to score his first graded and fifth consecutive win in this year’s Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), putting away the victors of the first two legs of the Triple Crown in a stunning 3-1/2-length win. The brown colt broke his maiden two months after his debut in September as a two-year-old and had registered three allowance races this season—the Yamabuki Sho ( 1 Win Class, 2,200m) in April, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy (2 Wins Class, 2,000m) in June and the Nihonkai Stakes (3 Wins Class, 2,200m) in August. This success brings trainer Tomohito Ozeki his first JRA-G1 win since the 2017 Sprinters Stakes with Red Falx and third overall title. Jockey Christophe Lemaire celebrates his third Kikuka Sho triumph following the 2016 and 2018 victory with Satono Diamond and Fierement, respectively. His most recent JRA-G1 success was with Equinox in this year’s Takarazuka Kinen and he is now the owner of a total of 46 titles.

Durezza, who started from the farthest post position, rushed to the front to take the lead while Pax Ottomanica sat on his tails a length behind in second. After covering the first 1,000 meters in 1:00.4, the son of Duramente was steadied to third from the front in the backstretch, briefly giving up the lead to Pax Ottomanica and Libyan Glass. As the field started making their bids after the third corner in the second lap, Durezza was second to enter the lane, kicked into gear catching Libyan Glass before the 200-meter pole to take command once again and stretched with the fastest closing speed to clear the wire 3-1/2 lengths in front of the next contender.

“He made a flying start and was keen to go so I decided to let him take the lead. He responded well between the third and last corner which made me confident that he was going to close strongly. When he accelerated in the stretch, I knew we were going to win. To see him beat such a strong field today over the 3,000-meter distance means we can look forward to him doing well among G1 company over 2,000 and 2,400 meters also,” commented Christophe Lemaire in an interview after the race.

Sent off favored in second, Tastiera was settled around ninth and traveled wide in the backstretch before turning home alongside the favorite Sol Oriens. The Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner showed a good turn of foot down the center of the lane with the second fastest late kick but failed to threaten the winner in a 3-1/2-length runner-up effort.

Race favorite Sol Oriens was unhurried traveling wide in fifth to sixth from the rear, made headway at the third corner and made a wide sweeping bid into the straight. The Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) winner picked off his tired opponents and dug in fiercely for third in the final strides, finishing 1-1/2 lengths behind his biggest rival.

Other Horses:
4th: (6) Libyan Glass—tracked leaders early, took lead at 3rd corner, ran gamely but missed 3rd place just before wire
5th: (8) Savona—raced around 15th, made headway in backstretch, entered to lane in 3rd, showed tenacity
6th: (12) Hearts Concerto—traveled in 5th, remained in contention until 200m pole
7th: (10) Meiner Laulea—took economic trip near rear, showed effort on rails until 100m out
8th: (13) Night in London—hugged rails around 12th, showed brief response, needed more
9th: (15) Phantom Thief—settled around 6th, angled out, found little room at early stretch, never fired
10th: (11) Satono Glanz—sat around 11th near favorite, ridden after 3rd corner, failed to respond
11th: (16) Shonan Bashitto—raced around 9th, showed brief effort until 200m pole
12th: (3) Season Rich—ran around 9th, dropped position turning last corners, passed tired rivals
13th: (2) Win Odin—traveled near rear, circled wide, even paced
14th: (1) Top Knife—was off slow, trailed in rear early, advanced to 5th, nothing left at stretch
15th: (9) Nocking Point—saved ground around 7th early, gradually dropped back
16th: (4) Danon Tornado—positioned forwardly around 4th on rails, outrun after final corner
17th: (5) Pax Ottomanica—chased leader in 2nd, led at one point in backstretch, faded after final corner

THE 84TH KIKUKA SHO (JAPANESE ST. LEGER, G1)
3-year-olds, Colts and Fillies, 3,000 meters (about 15 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Sunday, October 22, 2023         Kyoto Racecourse        11th Race         Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 432,000,000 (about US$ 3,298,000 <US$1=¥131>)
3-y-o: 57 kg (about 126 lbs), 2 kg allowance for Fillies, 2 kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2020
Course Record: 3:01.0              Race Record: 3:01.0 [Toho Jackal (JPN, by Special Week), 2014]
Safety factor: 18 runners           Going: Good to Firm     Weather: Fine

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 19,502,946,500       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 28,142,234,300       Attendance: 46,757

Winner= 6 starts: 5 wins & 1 third / Added & stakes money: ¥ 227,034,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 279,271,000

* Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) (G1)

The history of Kikuka Sho, the Japanese St. Leger and the last leg of the Triple Crown race for three-year-old colts and fillies, dates back to 1938—a year after Japan’s 11 racing clubs integrated into one organization named Nihon Keiba Kai (forerunner of the JRA). Initially called “Kyoto Norin-sho Shoten Yonsai Yobiuma Kyoso”, the race was renamed to Kikuka Sho in 1948. The race was held at its temporary venue of Hanshin Racecourse in 2021 and 2022 while Kyoto Racecourse was undergoing renovation.
The Kikuka Sho features three-year-olds, most of who have matured dramatically during the five months following the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400m) and their summer break. The Kikuka Sho winners have both the speed and the stamina to prove their caliber as the potential breeding stock. The last of the eight Triple Crown winners in JRA history was Contrail (JPN, by Deep Impact) who followed in the footsteps of his sire by accomplishing the feat undefeated in 2020.
This year, Tokyo Yushun champion Tastiera commenced his autumn campaign in this race while the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, G1, 2,000m) victor Sol Oriens came off a second in the trial St. Lite Kinen (G2, 2,200m, Sep.18). Satono Glanz came into the race after claiming his second graded title in another trial, the Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2, 2,400m, Sep.24), where Savona followed in second and the Satsuki Sho third-placed Phantom Thief was third. The final leg of the Triple Crown also included Top Knife, runner-up in the Sapporo Kinen (G2, 2,000m, Aug.20), Nocking Point, victor of the Niigata Kinen (G3, 2,000m, Sep.3) and the Tokyo Yushun third-place finisher Hearts Concerto who came off a fifth in the Kobe Shimbun Hai. Durezza and Libyan Glass, respective winners of the Nihonkai Stakes (3 Wins Class, 2,200m, Aug.19) and the Aganogawa Tokubetsu (2 Wins Class, 2,200m, Aug.20) were also among the lineup.