Panja Tower finishes fifth in Golden Eagle

Panja Tower

Strauss

King’s ransom eludes Japan’s trio to Royal Randwick

On Nov. 1, three Japan horses in Australia kicked off an electrifying weekend of international sports involving Japanese athletes, with Shohei Otani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto boosting the Dodgers to a World Series victory in L.A., Forever Young clinching the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, and Masquerade Ball extending Christophe Lemaire’s dizzying streak to three with victory in the top-level “Tenno Sho (Autumn)” at Tokyo.

The Japanese raiders Down Under, unfortunately, were far less successful. Isana, Strauss, and Panja Tower participated in three separate races Saturday at Royal Randwick Racecourse and ended the day with two best fifth-place finishes.

This year’s Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup champion Panja Tower took part in the day’s main event, the Golden Eagle, and headed in to the race with four wins from six starts as the fourth horse from Japan to compete in the 1,500-meter turf event for 4-year-olds (Southern Hemisphere age).

Japan’s Obamburumai won the Golden Eagle race in 2023 at the previous venue, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse. This year the race was held at the right-handed Royal Randwick for the first time and limited to only 18 spots. The race would hand the winner A$5.25 million (approx. ¥510 million).

Panja Tower’s owner, the 66-year-old Tomofusa Fukasawa of Deep Creek Co. Ltd., had sussed out the racecourse last year. Wishing to see his colt top his age group for earnings this year, Fukasawa had flown Panja Tower to Australia via special charter, in the hopes of capturing a considerable piece of the A$10-million purse.

Trained by Shinsuke Hashiguchi, the Tower of London colt looked primed and ready after capturing the Aug. 24 Grade 3 Keeneland Cup (1,200 meters, Sapporo) in his first start since the May 11 NHK Mile Cup. The Keeneland Cup was significant as his first win from only two starts racing clockwise.

Panja Tower went to the gate Saturday afternoon as the local No. 3 pick and broke from the No. 4 berth amid a field of 16. Horses on his inside moved in on him just after the start, pushing him to the middle of the field.

Though able to move up gradually, he was held close to the rail for much of the race. Racing on soft ground for the first time, he battled through tight spaces in the straight, but was unable to unleash his impressive late speed.

Panja Tower finished in fifth place 2.6 lengths behind winner Autumn Glow, a filly unbeaten from eight starts and racing under 55.5 kg, 1 kg less than Panja Tower carried. Fifth place was worth A$250,000 (about ¥2.5 million).

“He couldn't jump as quickly as I’d expected and he got further back than I’d wanted him to,” said Kohei Matsuyama, who has ridden all but one of the colt’s starts. “And, he had the leader coming back on his face at the top of the straight. Still, he ran well,” said the 35-year-old jockey, currently tied with Lemaire in third place (110 wins) two off the top in Japan’s jockey rankings.

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In other action, Isana, also from the Hashiguchi stable at Ritto and ridden by Matsuyama, took part in the first race of the day, the Asahi Super Dry Handicap, a turf event over 1,500 meters.

The 3-year-old Declaration of War colt, usually raced over 9 furlongs and used to a more leisurely pace, was back on turf for the first time since his debut eight outings and some 14 months ago. From the start, he went quickly to the front of the seven-strong field and raced strongly until the 100-meter mark, where he faded and was passed by four others to finish in fifth place 3.2 lengths behind winner Rotagilla.

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In the Russell Balding Stakes, a 1,300-meter turf race and the seventh race on the Saturday card of 10, Joao Moreira had the ride with Strauss, a 4-year-old Miho-based Maurice colt trained by Ryo Takei.

Strauss had won at the Grade 2 level early in his career partnered with Moreira, and was coming off a third-place finish 0.1 seconds behind the winner in the Grade 3 CBC Sho in mid August at Chukyo.

In only his second race to the right from 11 starts, Strauss broke a bit late from the No. 13 gate amid 15 runners and was quickly moved to the inside at the back of the field. He at first appeared to run solidly but later seemed to be fighting his rider, trying to guide him free of the others. He finally picked it up when he settled and the front opened up at the 200 mark, but it was too late. Strauss crossed the line in sixth place amid a field of 15, 5.6 lengths behind winner Jimmysstar, who just 2 weeks ago had finished third in the Group 1 Everest at Randwick.

Moreira’s postrace comment reflected the apparent trouble under way. “To be honest, it was very disappointing, considering that he did so much wrong and could have finished so much closer.”

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Racing Australia ( Golden Eagle , Russell Balding Stakes , Asahi Super Dry Handicap)