The Shadai Stallion Station-based Drefong (Gio Ponti) sired his first Group 1 winner on Sunday when the Tetsuya Kimura-trained Geoglyph (3 c ex Aromatico by King Kamehameha) won the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (Gr 1, 2000m) at Nakayama, the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown.
Winner of the Sapporo Nisai Stakes (Gr 3, 1,800m) last year, Geoglyph and capped off his two-year-old season with a fifth in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (Gr 1, 1,600m) in December. The colt had commenced his classic season with a second to Danon Beluga (Hearts Cry) in the Kyodo News Hai (Gr 3, 1,800m) back in February and on Sunday, the colt settled in midfield before he finished off strongly to beat his stablemate Equinox (Kitasan Black) by a length with Do Deuce (Heart's Cry) beaten two and a quarter lengths for third.
"His start was good and we were able to sit in an ideal position which was crucial in winning today. I already knew that he was in good form when I rode him during workouts and had every belief that, although the colt was fifth pick, he was capable of winning today," said winning jockey Yuichi Fukunaga.
Geoglph is the fourth foal and one of three winners out of the Grade 1 placed mare Aromatico (King Kamehameha) and he became the first stakes winner for Drefong when he won the Nisai Stakes last September.
Standing for a fee of Y3,000,000 this year, Drefong is also the sire of the Listed winner Desierto and the stakes placed duo Kawakita Reverie and Consigliere.
FP | Silk | Horse, Age & Sex Sire & Dam |
Jockey Trainer |
SP
WT |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st |
14. GEOGLYPH (JPN) 3yo C DREFONG (USA) - AROMATICO (JPN) |
Y FUKUNAGA TETSUYA KIMURA |
$9.1
57kg |
|
Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. | ||||
2nd |
18. EQUINOX (JPN) 3yo C KITASAN BLACK (JPN) - CHATEAU BLANCHE (JPN) |
C P LEMAIRE TETSUYA KIMURA |
$5.7
57kg |
|
Silk Racing Co. Ltd. | ||||
3rd |
12. DO DEUCE (JPN) 3yo C HEART'S CRY (JPN) - DUST AND DIAMONDS (USA) |
YUTAKA TAKE Y TOMOMICHI |
$3.9
57kg |
|
Kieffers Co. Ltd. | ||||
4th |
1. DANON BELUGA (JPN) 3yo C HEART'S CRY (JPN) - COASTED (USA) |
Y KAWADA N HORI |
$5
57kg |
|
5th |
2. ASK VICTOR MORE (JPN) 3yo C DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - KARTICA (GB) |
HIRONOBU TANABE Y TAMURA |
$9.9
57kg |
|
6th |
11. ONYANKOPON (JPN) 3yo C EISHIN FLASH (JPN) - CHARIOT D'OR (JPN) |
AKIRA SUGAWARA S KOJIMA |
$19
57kg |
|
7th |
6. JUSTIN ROCK (JPN) 3yo C LEONTES (JPN) - FLOWER ROCK (JPN) |
K TOSAKI TATSUYA YOSHIOKA |
$35
57kg |
|
8th |
15. LAGULF (JPN) 3yo C MAURICE (JPN) - ABANDONNE (JPN) |
KYOSUKE MARUTA Y MUNAKATA |
$162.7
57kg |
|
9th |
10. JUSTIN PALACE (JPN) 3yo C DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - PALACE RUMOR (USA) |
M DEMURO HARUKI SUGIYAMA |
$20.9
57kg |
|
10th |
8. DANTE'S VIEW (JPN) 3yo C KING KAMEHAMEHA (JPN) - CROW CANYON (JPN) |
HAYATO YOSHIDA Y TOMOMICHI |
$86.2
57kg |
|
11th |
13. BE ASTONISHED (JPN) 3yo C AMERICAN PATRIOT (USA) - MAO RIO (JPN) |
R WADA YUZO IIDA |
$72.7
57kg |
|
12th |
17. MATENRO LEO (JPN) 3yo C HEART'S CRY (JPN) - SARATOGA VENUS (JPN) |
N YOKOYAMA M KON |
$84.7
57kg |
|
13th |
4. KILLER ABILITY (JPN) 3yo C DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - KILLER GRACES (USA) |
TAKESHI YOKOYAMA TAKASHI SAITO |
$7.6
57kg |
|
14th |
7. BORN THIS WAY (JPN) 3yo C HEART'S CRY (JPN) - WINDHUK (GER) |
SHU ISHIBASHI K MAKI |
$49.3
57kg |
|
15th |
5. GRAND LINE (JPN) 3yo C DURAMENTE (JPN) - GRAND CHARME (JPN) |
KOSEI MIURA N TAKAGI |
$210.9
57kg |
|
16th |
16. DESIERTO (JPN) 3yo C DREFONG (USA) - ADMIRE SCEPTRE (JPN) |
Y IWATA TAKAYUKI YASUDA |
$15.5
57kg |
|
17th |
9. SATONO HELIOS (JPN) 3yo C EPIPHANEIA (JPN) - AIR MAGDALENE (JPN) |
MIRAI IWATA Y TOMOMICHI |
$47.5
57kg |
|
18th |
3. TOSEN VANNO (JPN) 3yo C VANQUISH RUN (JPN) - TOSEN SONJA (JPN) |
TAKUYA KOWATA S KOBIYAMA |
$311.8
57kg |