By Masakazu Takahashi -
Hisashi Skimizu’s Sugar Kun claimed a third-straight success and a first at the Graded level when nicking the TV Tokyo Hai Aoba Sho following a perfectly timed ride from Yutaka Take, the legendary Japanese rider helping himself to a 4,497th JRA success in the process.
The Grade 2 affair over 2400m drew together a field of 17 three-year-olds at Tokyo Racecourse, with Tetsuya Kimura’s Redentor looking to go gate-to-wire under UAE Champion Jockey and recent Dubai World Cup winning rider Tadhg O’Shea.
Irishman O’Shea decided to go full steam and established a near eight-length lead hitting the long straight for home, but the pair were clearly running on fumes at the 400m marker, where Yoshihiro Hatakeyama’s Win Maximum took over briefly.
Take had settled Sugar Kun, a Duramente colt, in mid-division and found a bit of traffic at the 400m marker. However, Take forced his way through and found Sugar Kun room to extend.
With a clear path emerging, Sugar Kun, looking for a third straight success, pounced and stretched fully to power home down the middle and along the outside of Win Maximum.
Shonan La Punta (Tomokazu Takano/Katsuma Sameshima) made a bid alongside Sugar Kun, but the momentum was clearly with Shimizu’s trainee who finished strong and won by head. Shonan La Punta was second with Dual Wielder a further three quarters of a length behind in third for trainer Noriyuki Hori and jockey Joao Moreira.
‘GROWTH WITH EACH RACE’
The Aoba Sho is a trial race for the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) on May 26th and Take is really looking forward to riding Sugar Kun in the showpiece.
“I won the right (to the Derby) by finishing first, so I’m looking forward to it. He has good pedigree,” said Take.
"While Kitasan Black is an irreplaceable champion, this horse has only debuted in February and has shown such remarkable performances in just a few months. I sense growth with each race.
“Today, he settled well and showed a good response when asked to accelerate. Winning and securing the right to run in the Derby is exciting.”
Trainer Shimizu added: “Now that we have the rights to the Derby, I want to train him safely and without any regrets. He has many similarities (with his older brother Kitasan Black), such as the fact that he doesn’t require much effort and is very clever. I hope they continue to be. I think he has a lot of physical strength.”
