Contrail Prevails in the Battle of the Titans

Mark Smith - Sunday April 19

The highly anticipated clash between two star three year old colts yet to taste defeat, the Deep Impact colt Contrail and the Heart’s Cry colt Salios, lived up to all expectations in an epic renewal of the Group 1 The Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (2000m) at Nakayama on Sunday.

Damian Lane was the first to make a move on Salios before Yuichi Fukunaga presented Contrail at the perfect time to edge past the Heart’s Cry colt by half a length with the Kinshasa no Kiseki colt

Galore Creek three and a half lengths back in third.

 

Making his 2020 debut, Contrail extends his winning sequence to four having been crowned the Champion 2yo colt last year with his highlight coming over the same course and distance in the Group 1 Hopeful Stakes.

By contrast all three wins by Salios at two were over 1600 metres and the last little bit may have found him out on Sunday.

Advertisement

A homebred for North Hill Farm’s Shinji Maeda, Contrail is a son of the perennial champion sire Deep Impact out of the Unbridled's Song mare Rhodochrosite, who was a $385,000 Keeneland September Sale yearling purchase by Koji Maeda, who was placed in four of her seven starts in Japan.

Rhodochrosite is a daughter of the Tiznow mare Folklore who was voted the champion American two-year-old of 2005 following her victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Rhodochrosite has a yearling colt from the final full crop of Deep Impact and was covered by Heart’s Cry in 2019.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Pedigree Watch – Euro 3YO - Classic Potential
Interesting racing overnight at Newmarket with a couple of Classic key lead up stakes races for three year-olds and the winners were both first time stakes-winners, one from the family of Sydney autumn carnival staying star Alalcance and the other a homebred Dubawi filly for Juddmonte.
Yes Yes Yes It’s Been a Big Week for Kate Nivison!
This time last week passionate owner breeder Kate Nivison was basking in the success of having bred and sold a $1.7million Extreme Choice colt at Inglis Easter and today she was enjoying a different sort of success as a winning owner at Kembla.
Contrail Rises to the Occasion in Japan Cup
After the champion Deep Impact mare Gran Alegria (JPN) bowed out of racing triumphant in the Group 1 Mile Championship at Hanshin seven days back, Deep Impact’s champion son Contrail followed suit at Tokyo on Sunday with a commanding performance in the $7million Group 1 Japan Cup (2400m).
Deep Impact's Contrail a Class Above in Japanese Derby
For a fleeting second at around the 300 metre mark in Sunday’s Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Damian Lane on Salios must have thought he was half a chance of upsetting the favourite Contrail but a couple of backhanders by Yuichi Fukunaga on the exquisite black son of Deep Impact settled the matter in a few strides and he went sailing into the distance to keep his record at a perfect five for
Little Avondale Announce Fees - Little Brose New
Little Avondale Stud created a slice of New Zealand racing history when they successfully brokered a deal to stand Little Brose at their Wairarapa farm.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday April 15
Here is the full list of 27 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Switzerland To Stand Alongside Fellow Coolmore Stud Stakes Winner Home Affairs at Jerry’s Plains
Following on from a phenomenal year in the sales ring, which saw first crop Home Affairs yearlings sell for an aggregate of more than $31 million, fellow Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland will join him in the stallion barn in 2025.
Blueblood Pierro Filly Returns a Winner
The John O’Shea and Tom Charlton trained Pierro filly Candlewick is bred to be well above average as a half-sister to Everest winner Classique Legend  and looks set for a good campaign after kicking off with a first up win at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
1.4mil Gns Record at Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up - St Mark's Basilica 750,000 Gns
A colt by Acclamation eclipsed the record price for a lot at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale when selling to Godolphin for 1,400,000 guineas on the opening day of the sale with a St Mark’s Basilica colt second highest at 750,000 guineas.
Contrail Becomes the Third Undefeated Winner of the Japanese Triple Crown
He needed to dig deep in Sunday’s Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) at Kyoto, but it was mission accomplished for the superstar Contrail who became the third undefeated Triple Crown winner in JRA history.