A good day in Japan for two former Arrowfield shuttlers on Sunday with Maurice (JPN) having a 1-2 finish in a 1600m maiden at Niigata only to be upstaged by Mikki isle (JPN) who sired his first stakes winner when Meikei Yell powered home in the day’s feature, the Group III Kokura Nisai (1200m) at Kokura.
At Niigata, Christophe Lemaire guided the Tetsuya Kimura-trained favourite Legatus to a neck win over the fast-finishing Consolation.
Both two-year-old Maurice (JPN) colts were making just their second starts.
Legatus is a son of the Group III-placed Admire Sceptre (King Kamehameha) a 5-time winning sister to Japanese Derby and 2000 Guineas hero Duramente who is currently the leading first season sire in Japan.
The Mikki Isle colt Meikei Yell could not have been any more impressive in the Group III Kokura Nisai (1200m) at Kokura.
Ridden by the champion Yutaka Take for trainer Hidenori Take, Meikei Yell was speared off the track on the home turn but once balanced up came with a barnstorming finish to defeat the odds-om favourite Mondreise (Daiwa Major) by one and a quarter lengths with Fodla (Lord Kanaloa) four lengths back in third.
Meikei Yell keeps his record at a perfect two for two having won a Newcomers over the same track and distance on August 22.
The son of Mikki Isle (JPN) is the first foal of the Harbinger mare Shiroinger whose only win in four starts came in a 1200m maiden on the dirt at Hanshin.
Shiroinger’s dam Yukichan (Kurofune) excelled on the dirt winning five black-type races.
