A fourth Group 1 win in Japan for Damian Lane with the three-year-old colt Serifos (JPN) staging a last-to-first performance in Sunday’s $3,700,000 The Mile Championship (1600m) at Hanshin.
Coming off a win in the Group II Fuji Stakes at Tokyo on October 22, the Mitsumasa Nakauchida-trained son of Daiwa Major launched down the centre of the track to win running away by one and a quarter lengths.
While Serifos (JPN) came widest with an uninterrupted run, several others were not so lucky, with quite a bit of tightening at the 200m.
Serifos (JPN) defeated Danon The Kid (Just A Way), with a further half-length back to fan favourite Sodashi (Kurofune) in third.
All seven starts for Serifos (JPN) have been at 1600m.
Last season at two, Serifos (JPN) won three on the trot, a Newcomers race at Chukyo, Group III Nisai Stakes at Niigata, and the Group II Daily Hi Nisai Stakes at Hanshin.
His winning run was snapped when runner-up to this year’s Japanese Derby hero Do Deuce (Hearts Cry) in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Hanshin.
Serifos (JPN) was beaten into fourth place in his first two starts this season in the Group 1 NHK Mile and Group 1 Yasuda Kinen before breaking through in the Group II Fuji Stakes.
By Admire Mars’ sire Daiwa Major (Sunday Silence), Serifos (JPN) is the best of two winners from as many to race out of the French stakes-winner Sea Front (Le Havre).
The winner of the Listed Prix Maurice Zilber at Chantilly, Sea Front (FR) was a €135,000 purchase for Haruya Yoshida at the 2016 Arqana Breeding Stock Sale.
