Arrowfield Bred Wins Group 1 in Japan
Arrowfield Stud’s Easter bound filly by Redoute’s Choice out of the stakes-placed Feather Duster received a monumental pedigree update on Sunday when Feather Duster’s half-brother Kinshasa No Kiseki clung desperately to a nose victory in the 40th Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) at Chukyo Racecourse.
The Australian-bred 7yo was making his seventh attempt at the elite level and had been placed three times previously. Ridden by Hirofumi Shii for trainer Nobuyuki Hori, Kinshasa No Kiseki was all out to hold off the hard charging B B Guldan.
In capturing Japan Racing Association’s first turf Grade 1 race of 2010, Kinshasa no Kiseki takes his earnings to over $650,000 from a record of 10 wins from 26 starts.
Shii was unsure if he had held on to win.
“I wasn’t completely sure,” Shii said. “But everyone else was saying that I had won, and I’m glad it turned out that way. The straight isn’t very long here, but it sure felt long today.
“He started really well and felt great during the trip, too well as a matter of fact, because I was having a hard time holding him back.
“He was real smooth around the last turn and you have to give him credit because he hung on until the end.”
It was the first win in the race for Nobuyuki Hori who was full of praise for his Australian-bred charge.
“The horse was a lot more relaxed than I thought he would be. It was a heck of a race, really close, but I wasn’t that worried. I had faith in him, Hori said”.
Bred by Arrowfield Joint Venture and owned by Kazumi Yoshida, Kinshasa No Kiseki is a son of the former Arrowfield Stud shuttler Fuji Kiseki out of the unraced Pleasant Colony mare Keltshaan (USA), a half-sister to Prix Lupin (G1) winner Groom Dancer and the French Group 3 winner who was placed in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).
Keltshaan (USA) also left the very useful mare Feather Duster (End Sweep) a winner of 5 races and stakes-placed in Adelaide. Her first foal is the Sydney winning 2yo Clean Up (Dehere).
The second foal of Feather Duster, a filly by Redoute’s Choice will be offered as lot 420 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling sale , which gets under way on April 6.
Source: Mark Smith, Breednet
