Antipodean mares have again proved their worth in Japan, and the latest high-level success came at Kyoto on Sunday when Durezza (Duramente), a son of Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) heroine More Than Sacred (More Than Ready), powered to a three and a half-length triumph in Sunday’s Gr.1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger).
Ridden by Christophe Lemaire for Tomohito Ozeki, the son of Duramente, was in a race of his own over the final 100m.
The Satono Crown colt Tastiera, winner of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), was second, with the favoured Kitasan Black colt Sol Oriens, hero of the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), was a length and a half back in third.
“He made a flying start and was keen to go, so I decided to let him take the lead,” Lemaire said.
“He responded well between the third and last corner, which made me confident that he was going to close strongly.
“When he accelerated in the stretch, I knew we were going to win. To see him beat such a strong field today over the 3,000m distance means we can look forward to him doing well among Group 1 company over 2,000 and 2,400m also.”
Third in a Newcomers race at Nakayama at two, Durezza has reeled off five consecutive wins, but this was his first stakes triumph.
More Than Sacred, a daughter of More Than Ready, was trained by Tony Pike In New Zealand for Raffles Racing and spent a short time in Australia when trained by Robert Smerdon for Katsumi Yoshida, where she was stakes placed and finished fourth in the Gr.3 Geelong Cup (2400m).
More Than Sacred has an unraced two-year-old filly by Real Steel named Divinest and a yearling filly by Rey De Oro.
The 14-year-old mare is now owned by Yulong Stud, who revealed she had been covered by Frankel to southern hemisphere time.
Durezza wasn’t the only flag-bearer for southern hemisphere matrons in Japan over the weekend, with 2013 Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m) heroine Kirramosa (NZ) (Alamosa) the dam of a promising two-year-old filly named Tropical Tea.
The daughter of Real Steel won a Newcomers race over 1800m at Tokyo on Sunday and is the third winner from as many runners for Kirramosa, who was trained by John Sargent before being sold privately to Japan.
