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| Sumita Pawar |
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In the TV Tokyo Hai Aoba Sho, Hisashi Shimizu's Sugar Kun secured a third consecutive victory, marking his first Graded-level win. Yutaka Take, the esteemed Japanese rider, expertly timed his ride, earning his 4,497th success with the Japan Racing Association. The race was a Group Two event featuring a field of 17 3YOs at Tokyo Racecourse. Tetsuya Kimura's Redentor, ridden by UAE Champion Jockey Tadhg O'Shea, was aiming for a gate-to-wire victory but ran out of steam as they hit the long straight for home. At the 400m marker, Win Maximum, trained by Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, briefly took the lead.
Meanwhile, Take had settled Sugar Kun, a colt sired by Duramente, in mid-division, encountering some traffic at the 400m marker. Despite the hindrance, Take maneuvered Sugar Kun through and found ample space to make his move. With a clear path ahead, Sugar Kun launched his attack, unleashing his full potential down the middle and alongside Win Maximum, who was on the outside.
Shonan La Punta, trained by Tomokazu Takano and ridden by Katsuma Sameshima, attempted to challenge Sugar Kun, but the latter had the momentum on his side. Shimizu's trainee finished strong and won by a head, with Shonan La Punta taking second place. Dual Wielder, trained by Noriyuki Hori and ridden by Joao Moreira, finished three-quarters of a length behind in third.
On 26th May, the Aoba Sho will take place, which serves as a trial race for the Tokyo Yushun, also known as the Japanese Derby. Take is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to ride Sugar Kun in the highly anticipated event.
“I won the right (to the Derby) by finishing first, so I’m looking forward to it. He has good pedigree,” said Take.
"While Kitasan Black is an irreplaceable champion, this horse has only debuted in February and has shown such remarkable performances in just a few months. I sense growth with each race.
“Today, he settled well and showed a good response when asked to accelerate. Winning and securing the right to run in the Derby is exciting.”
Trainer Hisashi Shimizu added, “Now that we have the rights to the Derby, I want to train him safely and without any regrets. He has many similarities (with his older brother Kitasan Black), such as the fact that he doesn’t require much effort and is very clever. I hope they continue to be. I think he has a lot of physical strength.”