Sadamu Onishi’s Sadamu Patek just hung on from favored Grand Prix Boss in
Sunday’s 29th running of the Mile Championship at Kyoto. Aside from recording
his first Grade 1 title, the son of Fuji Kiseki helped jockey Yutaka Take to
fill in a rare gap on his resume.
Take had never won the Mile Championship in 20 previous tries. Moreover, he
had not landed any Grade 1 since the 2010 Japan Cup with Rose Kingdom. That last
top-level victory came in the stewards’ room, via the disqualification of the
first-past-the-post Buena Vista.
Now with 66 career Grade 1 tallies on the JRA circuit, Take has won all but
one of the majors — the lone exception being the Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity, an
omission he could try to rectify on December 16.
A veteran of the Japanese classics last year, Sadamu Patek had been unplaced
in four of five starts this campaign, including an eighth in the Grade 1 Tenno
Sho Autumn over 1 1/4 miles on October 28. Take, who rode him for the first time
on that occasion, believed that the cutback to a mile would help. Although the
Masato Nishizono trainee had been beaten in his other attempts at this distance
in 2012, Sadamu Patek had captured the seven-furlong, Grade 2 Keio Hai Spring
Cup in May, and he returned to that form on Sunday.
Stablemate Silport took up his usual front-running position, with another
Nishizono pupil, Cosmo Sensor, and defending champion Eishin Apollon pressing
the pace in second and third. Sadamu Patek, breaking smoothly from the innermost
stall, settled in mid-division, around sixth from the front, while Grand Prix
Boss settled right behind on the outside. Donau Blue, a full sister to Filly
Triple Crown heroine and Japan Cup contender Gentildonna, traveled wider out
behind the race favorite.
With Sadamu Patek, Grand Prix Boss and Donau Blue rounding the final turn
abreast of each other — Sadamu Patek hugging the rail and Donau Blue traveling
the farthest out with Grand Prix Boss in the middle — the field hit the
homestretch with Silport persistently retaining the front.
Once crossing the eighth-pole, Sadamu Patek surged out from the inner route
while Donau Blue exploded from the outside. Sadamu Patek took over the lead
inside the final sixteenth with Donau Blue challenging right behind. Then Grand
Prix Boss exerted a powerful late charge, overtaking Donau Blue by a
half-length, only to fall a neck short of catching Sadamu Patek.
Silport checked in fourth, followed by Real Impact, Danon Shark, San Carlo,
Strong Return, Cosmo Sensor, I’m Yours, Marcellina, Final Form, Fifth Petal,
Eishin Apollon, Leo Active, Garbo, Fragarach and T M Encore, who was making his
first start off a 2 1/2-year layoff.
For the first time in seven years, there was no international representation
in the Mile Championship.
By stopping the the clock in 1:32.9 on the good turf, Sadamu Patek boosted
his bankroll to ¥353,920,000 from his
16-5-2-2 line. As a juvenile, the bay colt broke his maiden over the Mile
Championship course and distance, and next made a successful stakes debut in the
Grade 3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai. He closed his 2010 campaign with a close fourth
in the Asahi Hai Futurity, where he was beaten a grand total of a length by
Grand Prix Boss.
Sadamu Patek kicked off his sophomore season with a hard-fought score in a
classic trial, the Grade 2 Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho. Runner-up to eventual Triple
Crown champ Orfevre in the Grade 1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas),
he could do no better than seventh in the middle jewel, the Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun
(Japanese Derby). Sadamu Patek returned from his summer holiday with a third in
the Grade 2 St Lite Kinen, and wound up fifth to Orfevre in the Grade 1 Kikuka
Sho (Japanese St Leger).
He shortened up for last December’s Grade 3 Naruo Kinen, finishing a strong
third, but took a couple of starts before peaking in the aforementioned Keio Hai
Spring Cup. Sadamu Patek failed to build on that effort when ninth in the Grade
1 Yasuda Kinen on June 3, the premier mile event of the first half of the
season, in his last appearance before the Tenno Sho Autumn.
Bred by Shadai Corp. in Japan, Sadamu Patek is out of the winning Helissio
mare Summer Night City, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-placed stakes hero and
sire Catienus. This is also the family of Aloma’s Ruler, hero of the 1982
Preakness.
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