For those on Maurice (JPN) watch pacing up and down like expectant fathers, it looked as if the Horse Of The Year had cracked it for a winner in a 1600m Newcomers race at Tokyo on Sunday with the royally-bred colt Kalandula hitting the front close to home, only to be gunned down by an impressive Godolphin homebred who has an Australian connection.
Who can remember that Darley shuttled Commands to Japan in 2010 and 2011? The son of Danehill also spent a season in France in 2002 when owned by Woodlands Stud.
In his first season in Japan, Commands was the most expensive stallion on the Darley roster with a fee equivalent to about $60,000.
He was, at best, moderately received leaving 50 foals in his first crop and 34 in his second.
One of his better performers from his first crop was the hard-knocking mare Bluestone who appeared to be equally at home on both turf and dirt on a way to compiling a record of 4 wins and 4 placings from 25 starts. She was real late bloomer. In four seasons on the track, Bluestone was still a maiden after 13 starts at two and three.
`Which makes it all the more promising for her 2yo son Blue Symphony who could not have been any more impressive after a troubled run to defeat the Maurice (JPN) colt Kalandula at Tokyo racecourse on Sunday.
Hopelessly blocked for a run with just 200 metres left to run, Hironobu Tanabe pulled the Keizo Ito-trained colt sideways to find clear air and when he did Blue Symphony powered to the line to defeat Kalandula by one and a quarter lengths
Blue Symphony is a son of Maurice’s sire Screen Hero so his progression will be closely watched.
As for Kalandula, he becomes the fifth placegetter for Maurice. His dam Last Groove won her only start in an 1800 metres Newcomers race at Hanshin.
A daughter of Deep Impact, Last Groove was the highest priced filly at the 2011 Select Yearling sale when knocked down to Globe Equine Management for 378,000,000 yen.
A three-quarter sister to the multiple Group 1 winner Admire Groove and a half-sister to Group 1 winner and successful sire Rulership, Last Groove herself a daughter of the wonderful mare Air Groove, the 1997 Horse of the Year in Japan.
