The great Fastnet Rock appeared in the pedigrees of two runners in Sunday’s Group 1 The Mile Championship (1600m) at Kyoto, as the sire of Fiano Romano and the sire of the dam (Mosheen) of Primo Scene, but they were to prove bit players in a race where Indy Champ became the seventh horse to claim the Mile Championship - Yasuda Kinen double.
That was last achieved by Maurice (JPN) in 2015 on his way to Horse Of The Year honours and the following year Maurice’s Arrowfield Stud barnmate Mikki Isle (JPN) won the Mile Championship to be crowned the Champion Sprinter and Miler.
A son of the Sunday Silence’s Group 1 Hong Kong Vase winner Stay Gold, Indy Champ will now likely head to Hong Kong himself with the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile firmly in his sights.
Given a charmed ride by Kenichi Ikezoe, Indy Champ sat just off the speed set by My Style and was really only let off the bit over the final 250 metres to defeat the favourite Danon Premium (Deep Impact) by one and a half lengths with Persian Knight (Harbinger) a neck back in third.
Ikezoe made the most of his late call-up.
“I was asked to ride at short notice (in place of regular rider Yuichi Fukunaga who is under suspension) but wanted to deliver a good result since the colt was a Yasuda Kinen champion. I was told that he is a bit unstable at the start but he broke well and we were able to race in good position while eyeing Danon Premium. He responded really well when asked at the lane,” Ikezoe said.
Bred by Northern Racing and owned by Silk Racing, Indy Champ is the second foal of the 4-time winning King Kamehameha mare Will Power who is a half-sister to Arrowfield Stud’s ATC George Ryder Stakes and Tokyo Yasuda Kinen winner Real Impact (JPN) (Deep Impact) and to Oakland Stud’s Group 1 HKJC Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Neorealism (JPN) (Neo Universe) as well as the multiple stakes-winner I’ll Love Again (El Condor Pasa).
The third foal of Will Power is the smart 3yo A Will A Way (Just A Way) the last start winner of the Listed Opal Stakes at Kyoto and at two was runner-up in the Group II Keio Hai Nisai Stakes at Tokyo.
Will Power has a 2yo filly by Daiwa Major (JPN) and a filly foal by Kinshasa no Kiseki (AUS).
