It appears solely a matter of time earlier than a challenger from Japan captures the Kentucky Derby (G1). Certainly, it may properly have occurred in 2024, as it is simple to think about Japanese runner Endlessly Younger , who was overwhelmed by a pair of noses by Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone , may have prevailed with a cleaner journey.
With that in thoughts, it is properly value maintaining a tally of the Japan Street to the Derby, step one of which is the Cattleya Stakes that Pure Rise captured Nov. 24.
Pure Rise received by three-quarters of a size over a strong-closing Clay King (from the primary crop of Arkansas Derby, G1, division winner Nadal ), with Kentucky-breds T O Elvis (Risky ) and Snappy Dresser (Union Rags ) occupying third and fourth, respectively. The Cattleya was the second win in two begins for Pure Rise, who scored by six lengths on his debut, an about eight-furlong maiden particular weight at Sapporo again in July.
Pure Rise is a product of the formulation we not too long ago mentioned with regard to Do Deuce—winner of the Japan Cup (G1) this weekend—that of crossing a Sunday Silence line stallion over a U.S.-pedigreed mare.
Kizuna , the sire of Pure Rise, is without doubt one of the prime runners for his personal sire, Deep Impression, who’s the dominant stallion son of Sunday Silence. Kizuna was notably profitable at 3 when he took the Mainichi Hai (G3) and the Tokyo Yushun-Japan Derby (G1). Despatched to Europe, Kizuna held Epsom Derby (G1) winner Ruler of the World at bay by a nostril within the Prix Niel (G2), and ran fourth within the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) to the formidable trio of Treve , Orfevre , and Intello . Voted champion of his class in 2013, Kizuna received the Sankei Osaka Hai (G2) on his debut at 4, however was discovered to have sustained a small fracture to his left hind leg after ending fourth within the Spring Tenno Sho-Emperor’s Cup (G1). Out for the remainder of that yr, he returned at 5 however by no means recovered his greatest kind, retiring to Shadai Stallion Station after struggling one other damage that September.
At stud, Kizuna made a shiny begin, ending 2019 because the main freshman sire in Japan. He is represented by 37 black-type stakes winners from his first six crops, 24 of them graded, together with the grade 1 scorers Songline, Justin Milano, and Akai Ito.
Pure Rise’s dam, Woman Madonna, was foaled in Japan however conceived within the U.S., having been imported in utero, after her dam, Dreamwriter, was acquired by Narvick Worldwide on behalf of Grand Stud for $285,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s 2015 The November Sale. A winner twice in six begins in Japan, Woman Madonna produced Pure Rise as her first foal.
Dreamwriter, a daughter of Story of the Cat, was a winner at 2 in England. She is half sister to the 2014 Breeders’ Futurity (G1), Blue Grass Stakes (G1), and Tampa Bay Derby (G2) victor Carpe Diem ; to J. B.’s Thunder , profitable within the 2010 Breeders’ Futurity; to the five-time graded stakes-winning filly Farrell ; and to Doncaster Rover , a a number of group-placed, three-time stakes winner in England. Two different half sisters to Dreamwriter produced stakes winners: Star Sighting is the dam of Pegasus Stakes scorer Salute the Stars , and I am Great is the dam of final yr’s Black Gold Stakes winner, Great Justice .
Dreamwriter’s dam, Redbridled Desires (by Unbridled’s Tune), received the Cash Penny Stakes at Hawthorne Race Course and earned graded black-type with a 3rd within the Silverbulletday Stakes (G2) at Truthful Floor Race Course & Slots. She is out of Key Cents, a daughter of the Danzig son Hall Key, who received 13 races, together with a pair of restricted New York-bred black-type occasions.
Centimeter, the dam of Key Cents, was foaled in New Jersey, however she is out the Calumet Farm-bred Penny One. By Finest End up of a Tim Tam mare, Penny One had an fascinating pedigree, as Finest Flip’s granddam Miz Clementine was a sister to Two Lea, the dam of Tim Tam. The sisters had been achieved runners and producers for Calumet. Penny One’s fourth dam, Twilight Tear, was an much more distinguished product because the co-champion 2-year-old filly, and never solely division champion at 3 but additionally 1944’s champion handicap mare and Horse of the Yr.
Pure Rise is bred on one thing of reverse cross to the Peter Pan Stakes (G2) winner Sunday Break, who was by Distorted Humor’s sire, Forty Niner, out of Kizuna’s dam, Catequil. He is additionally inbred 3×4 to Kizuna’s broodmare sire, Storm Cat, a sample that seems in two of Kizuna’s stakes winners.
