Lord Kanaloa mare likely to be covered by Epiphaneia
Superstar mare Almond Eye (5 m Lord Kanaloa - Fusaichi Pandora by Sunday Silence) signed off her career with the perfect fairytale ending when she produced an impressive performance to chalk up her second victory in the Japan Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) in Tokyo on Sunday.
The mare will now begin her career as a broodmare, with Katsumi Yoshida hinting that second season sire Epiphaneia (Symboli Kris S) would likely be elected the first stallion for the multiple top-flight winner.
Almond Eye - who won the Grade 1 in 2018, but missed the race last year - held a prominent position throughout the race, which was run at a furious tempo, set by Kiseki (Rulership).
As the field entered the home straight, Kiseki still held a healthy advantage, but as he began to empty Christophe Lemaire asked Almond Eye for her effort and she responded in her typical fashion, powering home to hand Triple Crown-winning pair Contrail (Deep Impact) and Daring Tact (Epiphaneia) with their first defeats of their careers. The winning distance was a length and a quarter, while Daring Tact was another neck behind second-placed Contrail.
The Sakae Kunieda-trained mare retires the winner ten of her 14 career starts, with her wins headed by nine victories at the top-level, which saw her accrue ¥1,611,718,175 ($20,955,962) in career prize-money and in regaining her crown in the race Almond Eye becomes only the second horse to win two Japan Cups, joining 2012 and 2013 heroine Gentildonna (Deep Impact).
"I am very happy to win with Almond Eye again of course, but it's the most delightful thing for me that I could make her win on her last run," said Lemaire.
"Today, I could enjoy the race and it was special – she was Almond Eye as usual and she was professional. I couldn't stop my tears last time because of the pressure of the record-breaking expectation, but today, it was a Sayonara party. She's the strongest horse in Japan."
Kunieda admitted he felt the pressure ahead of the race.
“The pace was ideal for Almond Eye and her response was totally different from that in the Tenno Sho. We did feel pressure but today, all we wanted was for her to come back safe and sound.
"The victory is such a bonus, we couldn’t be happier. She has given us so much excitement and joy and it has been fulfilling to be a part of her career. It would be great if I could be involved in training her colt or filly someday.”
Almond Eye is out of Listed-winning Sunday Silence (Halo) mare Fusaichi Pandora, whose seven other foals to race have all been winners.
Further back the mare hails from the family of multiple Group 1 winner and champion sire El Gran Senor (Northern Dancer) and fellow elite level winner Try My Best (Northern Dancer).
Almond Eye is one of four top-flight winners Lord Kanaloa (King Kamehameha) and the quartet includes Tagaloa, who landed last season’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m). Arrowfield Stud will offer two lots by the stallion at next year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, which gets underway on January 12.
