To sire
a Japan Cup winner from your first crop is a fairytale start to a stud career
for a Japanese sire and it's a feat achieved by former champion sprinter miler
Lord Kanaloa, whose outstanding three year-old filly Almond Eye took out the
prestigious 2400 metre contest on Sunday.
Trained by Sakae Kunieda and ridden by Christophe- Patrice Lemaire, Almond Eye
scored a dominant length and three quarter win in the brilliantly fast time of 2.20.06,
breaking the Tokyo course record.
She is only the second three-year-old filly to win the Cup and, like previous
champion filly Gentildonna in 2012, did so after capturing the Triple Crown with
wins in the Shuka Sho, Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) and the Yushun Himba
(Japanese Oaks) earlier in the season.
Almond Eye has the overall record of six wins and a second from seven starts.
She comes with a big female pedigree and is the best of seven winners from
stakes-winning Sunday Silence mare Fusaichi Pandora, a grand-daughter of
influential North American matriarch Sex Appeal, the dam of triple Group I
winner El Gran Senor and Group I winner Try My Best, the sire of champion sire Last
Tycoon (IRE).
Almond Eye is the best offspring to date for Lord Kanaloa, who was the Champion
Japanese First Season Sire in 2017.
By the Kingmambo stallion King
Kamehameha,
Lord Kanaloa has four Australian yearlings bred by Arrowfield and partners, one
of which is entered for Magic Millions. Lot 266 is a bay colt from Japanese
winner Vaslissa, a half-sister to Japanese stakes-winner Tricolore Bleu from
English Group III winner Penkenna Princess.