'I'm looking forward to next year' - Suave Richard's daughter Regaleira flies home to defeat Sottsass' brother in Hopeful Stakes

Regaleira showed a potent turn of foot to capture the Group 1 Hopeful Stakes and provide her exciting first-season sire Suave Richard with a first top-level winner at Nakayama on Thursday. 

The favourite and sole filly in the field was settled in rear initially but came through to score by three-quarters of a length, at the chief expense of Shin Emperor, a Siyouni brother to Arc and Prix du Jockey Club hero Sottsass who could be entered for next year's Betfred Derby at Epsom. 

The Ecurie des Monceaux-bred colt out of the late blue hen Starlet's Sister was a €2,100,000 purchase by Yoshito Yahagi from Arqana in 2022 and had captured the Group 3 Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nisai Stakes in November.

The Northern Farm-bred Regaleira was not only a first top-level winner for her Shadai Stallion-based sire, but also a first as damsire for another Shadai stallion in Harbinger, a more familiar name to European bloodstock followers. 

The two-year-old was winning her second race from three starts for trainer Tetsuya Kimura.

Regaleira: "She has shown plenty of ability since her debut"Credit: Masakazu Takahashi

Suave Richard stands at Shadai for a fee of ¥ 15,000,000 (£83,000/€96,000) in 2024. The son of the late Heart's Cry won the Japan Cup and Osaka Hai from five Group wins overall and has now sired two Group winners, the other being Keio Hai Nisai Stakes winner Corazon Beat.

Winning rider Christophe Lemaire said: "I was easily able to get up from behind and the speed at the end was amazing. Her start wasn't very good and she ended up out the back, but she settled well and was able to show her turn of foot in the end. I had to think about where to go for a while, but once I let her go outside she responded well.

"She has shown plenty of ability since her debut, and she used her turn of foot so well in her third race. I'm looking forward to next year."

Shin Emperor's rider Bauyrzhan Murzabayev said: "I rode him in his training and he ran well today. He's a bit green, but I think it's a good thing he has improved every time of racing. However, I was closed on and run down by a horse who was a bit sharper. 

"He ran very well, and he tried to fight hard again at the end, but by then the race was over. He's a good horse and I think he'll get better next year."

Yahagi added: "I think he took the lead too early. He went early because I didn't want him to end up idling. I think the winning horse is talented, but he has something that is comparable. Although he is still a baby, I think he has shown a high level of ability."

Read more

'They are the grassroots of Irish racing' - Coolmore announces incentive for point-to-point breeders 

'Martyn has the capacity to turn it into a successful operation' - a look behind the scenes at Manton Park Stud 

Champion racehorse and top sire Classic Empire sold to continue stud career in South Korea