Major breakthrough for Too Darn Hot in Japanese Classic trial

Too Darn Hot had his first Group winner in Japan as Etes Vous Prets took Sunday's Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue at Hanshin. The event over seven furlongs is one of the main trials for next month's Oka Sho, the Japanese 1,000 Guineas.

Etes Vous Prets was bred by Godolphin out of the top-class Nahoodh, a winner of the Lowther Stakes at York as a two-year-old for Mick Channon and later the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes for Mark Johnston. Among her previous progeny is Hawkesbury, who was promising for Godolphin before winning at Listed level in Abu Dhabi.

The grey filly, who is trained by Kenichi Fujioka in the colours of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, was Too Darn Hot's first winner in Japan when landing a maiden at the track last September. 

Now successful in three of six starts, he is the only Too Darn Hot to have appeared in the country so far. Etes Vous Prets bounced out of the gates and made virtually all the running along the rail under Yusuke Fujioka, scoring by three-quarters of a length from hot favourite and Group 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies third Corazon Beat.

European champion two and three-year-old colt Too Darn Hot, who stands at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud at a fee of £65,000, made a very fine start with his first crop last year. They included the Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Fallen Angel among three others to have won in European Group company.

Nahoodh, a daughter of Clodovil bred by Petra Bloodstock Agency, was sold to Loughtown Stud for €65,000 at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale in 2021. A yearling filly by Earthlight was sold for 150,000gns to Amo Racing, Robson Aguiar and Hamish Macauley at last year's Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

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