Kitasan Black's half-brother bound for the Japanese Derby after Classic trial success

The blue-blooded Sugar Kun cemented his Classic credentials in Tokyo on Saturday with a promising victory in an important trial, the Group 2 Aoba Sho. 

Bred by Yanagawa Bokujo, the son of Duramente was making it his third win from four starts and is now set to contest the Japanese Derby on May 26. Partnered by Yutaka Take for trainer Hisashi Shimizu, the three-year-old raced early in fifth position before moving to the top of the home straight to prevail by a head from Shonan La Punta. 

The colt, who only made his racecourse debut on February 4, is out of the Sakura Bakushin O mare Sugar Heart, making him a half-brother to the top-class racehorse Kitasan Black, now standing at Shadai Stallion Station and responsible for 2023 world champion Equinox among eight black-type scorers to date. The duo are also related to two further black-type performers in Shonan Bach and Everyone Black.

Sugar Kun comes home by a neck in the Tokyo Hai Aoba ShoCredit: Masakazu Takahashi

Take, who was marking his 4497th winner on the JRA, said: “I won the right [to go to the Derby] by finishing first, so I’m looking forward to it. He only debuted in February this year but was still able to perform like this. 

"His reaction when I asked him was good and he's getting better with every race. He's a horse with such a pedigree, I said from the time he made his debut I wanted him to be entered in the Derby, and somehow he made it in time."

The winning trainer added: "Now we have the rights to go to the Derby, I want to train him safely and without any regrets. He has many similarities [to his half-brother], including the fact he does things quite effortlessly and is very clever. I think he also has a lot of physical strength." 

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