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Second Group One victory for son of Lord Kanaloa
Sunday’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen (Gr 1, 1200m) at Chukyo was taken out by Danon Smash (6 h Lord Kanaloa - Spinning Wildcat by Hard Spun) who was winning his second race at Group 1 level following his Hong Kong Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) victory in December.
Danon Smash raced in midfield and came with a late run, between runners in the middle of the field, to grab the lead late on in the rain affected conditions. He scored by a neck over four-year-old mare Resistencia (Daiwa Major) with Indy Champ (Stay Gold) the same distance back in third.
Danon Smash had not raced since his Hong Kong Sprint victory on December 13 and Sunday’s victory took his tally to 11 wins and four placings from 23 starts.
Bred by K I Farm, Danon Smash is one of five winners from as many foals to race out of the winning Hard Spun (Danzig) mare Spinning Wildcat who K I Farm bought for US$600,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale.
His second dam is three-time Grade 1 winning champion Hollywood Wildcat (Kris S) who produced Grade 1 winning sire War Chant (Danzig) and his stakes winning sire half-brothers Ivan Denisovich (Danehill) and Ministers Wild Cat (Deputy Minister).
Danon Smash is of 25 stakes winners and five Group One winners for Lord Kanaloa which include last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Tagaloa. Arrowfield Stud will offer the only yearling by the sire at next month’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. The colt is catalogued as Lot 402, and is the fourth foal out of Lunatique (Deep Impact) who is herself a sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Fierement.