Badrinath gave Contrail his first stakes winner but more importantly showed the kind of progression that puts the G1 Hopeful Stakes and a possible Champion Two-Year-Old Colt title firmly on the radar.
On a wet afternoon at Kyoto Racecourse with a big crowd in for G1 Kikuka Sho day, the Listed Hagi Stakes (1800m) brought together some of Japan’s most promising two-year-olds. It was Badrinath, a first-crop son of Triple Crown hero Contrail, who took charge of the story.
Contrail’s first crop has already made its mark but Badrinath looks the flagbearer. His win made him Contrail’s first multiple winner, first stakes winner and perhaps the colt to deliver his sire’s first Group 1 before the year is out.
The Hagi Stakes has produced top-level horses before including Saturnalia, Danon Scorpion and Chevalier Rose, who will run in this year’s Melbourne Cup. This year the Study Of Man colt Kikko Bello was sent off the 1.9 favorite while Badrinath started at 4.0.
When the gates opened no one wanted to lead and the early pace was slow and tactical. Reading it perfectly, Ryusei Sakai pushed Badrinath forward to take up the running. He was shuffled back to third mid-race but when Sakai asked at the 200m the colt exploded, putting a break on his rivals and holding off Kikko Bello’s late surge to score by a length.
The win brought Sakai to 100 JRA victories for the season. Fittingly, his 600th career win in September had also come aboard Badrinath. “This number is a total you simply must achieve,” Sakai said of the milestone. “Last time he still had green traits but today he had no issues.”
Badrinath’s pedigree adds to the story. He’s from Contrail’s first crop and was the first foal by the Triple Crown winner born at Northern Farm. He even made the cover of Weekly Gallop a month after his birth. His dam Mohini produced the American-bred filly Pista, winner of the 2020 G2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster and runner-up in the G1 Prix de Royallieu that same year.
Trained by Mikio Matsunaga, Badrinath was narrowly beaten on debut in August by Promesa al Mundo, the second son of Almond Eye, before romping home by four lengths in a maiden a month later. He showed signs of immaturity that day when he rolled out upon straightening but his raw ability was clear.
Since Contrail’s first winner in July, his progeny have racked up 13 victories, placing him on top among first-season sires. On the two-year-old sires table he trails only Epiphaneia, ahead of Maurice.
Connections haven’t confirmed the next stop but the G1 Hopeful Stakes (2000m) at Nakayama in December looks the logical target. Recent Hagi Stakes winners Saturnalia and Time Flyer went on to take the Hopeful, while Weltreisende and Top Knife finished second.
Alongside Kikko Bello, Badrinath looks set to lead the charge toward next year’s Classics and perhaps add a few more firsts to Contrail’s growing list of achievements. ∎
Future Outlook: A talent with the potential to be Champion Two-Year-Old Colt
