Shonan Galleon, the second progeny of Flightline to appear in Japan Racing Association (JRA) competition, made an emphatic start to his racing career with an effortless win on turf at Hakodate Racecourse last Sunday.
Three weeks after the first crop of the 2022 Eclipse Award Horse of the Year produced its first winner anywhere in the world at Tokyo Racecourse, Shonan Galleon announced himself in brilliant fashion, stopping the clock in a sharp time that bettered the two-year-old course record by 0.5 seconds.
Shonan Galleon, a two-year-old colt trained by Shizuya Kato, is a Japanese-bred produced by Northern Farm. His dam, Tan Gritona, spent her racing career in Argentina and was named that country’s champion two-year-old filly in 2022. She won the G1 Gran Premio Jorge de Atucha on dirt and the G1 Gran Premio Potrancas on turf, before being imported to Japan in 2023 when in-foal to Flightline.
It was not the first time Shonan Galleon had attracted attention from the racing world. In 2024, he was offered at the foal session of the Select Sale – when Flightline’s first crop appeared at auction for the first time – and purchased by Tetsuhide Kunimoto, whose horses carry the ‘Shonan’ prefix. He was the second of the sire’s progeny to go through the ring and was knocked down for ¥210 million (US$1.3 million).
Shonan Galleon had already shown sharp movement in a public workout open to fans two weeks before the race, and he was sent off as the overwhelming favourite at odds of 1.3 in the newcomer race on July 5. The second elect was Danon Cube, ridden by Yutaka Take. Her dam is Irish Oaks winner Even So, and the filly had been purchased for ¥115 million (US$708,000) at the 2025 Select Sale.
The 1800-metre newcomer race began with a small field of five. Katsuma Sameshima, aboard Shonan Galleon, chose to ease him back into third after a good break. As Danon Cube opened up a sizable lead over the second horse, Shonan Galleon gradually began to quicken through the middle stages and closed the gap, moving within striking range of the leader around the final turn.
Once they entered the straight, Shonan Galleon took command while still travelling more comfortably than anything else in the race, then pulled away from his pursuers in Hakodate’s short run home. Under hands and heels riding, he finished two and a half lengths clear of runner-up Danon Cube to seal what was a dominant debut victory.
His winning time of 1:47.6 also set a new two-year-old course record for 1800 metres on turf at Hakodate, shaving half a second off the record established last July by Marga, the white half-sister to Sodashi. Marga died suddenly in May this year, but had left behind form that included a fifth-place finish in the G3 Artemis Stakes.
【#フライトライン 産駒がレコードV】#ショウナンガレオン が1:47.6の2歳コースレコードでデビューV‼️
— JRA公式 (@JRA_Special) July 5, 2026
昨年7月にマルガが記録したタイムを0.5秒更新しました😳
[函館5R 2歳新馬 芝1,800m] pic.twitter.com/Py0fv8ex8G
Flightline’s progeny are now two-for-two in JRA races following Demian, who became the sire’s first winner anywhere in the world in June. The fact that his second Japanese runner has also won on turf is a major selling point in a Japanese racing industry where turf performance is so highly valued.
No Flightline progeny are scheduled to be offered at the 2026 Select Sale, which is set to be held over two days from July 13. However, at this year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale, there are likely to be plenty of Japanese buyers casting keen eyes over the progeny of the 2022 World’s Best Racehorse.
Katsuma Sameshima was full of praise for Shonan Galleon, describing him as “the kind of material who can become a star.” His trainer has named the G3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes (1800m turf) at Sapporo Racecourse in September as a possible next target.
The first graded stakes victory for the most talked-about first-season sire in the Northern Hemisphere this year may not be far away.
Future Outlook: Shonan Galleon has the potential to win a graded stakes race in the future. ∎
