Hiroyasu Tanaka is under no illusions about the task facing his three-year-old Alohi Alii when he tackles some of the best Europeans of his generation, including 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court, in the G2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano (2000m) at Deauville next month.
Alohi Alii will attempt to secure a berth in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) in October by winning the August 16 race. Ace Impact in 2023 is the only horse to have completed the double.
In addition to Ruling Court, the race entries include two other Godolphin headline horses, G1 Prix du Jockey Club runner-up Cualificar and Idol Horse Future Idols prospect Opera Ballo. Prix du Jockey Club third Detain, G1 Grand Prix de Paris runner-up Trinity College, Group 1-placed Rashabar and unbeaten Group 2 winner Daryz are among others in contention.
“I feel Alohi Alii’s ability is better than his race record so far in Japan,” Tanaka told Idol Horse during this week’s JRHA Select Sale in Hokkaido. “We think he will handle the ground too and so I am looking forward to him against those types of horses. He will be ridden by Christophe Lemaire in the race and, as long as he doesn’t perform too poorly at Deauville, he will go to the Arc.
“Running in the Arc is a dream for both the owner and myself. The horse was bought here at the Select Sale, and when we chose this horse, we felt he was an Arc prospect. Also, pedigree-wise, his dam sire is Orfevre. We have been thinking about running him in the Arc since the start.”
Alohi Alii is from the final crop of the late Duramente and his owner Tsuyoshi Suzuki bought him for 66 million yen (USD$444,400) at the 2022 JRHA Select Sale’s foal session.
He has had four starts, all at 2000m, for a two-year-old newcomer win at Tokyo in November, a second in a three-year-old one-win contest at Nakayama in January, a third to Faust Rasen in the G2 Yayoi Sho (Deep Impact Kinen) at Nakayama in March and a last-start eighth to Museum Mile in the G1 Satsuki Sho – the Japanese 2,000 Guineas – also at Nakayama, in April.
“He is now back at Miho to train in my stable,” Tanaka said. “He is doing well and is continuing to train towards the race without any issues. He will depart for France on July 28 and will stay at Satoshi Kobayashi’s stable at Chantilly.”
While Tanaka has had runners in the United States, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Australia since he opened his stable in 2018, this will be his venture to Europe with a horse.
But the former jockey is no stranger to France. He rode there for much of 2011, scoring one win at Fontainebleau aboard Kobayashi-trained April Love Song. He also became the first Japanese jockey to win a race in Belgium when he won aboard the same horse at Mons later that year.
“I was learning about French racing at the time I rode over there and I feel that kind of experience will be an advantage for me,” he said. “This will be my first time sending my horse to France as a trainer but I have visited France almost every year since 2011, so I just feel really excited that I can finally have a French runner.”
Alohi Alii will not be the only Japanese runner at Deauville that weekend; Ascoli Piceno, winner of the G1 Victoria Mile, and Go To First will tackle the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois (1600m). Lemaire will maintain his association with Ascoli Piceno. ∎
