NEWS
Company concludes career with win
in Mile Championship
Posted: Sunday, November 22, 2009 5:56 PM
Company brought down the curtain on his six-season career with a second consecutive Group 1 victory in the $2,134,831 Japan Autumn International Mile Championship (Jpn-G1) on Sunday at Kyoto Racecourse.
The Miracle Admire horse entered the Japan Racing Association record books as the only eight-year-old ever to win a Group 1 race as he scored his first victory at the highest level in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (Jpn-G1) three weeks ago at Tokyo Racecourse.
With Jockey Norihiro Yokoyama at the reins on Sunday, Company uncoiled a determined rally from midfield, overtook pacesetter Meiner Falke in the final 100 meters, and drew off to win by 1¼ lengths as the 2.30-to-1 favorite in the 18-horse field.
Company, who is out of the Northern Taste mare Brilliant Very, covered 1,600 meters (7.95 furlongs) in 1:33.20 on turf rated as firm for his ninth group stakes win.
“He is a spectacular horse,” Yokoyama told the Japan Times. “Today, his condition was great and he got a strong start. I led him inside the pack without any hesitation. I had a lot of confidence that we could win. I didn't worry about the other horses ahead of us”.
Meiner Falke held on for second, a neck in front of French-based English Group 1-winning filly Sahpresa, who displayed an electric turn of foot and gamely split horses in the closing stages to take third.
Retiring with an overall record of 12 wins from 35 career starts for owner Hideko Kondo and trainer Hidetaka Ontonashi, Company now heads to Shadai Stallion Station on the island of Hokkaido to launch his stud career.
