The final month of the year is the time for sorting out Japan's 2-year-olds with an eye to the coming year's Classics and Admire Zoom certainly showed himself as just the sort who might be right for those with a commanding victory in the Asahi Hai Futurity (G1) Dec. 15 at Kyoto Racecourse.
Admire Zoom, with Yuga Kawada up, broke cleanly from the No. 2 gate in the 1,600-meter (about 1 mile) feature and established position in the middle of three early challengers for the lead. He held the position comfortably around the outer loop of the Kyoto turf course and, straightening out for the run to the finish, picked up with only mild encouragement.
With a daylight lead and 100 meters to run, Admire Zoom easily prevailed by 2 1/2 length from Museum Mile. It was another 2 1/2 lengths to Lance of Chaos in third.
Admire Zoom finished the 1,600 meters (about 1 mile) in 1:34.1 over turf rated good to firm.
"I'm glad that the colt was able to finish the season at a good note," Kawada said. "His last race was also very impressive and I knew he had great potential to win this one, too. However, he's not the easiest horse to keep in control so I was careful to deal with that and today he was in good rhythm coming into the last corner so I was able to bring out his best performance.
"I knew then we were unbeatable."
Illustrating the sorting-out nature of the race, Daishin Ra, at odds of 149-1, held fourth after making the early going and the race favorite, Arte Veloce, reported fifth. Admire Zoom was making just his third career start and first in a graded stakes following a maiden race win Nov. 10, also at Kyoto.
Five of his rivals in the Futurity, including Museum Mile, were coming off back-to-back wins while taking on their initial group 1 challenge.
The field also included A Shin Wand, winner of the Kokura Nisai Stakes (G3) in September; Taisei Current and Arlecchino, who finished second and fifth, respectively, in the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup (G3); as well as Dragon Boost and the aforementioned Daishin Ra, runner-up and third-place finisher, respectively, in the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes (G2).
Punters did well under the uncertain form to follow the runners' connections. Kawada won the race for the second year in a row and fourth time overall and trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, who won the Japan Cup (G1) two weeks earlier with Do Deuce, won the Futurity for the third time.
Admire Zoom, a Maurice colt out of the Heart's Cry mare Daiwa Zoom, was bred by Shadai Farm and runs for Junko Kondo.
The race is one of two major heats for juveniles on Japan's December calendar. The Hopeful Stakes (G1) is run at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) Dec. 28 at Nakayama Racecourse, winding up the country's group 1 season.
Kawada said he's looking forward to the new year with Admire Zoom.
"As I've said, he does need to be handled carefully," the jockey cautioned. "But he has outstanding ability to have a great future ahead."
Trainer Tomomichi said before the race, "He's only a small horse but he has a lot of power. I think he can run well in top-level races."
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