Daring Tact
Daring Tact (Japanese デアリングタクト, foaled 15 April 2017) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning her only race as a two-year-old she won the Elfin Stakes on her three-year-old debut and went on to record Grade 1 victories in the Oka Sho and Yushun Himba.
| Daring Tact | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Epiphaneia |
| Grandsire | Symboli Kris S |
| Dam | Daring Bird |
| Damsire | King Kamehameha |
| Sex | Filly |
| Foaled | 15 April 2017[1] |
| Country | Japan |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | Hasegawa Bokujo |
| Owner | Normandy Thoroughbred Racing |
| Trainer | Haruki Sugiyama |
| Record | 4: 4-0-0 |
| Earnings | ¥293,891,000 |
| Major wins | |
| Elfin Stakes (2020) Oka Sho (2020) Yushun Himba (2020) | |
Background
Daring Tact is a brown filly with a small white star bred in Japan by the Hasegawa Bokujo. As a yearling in 2018 she was put up for auction at the Japan Racing Horse Association Select Sale of Yearlings and was bought for ¥12,960,000 by the Normandy Farm.[2] She was sent into training with Haruki Sugiyama.
She was from the first crop of foals sired by Epiphaneia who won the Kikuka Sho and the Japan Cup and was rated the second-best horse in the world in 2014.[3] Daring Tact's dam Daring Bird showed no racing ability but was a daughter of Daring Heart who won the Queen Stakes and Fuchu Himba Stakes as well as being placed in the Oka Sho, NHK Mile Cup and Victoria Mile.[4] Daring Heart was a daughter of the American-bred broodmare Daring Danzig, who was exported to Japan after being sold for $435,000 at Keeneland in November 1998.[5][6]
Racing career
2019: two-year-old season
Daring Tact made her racecourse debut in a contest for previously unraced juveniles over 1600 metres on firm ground at Kyoto Racecourse on 16 November 2019 and won from the colt No Security.[7]
2020: three-year-old season
On 8 February 2020 Daring Tact began her second campaign in the Listed Elfin Stakes over 1600 metres at Kyoto. She came from tenth place on final turn before showing "top-class acceleration" to take the lead 100 metres from the finish and drew away to win by four lengths.[8] Her trainer Haruki Sugiyama later commented "She was agitated behind the gate and she didn’t break very well. She did settle during the trip however, and displayed a good turn of foot over the last furlong."[9]
On 12 April at Hanshin Racecourse Daring Tact was stepped up in class to contest the 80th running of the Oka Sho over 1600 metres in which she was ridden by Kohei Matsuyama and went off the 3.2/1 second favourite behind Resistencia. The other sixteen runners included Sanctuaire (Shinzan Kinen), Ria Amelia (Artemis Stakes), Maltese Diosa (Tulip Sho), Miyamazakura (Queen Stakes), Smile Kana (Fairy Stakes), Woman's Heart (Niigata Nisai Stakes) and Epos (Fillies' Revue). In a race run in heavy rain, Daring Tact was restrained towards the rear of the field before making rapid progress on the wide outside on the final turn. She maintained her progress as the front-runners tired, overtook Resistencia inside the last 50 metres and was finishing to such effect that she won by one and a half lengths. Resistencia held on for second ahead of Smile Kana and Cravache d'Or. After the race Matsuyama said "I concentrated on her rhythm more than where to position her today. We were far behind the leaders and desperate in catching up but she responded beautifully and stretched incredibly all the way to the line."[10]
At Tokyo Racecourse on 24 May Daring Tact was moved up in distance and started the 0.6/1 favourite for the 2400 metre Yushun Himba. Her opponents on this occasion included Des Ailes (Sweetpea Stakes), Cravache d'Or, Miyamazakura, Sanctuaire (Shinzan Kinen), Win Marilyn (Flora Stakes), Ria Amelia (Artemis Stakes), Smile Kana, Maltese Diosa, Woman's Heart and Ablaze (Flower Cup). Daring Tact started well before being settled towards the rear of the field as Smile Kana set the pace. The stablemates Win Mighty and Win Marilyn went past the early leaders in the straight and looked to have the race between then, but Daring Tact, having briefly struggled to obtain a clear run, accelerated through a narrow gap, gained the advantage in the final strides and won by half a length. Win Marilyn beat Win Mighty a neck for second with fourth place going to Ria Amelia. Matsuyama commented "we were bumped a few times, so I decided to keep her relaxed in a lower position than planned. She instantly kicked into gear once out of traffic in the straight and showed another amazing run down the middle of the lane. Her tremendous burst of speed was extraordinary. It was the first time I rode a favorite [in Grade 1 races] and I admit I felt the pressure, so I’m relieved".[11]
Pedigree
| Sire Epiphaneia (JPN) 2010 |
Symboli Kris S (USA) 1999 |
Kris S | Roberto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp Queen | |||
| Tee Kay | Gold Meridian | ||
| Tri Argo | |||
| Cesario (JPN) 2002 |
Special Week | Sunday Silence (USA) | |
| Campaign Girl | |||
| Kirov Premiere (GB) | Sadler's Wells (USA) | ||
| Querida (IRE) | |||
| Dam Daring Bird (JPN) 2011 |
King Kamehameha (JPN) 2001 |
Kingmambo (USA) | Mr Prospector |
| Miesque | |||
| Manfath (IRE) | Last Tycoon | ||
| Pilot Bird (GB) | |||
| Daring Heart (JPN) 2002 |
Sunday Silence (USA) | Halo | |
| Wishing Well | |||
| Daring Danzig (USA) | Danzig | ||
| Impetuous Gal (CAN) (Family: 1-l)[6] |
- Daring Tact was inbred 3 × 4 to Sunday Silence, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of her pedigree.
References
- "Daring Tact pedigree". Equineline.
- "2018 Select Sale: Yearlings Lot 53". JBIS.
- "The 2014 World Thoroughbred Rankings". Horseracingintfed.com. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
- "Daring Heart form". JBIS.
- Goda, Naohiro. "Daring Tact Descends From Quality American Pedigree". The Blood-Horse.
- "Paraffin - Family 1-l". Thoroughbred Bloodlines. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
- "Race Records:Lifetime Starts Daring Tact". JBIS.
- "Oka Sho - Preview". Horse Racing in Japan. 7 April 2020.
- "Oka Sho - Comments from runners' connections". Horse Racing in Japan. 10 April 2020.
- "Daring Tact Closes Impressively to Capture Oka Sho, First Leg of Fillies' Triple Crown". Horse Racing in Japan. 12 April 2020.
- "Daring Tact Prevails in Yushun Himba-Second Leg of Fillies Triple Crown". Horse Racing in Japan. 20 May 2020.