There may have been no Triple Crown winner for British racing this year but in Japan, Gentildonna took the fillies’ Triple Crown by the narrowest of margins when beating Verxina by a nose in the Shuka Sho at Kyoto on Sunday.
Deep Impact, sire of the fillies’ Triple Crown winner Gentildonna
The first two home are both daughters of Deep Impact, and his sire Sunday Silence also featured as a grandparent of the third-placed filly, Aramatico, who is by King Kamehameha out of the Sunday Silence mare Nasca.
Gentildonna has her roots in Britain as she is the second foal of Bertolini’s first-crop Group 1-winning daughter Donna Blini, who was bred in Scotland by Gordon Thom.
The former Brian Meehan trainee was sold at Tattersalls’ December Mares Sale in 2006, fetching 500,000gns when knocked down to Katsumi Yoshida, and she has proved a sound investment.
Her first foal, Donau Blue, a full-sister to Gentildonna, is already a dual Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed, and she added more black type to her record on Saturday when running third in the Grade 2 Fuchu Himba Stakes in Tokyo. Gentildonna herself has won five stakes races, including the Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) and Grade 1 Yushun Himba (Oaks).
Donna Blini’s half-brother by Tiger Hill passed through the ring during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale last week but was unsold at 50,000gns.
