Gentildonna made history on Sunday when becoming the first three-year-old filly to win the Japan Cup, beating the favourite Orfevre by just a nose.
Her victory in one of the country’s most prestigious races sealed a memorable season for the Northern Racing-bred daughter of Deep Impact who also won Japan’s Fillies’ Triple Crown – landing the Oka Sho (1,000 Guineas) in April, the Yushun Himba (Oaks) in May and the Shuka Sho in October. Her stakes wins in 2012 also include the Grade 3 Sho Shinzan Kinen and Grade 2 Sho Rose Stakes to take her earnings to £5,687,786.
Gentildonna’s Japan Cup victory on the eve of the December Sales in Newmarket provided a timely boost for Tattersalls, which had sold her dam, the Cheveley Park Stakes winner Donna Blini, to Katsumi Yoshida for 500,000gns at the 2006 sale.
Despite the lofty price tag, she can certainly be considered a good buy as the daughter of Bertolini’s first two foals are both stakes winners, with Gentildonna’s year-older sister Donau Blue having won two Grade 3 contests in 2012. She was also runner-up in the Grade 1 Victoria Mile.
Two of Donna Blini’s half-sisters – Little Book and Sister Moonshine – are catalogued to sell in Newmarket next week, while another full-sister has already been sold privately to Japan.
