February 19
Lemon Pop made the anticipated breakthrough to Group 1 level in emphatic fashion on Sunday when the dominant winner of the Group 1 February Stakes at Tokyo.
Out of a half-sister to REDESDALE, the son of Lemon Drop Kid was winning for the eighth time for Godolphin. His dam, Unreachable, was acquired privately for under the asking price after failing to sell for $55,000 at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale. Her Good Magic colt that she was carrying at the time went on to sell for $325,000 – now named Equivoque, he is in training with Todd Pletcher.
Partnered by Ryusei Sakai, Lemon Pop broke smartly, was always travelling comfortably and only had to be shaken up to score by a wide margin over last year’s Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen runner-up Red Le Zele. Top American challenger Shirl’s Speight was well beaten in ninth.
“I’m grateful to have been given the chance to ride such a strong and favored horse and am happy we won. I rode him in workouts and found out he was laid-back and very easy to ride. Today we sat near the pace, just as planned. He responded well and pulled away strongly, all the way to the wire,” commented Ryusei Sakai.
Trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka now plans to run Lemon Pop in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan next month.
The Giant’s Causeway mare Unreachable is a daughter of Grade 3 winner Harpia, also the dam of our exciting young stallion Redesdale. In turn, Harpia is a full-sister to the breed-shaping sire Danehill and a direct descendant of Natalma, dam of Northern Dancer.
Unreachable has a two-year-old colt by Good Magic and a yearling colt by Maclean’s Music.
- Also on Sunday, former pinhook Made In Dubai broke his maiden at Meydan. The son of More Than Ready was pinhooked for under the asking price when failing to sell for $47,000 as a yearling and was resold for 145,000gns through Church Farm Stables and Horse Park Stud at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale in Newmarket.
