While it may have taken Kobayashi mare Midnight In Tokyo 30 starts to record her first stakes victory, it only took until her very next start to record her second, winning the $160,000 Listed BRC Just Now (1300m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday for Annabel and Rob Archibald.
Straight to the lead under Ryan Maloney, race favourite Midnight In Tokyo was one of five runners in the field under double figure odds, possibly indicating that the mare may have been slightly suspect at the 1300m, a distance she had not won over in the past.
Maloney took his time to cross the field as En Pointe attempted to go with her, but jockey Daniel Moor decided to let Maloney go and have his mount settle in second.
With Midnight In Tokyo getting an easy lead, she came to the home turn full of running where she skipped clear with nothing really making any impression in the run to the line.
Eased down late, Midnight In Tokyo scored by three quarters of a length from Benedetta’s half-sister Sunset Dreaming (Impending) with Ciaron Maher’s Zoustar mare Zaszou finishing in third.
Taking her record to seven wins and 12 placed efforts from 31 starts with earnings of $710,400, a mare in form should never be discounted, and Midnight In Tokyo is worth following.
Bred by Aquis Farm, Midnight In Tokyo is the third winner from four to the races out of the Casino Prince mare Orabelle, a three-quarter-sister to the Listed winner All Too Royal and a half-sister to Group 3 winner Bel Merci.
Also the dam of the Listed-winning, Group 2 placed Generosity, Orabelle is herself a daughter of the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes winner Bel Mer.
Currently based at Parson Creek, Orabelle’s current 2yo is an unraced Russian Revolution filly named Bella Tatiana in the stable of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, while Newgate Farm will consign the Capitalist yearling colt out of the mare at January’s Magic Millions yearling sale as a Lot 641.
Midnight In Tokyo is one of four stakes performers by I Am Invincible’s Listed-winning son Kobayashi who is standing this season at Aquis for a fee of $13,200 (inc. GST).
