Import Invades American Oaks

During a career that included a horse-of-the-year title in 1989, after victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic, Sunday Silence had his troubles at Hollywood Park.

Today, one of Sunday Silence’s daughters will be looking to improve upon the family’s local record.

Dance In The Mood, who bears a striking resemblance to her dad, right down to the white blaze on her face, will be the first Japanese-bred to run in the $750,000 American Oaks, a Grade I for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles on the turf.

Sunday Silence suffered three of his five defeats in Inglewood, the only place where he lost more than he won. After winning by 10 lengths against maidens as a 2-year-old in his first Hollywood Park start in the fall of 1988, he didn’t win there again until the 1990 Californian.

Between those two victories were a loss to Houston in an allowance sprint in December of his 2-year-old season, and an unforgettable upset by Prized in the 1989 Swaps, a race Sunday Silence looked to have wrapped up only yards from the finish.

Then, in what turned out to be his final start, Sunday Silence, who was trained and partly owned by the late Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham, lost by a head to Criminal Type, who went on to become horse of the year, in the 1990 Hollywood Gold Cup.

Retired because of a leg injury, Sunday Silence finished with nine wins in 14 starts and earnings of $4,968,554. Second in his five losses, he was elected into racing’s Hall of Fame in 1996.

Among today’s field of 14, Dance In The Mood is the lukewarm 9-2 favorite on Russ Hudak’s morning line.

Her appearance in the Oaks, in its third year of existence and graded for the first time, comes 46 years after Hakuchikara became the first Japanese-bred to run at Hollywood Park. He finished fourth at 14-1 in the 1958 Sunset, won by favored Gallant Man, but Hakuchikara did become a stakes winner in this country. He won the Washington’s Birthday Handicap at Santa Anita in 1959.

Owned by Teruya Yoshida’s Shadai Farm and trained by Kazuo Fujisawa, Dance In The Mood, whose mother was the recently deceased Nijinsky II mare Dancing Key, arrived last week in California. She brought along an impressive resume, with wins in four of five starts and earnings of more than $1.77 million.

She won the prestigious Oka Sho, the first leg of Japan’s filly Triple Crown, and finally was beaten in her most recent start. Attempting 1 1/2 miles for the first time in the $1,644,900 Japanese Oaks on May 23 at Tokyo Race Course, she finished fourth as the 2-5 favorite.

“Mr. Yoshida is a true sportsman,” said Martin Panza, Hollywood Park’s racing secretary and American Oaks creator. “He wants to race his horses outside Japan and not everyone is willing to do that. Hopefully, this will open the door to more Japanese horses racing here in the future.”

According to Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for Fujisawa, who has been Japan’s leading trainer 10 times, Dance In The Mood has adjusted well to Hollywood Park. She worked an easy half-mile in 53.40 on the main track Wednesday morning.

“She seems to like it here,” Tada said. “There have been no problems. The people at Hollywood Park have done a good job promoting this race and this seemed like the right spot for her. There are no big races in Japan right now and the mile and a quarter will suit her. She has speed, but you can do anything you want with her.

“She likes firm ground and the weather here is better right now than it is in Japan, where it’s very humid.”

The late Zenya Yoshida, Teruya’s father, bought Sunday Silence for a reported $11 million shortly after his racing career ended and the horse became Japan’s most influential stallion. His progeny have won 30 Group I races and earned more than $500 million, a record.

Best remembered for his rivalry with Easy Goer, whom he beat in three of their four meetings, Sunday Silence died Aug. 19, 2002, of complications of laminitis, an inflammation of the innermost layer of a horse’s hoof wall.

Dance In The Mood, a full sister of 1995 Japanese Oaks winner Dance Partner and former 3-year-old champion colt Dance In The Dark, broke her maiden by six lengths in her debut Dec. 20, 2003 at Nakayama, won an allowance about a month later at the same course, then won the Hai Flower Cup in her stakes debut March 20.

A look at Dance In The Mood’s performance lines shows how lucrative purses are in Japan.

For instance, the Hai Flower Cup, a Group III, was worth $711,000. When Dance In The Mood made her first start against 15 other 2-year-old maidens, the purse was $124,300. In contrast, the purse for a maiden race for 2-year-old maidens here today is $43,000.

Stepping into Group I company in the $1,586,000 Oka Sho, Dance In The Mood responded with a two-length victory over 17 opponents, then was upset in the Oaks six weeks later.

Under regular jockey Yutaka Take, who will be here for the American Oaks, Dance In The Mood finished 3 3/4 lengths behind Daiwa el Cielo.

“I think there were three things that worked against her,” Tada said. “The distance might have been too long, the ground might have been a little heavy and it just might not have been her day.”

Take, who has been Japan’s riding leader 13 times, echoed Tada.

“Maybe it was the distance or the going,” he said. “I don’t know. In the Oka Sho, there was always something there in my hands. I was holding her back, waiting. There was nothing [in her loss].”