Go To First: Japan’s longshot seeks a straight-mile shakeup in Deauville

Prix Jacques le Marois (G1), 1600m, 3yo+ - Deauville, Sunday 17 August 2025

Go To First and Yuga Kawada after winning the 2 Win Teletama Hai at Tokyo - picture from netkeiba.com

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Scene setter

On Sunday at Deauville, the Prix Jacques le Marois (straight 1600m; €1m) stages the summer’s clearest mile examination - no bends, minimal traffic excuses, maximal emphasis on rhythm and acceleration. Into that laboratory walks Go To First, a five-year-old Japanese raider with a profile that’s part curiosity, part ambition. He’s no marquee name - four wins from 15, most of his damage done in allowance and listed-level company - but he owns firm-ground mile credentials and a temperament that travels. His team have chosen audacity over caution - ship, aim high, and see if his mile can scale to Group 1 intensity on a straight course.

Why the Marois matters

The Marois routinely sets the division’s hierarchy and signposts autumn targets like the Breeders’ Cup Mile. It’s also where international form lines meet on level terms. For Japan, it carries the echo of Taiki Shuttle (1998) and the modern confidence of a program that breeds repeatable action, speed, and balance. Win here and you’re not just the best miler on the day - you often become the benchmark miler of the year. Even a placing upgrades pedigrees and future placement options. For a horse like Go To First, it’s a chance to move from domestic undercard to global conversation.

Race-by-race: the campaign to Deauville

28 Dec 2024 - Nakayama, Final Stakes (1600m) The confidence-builder. From a stalking spot he produced one clean run and outstayed rivals up the short Nakayama straight to land his second mile win of the year (around 1:34 for the trip). That result earned him a crack at graded company.

9 Feb 2025 - Tokyo Shimbun Hai (G3, 1600m) First step up in grade; he went off a double-figure odds runner and finished 12th of 16. Not disgraced, but found wanting when the sprint engaged at the 300m. Lesson learned - Group races remove comfort margins.

5 Apr 2025 - Lord Derby Challenge Trophy (G3, 1600m ) A better gauge. Eighth of 13 in a blanket finish, beaten only about 0.4 seconds by Trovatore. That narrow margin across many horses suggested he can sit at the back end of G3 company when race shape cooperates.

Since April - Freshening and travel:

Connections hit pause after April, rebuilt him for a northern-hemisphere summer target, and shipped with the Marois as the aim. Reports from Deauville are that he’s settled, eating, and breezing without fuss - small details that matter for a first-time traveller.

Profile: what kind of miler is he?

Go To First is a momentum horse. He’s at his best when he can travel within himself, lock onto a back, and be released in a straight line. A mile is his sweet spot; 2000m stretches his sprint and 1400m can rush him. On Tokyo firm he has shown he can sustain speed late; at Nakayama he proved he can win off a shorter run. When the race turns into a pure 300m blast, he can look one-paced relative to elite milers - but if the tempo lifts from halfway and the final 400m becomes a test of sustained speed, he can keep finding.

Pedigree: built for balance and repeatability

Sire: Rulership (by King Kamehameha) - international G1 quality, a source of scope and athleticism; often imparts a rangy stride that suits a building run. Dam: Title Part (by Agnes Tachyon) - Sunday Silence line influence that brings poise, cadence, and mental toughness. Foaled: 11 February 2020. Sale: ¥51.7m as a Select Sale yearling.

This is a classic Japanese cross - King Kamehameha speed stacked on Sunday Silence composure. The page reads mile/middle-distance; the action reads straight-track friendly. He’s also the first stakes winner out of his dam, a positive marker for Title Part’s broodmare record.

Connections and logistics

Trainer: Koichi Shintani (Ritto), a younger handler who opened his stable in 2019 and now sends his first runner to Europe - an important moment for the yard. Owner: Kazunari Goto (the horse’s name winks at the owner: “Go To”). Breeder: Northern Farm, the powerhouse production line.

Jockey: Mirai Iwata is booked. The Japan-based rider takes over for Deauville, tasked with keeping Go To First smooth early, latching onto the right group, and producing one decisive, straight-line run. With Christophe Lemaire committed to Ascoli Piceno, Iwata’s brief is clear - conserve, track, and time the release inside the last 350m.

Versatility, surface, and scenario

Surface: best on fast ground; can handle some give, but his Tokyo mile (1:32.8) screams “sound surface.”

Run style: tactically flexible - can sit handy or mid-pack - but most effective when he can coil and lengthen rather than chop and change.

Two viable scenarios:

• Even-to-strong gallop from the 1200m - He drafts two to three lengths off the speed, changes up from the 500–400m, and sustains through the last 200m. That is his optimal lane.

• Steady first 1000m then blast - Less ideal. He risks being out-pinged by colts and classic milers with more instantaneous change-of-gear.

Go To First working in Chantilly

Rider and race shape

The straight mile forces early decisions - stands’ side, far side, or middle. Group dynamics can split fields; wind can exaggerate a bias. Iwata's optimal ride is patience with intent - take cover behind a principal, delay the switch until 350m, then ask for a single, linear effort. Weaving for gaps dulls this horse’s weapon; one angle and go is the pattern from his best wins.

Opposition: benchmarking the field

Ascoli Piceno (JPN, 4f) - G1 Victoria Mile winner with an elite late kick. Brings proven international adaptability and Christophe Lemaire’s timing.

European 3yos - Ruling Court (2000 Guineas winner), The Lion In Winter (narrowly denied in the Prix Jean Prat), Dancing Gemini (highly regarded). The allowance and current-season sharpness make this cohort dangerous.

Older European milers - Zarigana (French 1000 Guineas winner) and Ridari (solid Classic-season yardstick) deepen the home team.

Placed against that lot, Go To First is plainly the least credentialed on achievements and presumed ratings. The task is to beat his price, not the market leaders’ résumés.

Track variables to monitor

Ground - quicker ground lifts his chance of staying close and lengthening late; rain trends nudge advantage toward Europeans comfortable in soft.

Draw and lane - middle-to-stands’ side can be an edge if earlier races hint at a faster strip; the key is not to be stranded on the wrong group.

Pace - an honest tempo from halfway is vital; a crawl-to-blast scenario reduces his finishing window.

Wind - a headwind aids cover-seekers; a tailwind turns the last 400m into a pure velocity test.

Field shape - if a lone leader gets first run on a faster strip, closers must spike a bigger figure to get involved.

What “success” looks like on Sunday

Primary goal - Top five. That validates the travel, lifts his rating, and puts black-type within reach in Europe later on.

Stretch goal - Sneak a placing (black type). That’s a major result for connections and a tangible upgrade to the dam’s page.

Moonshot - Shock the lot. Unlikely on paper, not impossible if the principals overplay each other and the lane opens at the right time.

Risk Register

• Class cliff - elite milers can change gear faster and earlier.

• Pace dependence - needs an honest mid-race to avoid a pure sprint.

• First run since April - race hardness versus freshness is a tightrope.

• Group dynamics - getting marooned on the wrong side kills chances.

Verdict

Call it what it is - a bold raid by a hard-trying, allowance-graduated miler stepping into one of the world’s deepest straight-mile Group 1s. The market has him cold for good reason. But the configuration - a long, fair straight and likely fast ground - offers a narrow but real path to outperform his odds - settle, secure the right tow, angle at 350m, and sustain. A top-five would be a job well done; a placing would be a coup. And if he happens to thread the late split while the headline acts blink, the outsider might just turn a footnote into a story.

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