Panja Tower
| Panja Tower パンジャタワー | |
|---|---|
 At the paddock, 2024 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes | |
| Sire | Tower of London[1] |
| Grandsire | Raven's Pass[1] |
| Dam | Clarksdale[1] |
| Damsire | Victoire Pisa[1] |
| Sex | Colt[1] |
| Foaled | February 21, 2022[1] |
| Country | Japan[1] |
| Color | Bay[1] |
| Breeder | Champions Farm[1] |
| Owner | Deep Creek Ltd, Co.[2] |
| Trainer | Shinsuke Hashiguchi[2] |
| Record | 5:3-0-0[2] |
| Earnings | 185,670,000 JPY[3] |
| Major wins | |
| Keio Hai Nisai Stakes (2024) NHK Mile Cup (2025) | |
| Last updated on May 16, 2025 | |
Panja Tower (Japanese: パンジャタワー, Hepburn: Panjatawā; foaled February 21, 2022) is an active Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2025 NHK Mile Cup.[1][2]
He was named after his sire while bearing his owner's crown name.[3]
Background
[edit]Panja Tower was born at Champions Farm in Hokkaido, Japan. His dam, Clarksdale, was an unraced mare purchased for ¥1.5 million (excluding tax) at the 2019 Northern Farm Broodmare Sale.[4] Akihito Nakamura, president of Champions Farm, remarked on the colt’s early development: "He wasn’t particularly striking at birth, but his exceptional movement on Champion Hills’ training slopes made people around him say, ‘This horse runs incredibly well."[5]
Racing career
[edit]2024: two-year-old season
[edit]Panja Tower debuted on September 8, 2024, in a 2-year-old maiden race at Chukyo Racecourse over a distance of 1200 meters on turf. He won the race by a half length victory as the favorite.[6]
On November 2, he contested the Keio Hai Nisai Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse. Racing mid-pack under jockey Kohei Matsuyama, he swung wide into the stretch and unleashed the fastest closing speed in the field to win by a neck. This victory marked the first graded stakes win for a foal sired by Tower of London, a freshman stallion and son of Raven's Pass.[7]
In his next race, he was targeted to Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes on December 15 at Kyoto Racecourse as his first grade one stakes challenge. Starting as the fourth favorite, he finished 12th, unable to reproduce his devastating turn of foot.[8] Two days later, his connections announced that he is targeted to NHK Mile Cup on spring with a warm-up race in between.[9]
2025: three-year-old season
[edit]Panja Tower began his classic campaign in the Falcon Stakes on March 22, ridden by Yusuke Fujioka. He broke well and traveled mid-pack, he got a clear lane swinging to the home straight and chased with great speed but was unable to catch the winner. He finished fourth by three-quarters of a length to the winner.[10]
On May 11, he ran his target race, NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo Racecourse over a distance of 1600 meters. Starting as the 9th favorite with Kohei Matsuyama back on his saddle, he settled in the mid-pack as his previous races. Swinging the widest in the final stretch, he unleashed his devastating speed, easily overtaking the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes winner, Admire Zoom. He held off the fast-finishing Magic Sands to win the race by a head, securing his first grade one stakes victory.[11] Notably his sire, Tower of London, ran the same race in 2018 as the favorite and lost the race to 12th place. He is the first grade one stakes winner for Tower of London as a sire.[12]
A few days later on May 16, his connections announced that he is planned to travel to Australia to enter the Golden Eagle on November 1, with other options such has the Breeders' Cup Sprint and Breeders' Cup Mile in United States.[13]
Racing statistics
[edit]Below data is based on data available on JBIS Search,[14] and NetKeiba.[15]
| Date | Track | Race | Grade | Distance (Condition) |
Entry | HN | Odds (Favored) |
Finish | Time | Margins | Jockey | Winner (Runner-up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 – two-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Sep 8 | Chukyo | 2YO Debut | 1,200 m (Firm) | 7 | 3 | 1.6 (1) | 1st | 1:09.7 | -0.1 | Kohei Matsuyama | (Tagano Enfant) | |
| Nov 2 | Tokyo | Keio Hai 2YOS | GII | 1,400 m (Good) | 14 | 7 | 21.0 (8) | 1st | 1:21.2 | -0.1 | Kohei Matsuyama | (Meiner Ticket) |
| Dec 15 | Kyoto | Asahi Hai FS | GI | 1,600 m (Firm) | 16 | 12 | 9.0 (4) | 12th | 1:35.8 | 1.7 | Kohei Matsuyama | Admire Zoom |
| 2025 – three-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Mar 22 | Chukyo | Falcon Stakes | GIII | 1,400 m (Firm) | 18 | 4 | 4.5 (1) | 4th | 1:21.1 | 0.1 | Yusuke Fujioka | Yankee Barows |
| May 11 | Tokyo | NHK Mile Cup | GI | 1,600 m (Firm) | 18 | 11 | 26.1 (9) | 1st | 1:31.7 | 0.0 | Kohei Matsuyama | (Magic Sands) |
Legend:
Turf
Pedigree
[edit]| Sire Tower of London b. 2015 |
Raven's Pass (USA) ch. 2005 |
Elusive Quality | Gone West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Touch of Greatness | |||
| Ascutney | Lord At War (ARG) | ||
| Right Word | |||
| Snow Pine (GB) gr. 2010 |
Dalakhani (IRE) | Darshaan (GB) | |
| Daltawa | |||
| Shinko Hermes (IRE) | Sadler's Wells (USA) | ||
| Doff the Derby (USA) | |||
| Dam Clarksdale dk. b. 2016 |
Victoire Pisa dk. b. 2007 |
Neo Universe | Sunday Silence (USA) |
| Pointed Path (GB) | |||
| Whitewater Affair (GB) | Machiavellian (USA) | ||
| Much Too Risky | |||
| Acoustics b. 2001 |
Cape Cross (IRE) | Green Desert (USA) | |
| Park Appeal | |||
| Soninke (GB) | Machiavellian (USA) | ||
| Sonic Lady (USA) (Half-bred Family: B3)[17] |
- His uncle, Logi Universe by Acoustics, won the 2009 Tōkyō Yūshun (Japanese Derby).
- His great-great-grandmother Sonic Lady won three group one races, including the Irish 1,000 Guineas in 1986.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Panja Tower(JPN) | JBIS-Search". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ a b c d "Panja Tower | Horse Profile, Pedigree, Form, Race Record". netkeiba. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ a b "競走馬情報 JRA". jra.jp. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ 木南友輔 (2025-05-11). "【NHKマイルＣ】血のドラマだ！繁殖セール150万円の未出走馬から生まれたパンジャタワー - ３歳馬特集 | 競馬 : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "【ＮＨＫマイルＣ】「葵Ｓに行くプランもあった」パンジャタワー大駆けＶの舞台裏 下にはアドマイヤマーズの牡馬も". 東スポ競馬 (in Japanese). 2025-05-11. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "【中京4R新馬戦結果】タワーオブロンドン産駒パンジャタワーが断然人気に応えてV | 競馬ニュース". netkeiba (in Japanese). 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "【京王杯2歳S結果】8番人気パンジャタワーが接戦を制す タワーオブロンドン産駒の重賞初制覇 | 競馬ニュース". netkeiba (in Japanese). 2024-11-02. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "【朝日杯フューチュリティステークス結果＆コメント】アドマイヤズーム川田将雅「４コーナーで〝もう負けることはないな〟と」". 東スポ競馬 (in Japanese). 2024-12-15. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "朝日杯ＦＳ１２着のパンジャタワーは放牧へ 来年５月のＮＨＫマイルＣを目指す【次走報】". 東スポ競馬 (in Japanese). 2024-12-17. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "【ファルコンS】1番人気パンジャタワーは4着 藤岡佑介騎手「たまり切りませんでした」 | 競馬ニュース". netkeiba (in Japanese). 2025-03-22. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "【NHKマイルC】パンジャタワー大激戦制した!頭差で3歳マイル王 松山は4年ぶりG1制覇（スポニチ）". 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). 2025-05-12. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "【NHKマイルC】9番人気パンジャタワーがG1初制覇 父タワーオブロンドンのリベンジ果たす | 競馬ニュース". netkeiba (in Japanese). 2025-05-11. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "NHKマイルCを制したG1馬パンジャタワー 11・1豪ゴールデンイーグルに参戦！ - スポニチ Sponichi Annex ギャンブル". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 2025-05-16. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "Race Records | Panja Tower(JPN) | JBIS-Search". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "Panja Tower Race Record and Form | Horse Profile". netkeiba. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "Five-generation Pedigree Table | Pedigree | Panja Tower(JPN) | JBIS-Search". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "Thoroughbred Bloodlines – Perion Mare – Half-Bred Family 3". Bloodlines.net. Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-05-16.