is an active Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2025 NHK Mile Cup.
He was named after his sire while bearing his owner's crown name.
Panja Tower was born at Champions Farm in Hokkaido, Japan. His dam, Clarksdale, was an unraced mare purchased for ÃÂ¥1.5 million (excluding tax) at the 2019 Northern Farm Broodmare Sale. Akihito Nakamura, president of Champions Farm, remarked on the coltâÂÂs early development: "He wasnâÂÂt particularly striking at birth, but his exceptional movement on Champion Hillsâ training slopes made people around him say, âÂÂThis horse runs incredibly well."
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.
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.
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. Two days later, his connections announced that he is targeted to NHK Mile Cup on spring with a warm-up race in between.
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.
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. 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.
On August 24, Panja Tower won the Keeneland Cup. He was then sent to contest his first race abroad, the Golden Eagle in Australia, on November 1, where he finished 5th behind the local filly Autumn Glow.
Panja Tower started his season with an overseas G2 race which was the 1351 Turf Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in February. He made a good run by holding on in early phase, moved to the outside track and accelerated further up reaching the third place before gassed out and finished in fifth on the line. Then, he returned to Japan and tried his luck on the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in late March as his groom, Igarashi noted that the horse suited for the sprint distances refering to his win back in the Keeneland Cup. He was touted as a third favourite of the race behind reigning champion, Satono Reve and Namura Clair. When the race began, Panja Tower positioned himself amongst the leading pack on the fourth position. He joined the final rally for the win but weakened in the final strides and sticked to the fourth position at the wire, losing the final podium position by a neck over Win Carnelian and two and half lengths behind the eventual back to back winner, Satono Reve.
Below data is based on data available on JBIS Search, NetKeiba, and Jockey Club Saudi Arabia.
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