Sunday Racing Co.'s Songline became the third horse, following Yamanin Zephyr (1992-'93) and Vodka (2008-'09), to score a second straight Yasuda Kinen victory when capturing this year's $2,968,000 race Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse.
With Sunday's win, Songline earned an automatic starting position and fees paid in the $2-million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) in November at Santa Anita through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
Including her Victoria Mile (G1) triumph by a head over 2022 winner Sodashi for trainer Toru Hayashi and jockey Keita Tosaki just three weeks earlier, the Kizuna mare notched her third top-level triumph and fifth graded win, and she is 5-1-0 out of seven one-mile races at Tokyo. For her Victoria Mile triumph, she also earned an automatic, fees-paid berth in the $2-million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
Breaking from the farthest stall in the 18-horse field Sunday, fourth choice Songline camped three-wide and in around eighth to ninth from pacesetter Win Carnelian, who led the field with fifth pick Jack d'Or on his tail all the way into the homestretch. With the second-fastest final three-eighths speed, the defending winner steadily climbed uphill, powered home seizing the lead easily from Serifos in the final sixteenth, and pulled away in the final strides for a 1 1/4-length win.
Time for the one-mile trip was 1:31.4 on good to firm turf.
‟I was able to gallop her last week and felt that her form had improved, so I had every confidence in her today,” said Tosaki, who won the 2011 Yasuda Kinen with Real Impact. “The position we found was ideal, she responded beautifully and demonstrated her strong turn of foot and speed today. To score two Grade 1 wins in a row is just incredible and I feel she is still steadily progressing.”
Third choice and 2022 Mile Championship (G1) victor Serifos settled around fifth on the rails after a good break, launched a strong stretch drive after finding a narrow opening 300 meters out and overtook Jack d'Or for the lead, but was soon outrun by the winner on his outside while holding off the fast-closing favorite Schnell Meister to finish second.
Last year's runner-up, Schnell Meister, under Christophe Lemaire, cruised down the backstretch unhurried in third from last. The German-bred bay responded well with the fastest late speed, and mowed down his tired rivals one by one but failed catch the front-runners while digging in for a head third and warding off Gaia Force by a neck..
The Yasuda Kinen was billed as a showdown between Songline and Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co.'s homebred Sodashi, but the latter, a striking white Thoroughbred, finished a nonthreatening seventh after tracking the leaders in third early. She was in contention 150 meters out, then faded.
Songline was produced by Luminous Parade, by Symboli Kris S, and was bred by Northern Farm
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