Stars on Earth picked up her second classic success Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse with her victory in the Oka Sho (G1) (Japanese 1,000 Guineas).
Following a delay due to a loose horse prior to the scheduled start, third favorite Stars on Earth was unhurried after a smooth break and rated in midfield around ninth or tenth position.
Christophe Lemaire guided the dark bay slightly to the outside where she made her bid along the center lane, closing the gap on the leaders with every stride as a fierce battle for the lead took place in front in the last 200 meters. But grabbing the lead 100 meters out, Stars on Earth pulled away strongly to secure her second jewel of the fillies' Triple Crown by 1 1/4 lengths.
Stars on Earth finished the 2,400 meters (about 1 ½ miles) in 2:23.90, becoming the 16th horse to win the first two legs of the series.
She won the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Oka Sho (G1) (Japanese 1,000 Guineas), April 10 at Hanshin Racecourse. The final leg of the series, the Shuka Sho (G1), is run at 2,000 meters (about 1 ¼ miles) and is set for October 16 at Hanshin Racecourse. Six fillies have sweep the series, including undefeated Daring Tact in 2020.
“The filly was in great condition coming into the race, but it requires a lot of effort to start from an outside draw, so I was easy with her in early,” Lemaire said after Sunday's victory aboard Stars on Earth. “She stayed calm and responded really well in the closing stages so I was happy. It was her first attempt at 2,400 meters but her pedigree showed that she should be up in terms of stamina so I thought it shouldn't be a problem. She's already won at 1,600 meters (about one mile) and shown to handle 2,400 meters, so I think she has a pretty good chance to win her third (Group 1) triple over 2,000 meters.”
Tenth pick Stunning Rose was nicely positioned along the rails around fifth, angled out slightly for the stretch run and turned in a fine turn of foot to lead briefly at the 200-meter mark but was unable to match the strong finishing speed of the winner who quickly overtook her from the outside. She held on for second.
Fourth choice Namur secured an inside position behind Stunning Rose after a good break then was eased further back to mid-division along the backstretch with a good view of the eventual winner on her outside.
Staying to the inside coming into the final turn, Namur closed in rapidly and rallied with the top two finishers in the last 100 meters but was unable to sustain her bid in the last strides, finishing third.
Race favorite Circle of Life showed frustration and lost momentum due to the start delay, missed a beat coming out of the gate and trailed at the very rear for most of the trip. Still with a lot of ground to cover coming into the straight, the Epiphaneia filly failed to find her usual turn of speed finishing a dull 12th.
Trained by Mizuki Takayanagi, Stars on Earth is a daughter of Duramente out of Southern Stars, by Smart Strike. She was bred by Shadai Farm and is campaigned by Shadai Race Horse Co.
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