Tag: Breeders’ Cup

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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Splitting horses in a furious stretch drive, Agricola Haras Jockey's 3-year-old Lukka nipped stablemate Mi Elegido by a nose to win Sunday's Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (G1) at Club Hipico de Santiago.

With the victory, the son of Lookin At Lucky earned an automatic berth and fees paid in the $2-million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.

Lukka, a son of two-time North American champion Lookin At Lucky out of the Kitten's Joy mare Antic, completed the 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.11 over a turf course listed as good.

Sent away as the 9-5 favorite in the 12-horse field and ridden by Jorge Gonzalez, Lukka sat comfortably off the pace through the first half-mile in seventh place, while longshot Gamberetti shot to the lead followed closely by 11-1 Mi Elegido, Netinna, and the filly Mama Lili.

Approaching the far turn, Netinna made a strong move on the outside into second place while Mi Elegido saved ground along the rail and surged to the front. As the field spread apart, Gonzalez aboard Lukka began a concerted drive inside the final quarter mile and came off the rail to pass tiring horses, with stablemate Mama Lili just to his outside also making up significant ground. Jockey Gonzalo Ulloa desperately urged Mi Elegido to hold off the fast-closing Lukka but had to settle for second, with Mama Lili just a neck behind in third. The filly Costa Del Norte finished behind Mama Lili, and completed a sweep of the first four positions for trainer Patricio Baeza.

Sunday's win was Lukka's second consecutive Group 1 victory. Showing his versatility, Lukka won the 1 3/8-mile Gran Premio Hipodromo Chile (G1) on dirt April 29. Before that, he finished second in the El Derby (G1) on turf at Valparaiso Sporting Club in Santiago. Lukka has now won three races from nine starts.

Lukka joins Al Muthana, winner of the L'Ormarins King's Plate (G1) in South Africa in January, as the first horses to gain automatic berths into this year's Fan Duel Breeders' Cup Mile.

Now in its 16th season, the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 80 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

As a part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for Lukka to start in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.

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