An impeccably credentialed bunch of 18 juvenile fillies line up in the 1600-metre ¥125,200,000 G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies on Sunday, and one of the prospective favourites is Sunday Racing's Umbrail (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}).
Undefeated in a pair of 1400-metre starts at Tokyo and Hanshin in June and October, the daughter of listed-placed L'Archetto (Jpn) (Falbrav {Ire}) is a full-sister to G1 Mile Championship hero Stelvio (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), one of three black-type horses for their dam.
“She has had two very strong races and we are having to deal with some mental after-effects of those,” said assistant trainer Yu Ota. “I think her coat is looking much better now than it was before her last race and I'm hoping to see her improve further. She handled the long trip to Hanshin well last time and I'm not concerned about the race distance being a mile. She has a lot of potential and if she can concentrate on her racing, things should go well.”
She faces the similarly undefeated Ravel (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), who bears the Carrot Farm colours and, after a win at Kikura in June, defeated Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) by a neck in the G3 Artemis S. at Tokyo on Oct. 29. Like Umbrail, the daughter of the G3 Fairy S. third Sambre Et Meuse (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) is a half-sister to a group winner, in this case the year-older dual Classic-placed Namur (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), successful in the G2 Tulip Sho, second in the G1 Shuka Sho and third in the G1 Japanese Oaks.
“In the Artemis S., despite the slow pace, she stayed very much well in hand, and that was huge,” said assistant trainer Takahide Ando. “As I've always said, she has never been a good eater. She still could do a little better, but compared to earlier, she's better. We were able to give her a good hard workout as planned last week, but we still are aiming to get more muscle on her.”
Also a Sunday Racing colourbearer, Liberty Island will attempt to rebound from her Artemis second. Her dam is the Australia Champion 2-Year-Old and 3-Year-Old Filly Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}), who did earn a Group 1 win in the Inglis Sires at two and was also second in the G1 Golden Slipper, before adding a G1 Sprint Champion S. victory at three.
Fumio Takahasi's Moryana (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) has won her first two starts by a combine five lengths. A ¥30,000,000 weaning out of the 2020 JRHA Select Sale, she is the third foal, runner and winner for her dam, the dual winner Garder Le Sourire (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), whose extended family includes the Group 1 winner Wind In Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao), later the dam of Sunday Silence's best sire son Deep Impact (Jpn).
G3 Sapporo Nisai S. heroine Dura (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) does not have an unbeaten record to protect, and she defeated Doe Eyes (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) by a length in the Nisai S. at Sapporo in early September. The same could be said for G3 Hakodate Nisai S. victress Bouton D'Or (Jpn) (Big Arthur {Jpn}), who enters this test on the back of a runner-up effort in the G3 KBS Kyoto Sho Fantasy S. to Rivara (Jpn) (Kinshasa No Kiseki {Aus}).
“She'll be going into the race without a sharpener and we're preparing her with that in mind,” said assistant trainer Atsushi Nishioka. “She has gotten all the base work in and all has gone according to plan. She has no weak points. She has a big stride and I think the spacious course will suit her.”
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