Songline Sings Winning Tune in Victoria Mile

Last year after earning a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile via her win in June's G1 Yasuda Kinen over this course–a Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifying event–Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna) was headed to America before a throat issue found after a fifth-place finish in September's G2 Centaur S. sent her to the sidelines for five months. Back in action on the G1 Saudi Cup undercard in February, she was a distant 10th in the G3 1351 Turf Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, a race she won in 2022, and sent back to Japan to regroup. The time away certainly helped as the now 5-year-old mare earned a second career Group 1 victory here.

Despite the rainy day Sunday, the Tokyo turf remained good to firm, which suited the winner, who was fifth in this race a year ago. After the clean break from post position six, 7-1 fourth chance Songline was content to settle mid-pack and nearest the rail in the early going, a dozen lengths off the pace set by Lotus Land (Point of Entry) all the way up the backstretch and around the bend. As the pacesetter led the field into the stretch, Songline still had a half-dozen lengths to make up, and with a gaping hole available along the rail, slipped through with 400 metres to run, which left only Lotus Land and defending champion and 4-1 chance Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune)to get by. In deep stretch, the winner continued her rally, digging in to get by a determined Sodashi to her outside within the final few jumps and post the head victory, the top two successfully holding off the late challenge from 5-2 favorite Stars on Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) at the wire.

“Though we had to race further back and inward than planned, we were able to race in good position while eyeing the race favorites,” jockey Keita Tosaki said. “The track was a little heavy due to the rain but she responded strongly in the straight. It was a close race, but I was pretty sure we crossed the wire in front. I knew that Songline has a strong ability so I'm really happy we were able to win the race.”

With the win, Songline reserved her spot in the gate for this year's GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita Nov. 4. Additionally, the top three finishers here earned automatic berths in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at ParisLongchamp as well as the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, both set to be contested in late summer.

Pedigree Notes:
Young stallion Kizuna has sired 12 group winners and two Group 1 winners–Songline and the 2021 G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Akai Ito (Jpn). Songline is the first and most successful foal out of his dam, who won four races from 23 starts and is a half-sister to two-time Japanese group winner Jeune Ecole (Jpn) (Kurofune). Some other notable names appearing in Songline's female family include group winners Renforcer (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S), Northern River (Jpn) (Agnes Tachyon {Jpn}) and Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}). Luminous Parade also produced a 2-year-old colt named Sonic Parade (Jpn) (Real Impact {Jpn}) and a yearling full brother to Songline.

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
VICTORIA MILE-G1, ¥252,980,000, Tokyo, 5-14, 4yo/up, f&m, 1600mT, 1:32.20, gd/fm.
1–SONGLINE (Jpn), 123, m, 5, Kizuna (Jpn)
      1st Dam: Luminous Parade (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S
      2nd Dam: Luminous Point(Jpn), by Agnes Tachyon (Jpn)
      3rd Dam: Soninke (GB), by Machiavellian
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Toru Hayashi;
J-Keita Tosaki; ¥133,486,000. Lifetime: MGSW, 14-6-2-1,
¥477,526,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free
Equineline.com pedigree.
2–Sodashi (Jpn), 123, m, 5, by Kurofune–Buchiko (Jpn), by King
Kamehameha (Jpn). O-Makoto Kaneko Holdings; B-Northern
Farm (Jpn); ¥52,996,000.
3–Stars on Earth (Jpn), 123, f, 4, Duramente (Jpn)–Southern
Stars (GB), by Smart Strike. O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai
Farm (Jpn); ¥33,498,000.
Margins: HD, 3/4, 1; Odds: 6.60, 3.60, 1.50.
Also ran: Divina (Jpn), Sound Vivace (Jpn), Lotus Land, Namur (Jpn), Namura Clair (Jpn), Stellaria (Jpn), Rouge Stiria (Jpn), Andvaranaut (Jpn), Stunning Rose (Jpn), Sublime Anthem (Jpn), La La Christine (Jpn), Izu Jo no Kiseki (Jpn), Kurino Premium (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart and Video.

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Sodashi Tops Victoria Mile

Juvenile filly champion Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune) punched her ticket to this fall's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf with a victory in Sunday's G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse. The top three finishers in Sunday's race also earned automatic berths in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp as well as the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois.

Breaking alertly from stall 5, the fourth betting choice settled in along the inside in a close-up fourth before moving slightly outward for the stretch run. Emerging from the pack passing the 200-meter pole, the 4-year-old caught pacesetter Rosa Noir (Jpn) (Manhattan Café {Jpn}) late and drew clear to win by two lengths over the closing Fine Rouge (Jpn) (Kizuna (Jpn}). Resistencia (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) was a neck back in third, nosing out the pacesetter.

Sodashi reeled off four consecutive wins at two, capping off the season with a win in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies while earning a championship in the process. Victorious in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) in her sophomore debut, the striking grey was well beaten in the Japanese Oaks at Tokyo in May but bounced back to take the G2 Sapporo Kinen later that summer. Well beaten in her final two starts of the season in the Oct. 17 G1 Shuka Sho and G1 Champion's Cup Dec. 5, she returned at four with a credible third over the course in the Feb. 20 G1 February S. last time out.

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
VICTORIA MILE-G1, ¥253,400,000, Tokyo, 5-15, 4yo & up fillies, 1600mT, 1:32.20, firm
1–SODASHI (JPN), 121, f, 4, by Kurofune
1st Dam: Buchiko (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Shirayukihime (Jpn), by Sunday Silence
3rd Dam: Wave Wind, by Topsider
O-Makoto Kaneko Holdings; B-Northern Farm; T-Naosuke
Sugai; J-Hayato Yoshida; ¥133,780,000. Lifetime Record:
Ch. 2yo & 3yo Filly-Jpn, 11-7-0-1. *Full to Mama Cocha (Jpn), GSP-Jpn.
2–Fine Rouge (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Kizuna (Jpn)-Passion Rouge (Jpn),
by Boston Harbor. (¥33,000,000 wnlg '18 JRHAJUL). O-Genichi
Mutsui; B-Northern Farm; ¥53,080,000.
3–Resistencia (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Daiwa Major (Jpn)–Malacost-
umbrada (Arg), by Lizard Island. O-Carrot Farm; B- Northern
Farm; ¥33,540,000.
Margins: 4, NK, NK; Odds: 0.30, 74.20, 13.70.
Also Ran: Rosa Noir (Jpn), Songline (Jpn), Daring Tact (Jpn), Ablaze (Jpn), AkaiIto (Jpn), Shadow Diva (Jpn), Miss New York (Jpn), Divina (Jpn), Lei Papale (Jpn), Terzetto (Jpn), Andvaranaut (Jpn), Des Ailes (Jpn), Kurino Premium (Jpn), Magic Castle (Jpn), Meisho Mimosa (Jpn).
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Click for the JRA chart and video.

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‘Alegria’ Books Breeders’ Cup Berth With Victoria Mile Score

Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) put her stamp on the G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo on Sunday, a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The 2020 Japanese Champion Sprinter/Miler was winning her fifth Group 1 race when drawing off to win by four lengths over the good to firm ground.

Bet down to 30 cents on the dollar, Gran Alegria perched in midfield as Christie (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) set a demanding tempo. Beginning to make inroads toward the front inside the final 600 metres, the Sunday Racing colourbearer burst to the head of affairs at the 150-metre mark and quickly distanced herself by an astonishing four lengths. Rambling Alley (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was second, a neck ahead of Magic Castle (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was a like margin to the good of Dirndl (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}).

“She was very strong as we had all expected,” commented jockey Christophe  Lemaire, who won his 38th JRA Group 1 race and his 1,400th overall victory in Japan. “She's not a very good starter so we settled in mid-division, but she raced in good rhythm. After I took her to the outside entering the lane, she showed a remarkable response and geared up on her own. She showed that she's at a different level than her competitors and will probably win more Group 1 titles going forward.”

A winner of the 2019 G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas, Gran Alegria ran second in her 2020 bow, the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen last March, but then rattled off three Group 1s on the bounce-the June 7 Yasuda Kinen, the Oct. 4 G1 Sprinters S. and the G1 Mile Championship. Named the 2020 Japanese Champion Sprinter/Miler, the now 5-year-old mare ran fourth in the G1 Osaka Hai on Apr. 4.

 

Pedigree Notes
One of 48 Group 1 winners for her late supersire, Gran Alegria also has the second highest tally of top-level victories of Deep Impact progeny with five behind just Gentildonna (Jpn) (7). To date, the former Shadai Stallion Station supremo has sired 175 black-type winners 142 of them at the group level. In addition to Gran Alegria, he is also responsible for Japanese listed winner and group-placed Arusha (Jpn), who is also out of a Tapit mare. Tapit's daughters have produced five Grade/Group 1 winners among 43 black-type winners.

One of two winners from two foals to race for her dam, Gran Alegria is the star offspring of the late Listed Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf victress Tapitsfly (Tapit), who would go on to win both the GI Longines Just a Game S. and GI First Lady S. as a 5-year-old. Knocked down to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.85 million at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, Tapitsfly's first foal is Gran Alegria after being barren in 2015.

 

Saturday, Tokyo, Japan
VICTORIA MILE-G1, ¥204,960,000, Tokyo, 5-16, 4yo/up, f, 1600mT, 1:31.00, fm.
1–GRAN ALEGRIA (JPN), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Tapitsfly (MGISW-US, $1,495,503), by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Flying Marlin, by Marlin
                3rd Dam: Morning Dove, by Fortunate Prospect
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Kazuo Fujisawa;
J-Christophe Lemaire. ¥108,820,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo
Filly-Jpn, Ch. Sprinter-Jpn, Ch. Miler-Jpn, 12-8-1-1. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
  eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Rambling Alley (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Blooming Alley (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S.
                2nd Dam: Princess Olivia, by Lycius
                3rd Dam: Dance Image (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥43,092,000.
3–Magic Castle (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Deep Impact(Jpn)
                1st Dam: So Magic (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S.
                2nd Dam: Xua (Ire), by Fairy King
                3rd Dam: Bold Starlet (GB), by Precocious (GB)
O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥26,546,000.
Margins: 4, NK, NK. Odds: 0.30, 74.20, 13.70.
Also Ran: Dirndl (Jpn), Shigeru Pink Dia (Jpn), Resistencia (Jpn), Danon Fantasy (Jpn), Des Ailes (Jpn), Maltese Diosa (Jpn), Christie (Jpn), Sound Chiara (Jpn), Red Belle Deesse (Jpn), Ria Amelia (Jpn), Terzetto (Jpn), Smile Kana (Jpn), Affranchir (Jpn), Pourville (Jpn), Iberis (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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