Sunday Racing's Geraldina (Jpn), the product of Japanese Horses of the Year Maurice (Jpn) and Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will have to lift her game to a level not yet seen in 2023 if she is to become the third horse to go back-to-back in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kyoto Racecourse Sunday afternoon.
The 5-year-old was a cracking third to Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G1 Arima Kinen to end a fruitful 2022 campaign, but it's been tougher sledding this term, as she has finished outside the top three in each of her four starts. Her fourth-place effort to Equinox in the June 25 G1 Takarazuka Kinen was full of merit, as she came from a long way back to finish fourth, and perhaps she needed the run when only sixth to the progressive Rousham Park (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) and Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) in the G2 Sankei Sho All Comers S. Sept. 24. The visiting Ryan Moore has the mount Sunday and knows a thing or two about Geraldina's parents.
“I won Grade 1 races on both her sire and her dam and that is something special for me,” Moore said. “Even though I've never ridden Geraldina, I've watched the video of last year's race and will look forward to riding her on Sunday.”
Gentildonna defeated Verxina (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) into second in all three legs of the Filly Triple Crown in 2012, and the latter–narrowly beaten at odds-on in this event that season–is also represented here by Divina (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}). A close fourth to Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) in the G1 Victoria Mile earlier this season, the bay, owned by former American professional baseball player Kaz Sasaki, exits a nose defeat of Rouge Eveil (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) in the G2 Fuchu Himba S. at Tokyo Oct. 14.
This year's Classic form is represented by Harper (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), second to Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) in the G1 Yushun Himba and a latest third in the G1 Shuka Sho Oct. 15. Brede Weg (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) was working her way through the lower grades over the summer, but announced herself as a potential top-class mare with a narrow defeat to future Shuka Sho runner-up Masked Diva (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) in the G2 Rose S. in September.
Sheikh Fahad's Art House (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) was a winner in Group 3 company in January and was last seen finishing a good fourth behind Through Seven Seas (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) at Group 3 level in March. The latter gave Equinox all he could handle in the Takarazuka Kinen and went on to be a meritorious fourth to Cartier Horse of the Year Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Given a Yuga Kawada ride befitting a $1.10 (1-10) mortal, Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.'s Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) became the seventh filly to win the Japanese Triple Tiara with a deceptively easy one-length victory in Sunday's G1 Shuka Sho before a packed grandstand of better than 45,000 onlookers at Kyoto Racecourse. Masked Diva (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), the 12-1 third favourite, flashed home for second ahead of narrow second pick Harper (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}).
Making her first start since smashing her rivals by six lengths in the 2400-metre G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Oaks) some 147 days ago, Liberty Island bounced away nicely from stall six and took up a position in and amongst rivals as the commonly owned Kona Coast (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) took them along over ground officially rated good, but perhaps riding softer given the clods of turf being kicked up. Leaving little to chance, Kawada had Liberty Island in about seventh position and in the clear four or five off the inside passing halfway and the duo was committed to an overland run around the second bend. Asked to circle her rivals with 600 metres standing between her and history, Liberty Island quickly went to the leaders five or six deep on the swing for home, accelerated sharply to put a gap on them at the entrance to the final furlong and reported home a comfortable winner. Masked Diva closed off her final three furlongs in a race-fastest :33.5–Liberty Island was home in :33.6–while Harper just got the better of a photo with Dura (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) to earn a second Classic placing, having finished the distant runner-up in the Oaks.
“I'm grateful that we were able to achieve the Triple Crown,” said Kawada, riding a 25th Group 1 winner on the JRA. “She is a horse with great ability, so I placed top priority on letting her run comfortably and finding a good path for her. I was confident of her victory when we had an open space at the third corner. She has great potential, and her dreams for the future are wide open, but first of all, I would like to praise her for achieving the Triple Crown.”
Named champion of her generation after winning the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies last December, Liberty Island returned in the Apr. 9 G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) and looked to have it all to do in the straight, but rattled home to score a touch cosily. There were no such worries when last seen in the Oaks, as she was waited with until the final 200 metres before blowing the race apart at Tokyo.
Should she have another run this season, options include the sex-restricted G1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup going 11 furlongs at Kyoto Nov. 12 or a potential clash of the titans with Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G1 Japan Cup two weeks late.
Pedigree Notes:
The sadly departed Duramente joins Almond Eye (Jpn)'s sire Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) as sons of the late King Kamehameha (Jpn) to account for a Triple Tiara winner, while King Kamehameha was himself responsible for 2010 Triple Tiara heroine Apapane (Jpn). Duramente's daughter Stars On Earth (Jpn) was on a Triple Tiara bid of her own 12 months ago, but fell just short in third behind Sunday Racing's Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}).
Yankee Rose, who cost just A$10,000 at the 2015 Inglis Sydney Classic Yearling Sale before going on to become a two-time champion and dual Group 1 winner, was acquired privately by the Yoshida family and her progeny have excelled in the sales ring and at the races. Her first foal, the filly Romneya (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), fetched ¥210 million (US$1.9m) from the latter's owner Makoto Kaneko as a foal at the 2019 JRHA Select Sale and her now 2-year-old colt by Lord Kanaloa was the second-dearest offering at the same event in 2021, selling to Danox Co. Ltd for ¥370 million ($2.6m).
Yankee Rose is also responsible for a yearling Kizuna (Jpn) filly and a weanling filly from the first crop of Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn). Each has been retained by their breeder.
The last time the G1 Shuka Sho was staged at Kyoto Racecourse in 2020, Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) validated a quote of 1.4 (2-5) favouritism to become the fifth winner of the Japanese Fillies Triple Tiara in the modern era. Closed for two years for reconstruction, racing returned to Kyoto this spring and Sunday afternoon, the fans will pack the grandstand to watch Sunday Racing's Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) try to add her name to the list at what will be a similarly skinny price, if not shorter.
The daughter of two time Australian champion and dual Group 1 winner Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}) is sparingly raced to date, having made just five trips to the post and having tasted defeat on only one occasion, a desperately unlucky runner-up effort to the re-opposing Ravel (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) when badly held up for a run in the G3 Artemis S. last October. Liberty Island locked up champion 2-year-old filly honours in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December and returned to action in the Apr. 9 G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), coming from a seemingly unlikely position to defeat Kona Coast (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) (video, SC 3). The G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) was a much more straight-forward task, as Liberty Island turned on the afterburners in the final 200 metres to score by a half-dozen lengths from Harper (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and Dura (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) (see below, SC 5).
Liberty Island reportedly won the Oaks at 468kg, but was a reported 520kg when she returned to training in September. She recently tipped the scales at 490kg, but jockey Yuga Kawada remains bullish on his ride.
“I'd heard so many reports about how big she'd gotten, so I'd been thinking she was going to be too big, but she wasn't,” the leading rider commented this week. “In a good way, I found it hard to even feel the difference. She didn't feel heavy either when she started working, but since it was a week out, I did think she would improve from then.
“Since she's so talented, it's always hard to find a training partner,” he added. “This week, so call it a partner or a pacemaker, we put another horse in front and worked this one, being careful to keep her in good balance. I did feel improvement from last week.”
Dura was better than 100-1 when rallying from far back in the Oaks and went on to frank the form of the race with a one-length success when favoured in the G3 Queen S. (1800m) at Sapporo July 30.
“She had a prep that should tie in nicely with the Kyoto 2,000 meters, and physically she's much more powerful than she was in the spring,” said assistant trainer Atsushi Nishioka. “I hadn't been confident she'd do well in either the Oaks or the Queen S., but this time I'm looking forward to her performance. On top of that, I'm looking forward to seeing how close she can get to Liberty Island.”
Shadai's Masked Diva (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) is one of the more progressive types in the field, with three wins from her four starts, including a convincing 1 1/2-length success in the G2 Rose S. in her group-stakes debut last month. As of this writing, the dark bay is the second choice in the markets at better than 17-1, such is the expected dominance of Liberty Island.
Moryana (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) was well-beaten in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and was absent from the first two legs of this series, but gained a berth in the Shuka Sho with a half-length defeat of Oaks sixth Hip Hop Soul (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G2 Shion S. over Sunday's trip Sept. 9.
3yo filly MASKED DIVA working the Ritto chip slope this morning, considered the main rival to LIBERTY ISLAND in the G1 Shuka Sho on Sunday
Ran a world record time for 1800, / 9F winning last start
