Tag: japan racing association

Hitomi Miyashita Is Japan’s First Female Jockey To 1,000 Wins

Jockey Hitomi Miyashita became the first Japanese female to hit the 1,000-win milestone this week, reports the Japan Times. She won with Real Speed at Nagoya Racecourse on Thursday, Nov. 18.

The 44-year-old has been riding races since 1995, but walked away in 2011 to give birth to her two children.

Miyashita returned in 2016, the first female jockey to return to the saddle after childbirth.

In 2020, she became Japan's first female jockey to win 100 races in a single season.

The Japan Racing Association reports that only 93 active Japanese jockeys have achieved 1,000 wins.

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Japan: Gran Alegria Headlines Sunday’s Mile Championship

This week Japan's top-level racing remains at Hanshin Racecourse with the 38th running of the Mile Championship on Sunday, Nov. 21. 18 horses ranging in age from 3 to 8, including three foreign-breds, four females and five 3-year-olds, have been nominated for the 18 berths of the 1,600-meter turf test, again at Hanshin this year.

The spotlight lingers longest on Gran Alegria, awarded Best Sprinter of Miler for 2020, and now 5-year-old. The Deep Impact mare looking to leave even more of an impression by notching back-to-back wins of the race and her sixth Grade 1 victory. At the same time soon-to-retire trainer Kazuo Fujisawa gets his last chance to add one more feather to his cap and his already-record-setting five wins of the Mile Championship.

Gran Alegria's not the only one in the lights. German-bred Schnell Meister, who captured the 3-year-old showcase NHK Mile Cup in the spring, is seen as Gran Alegria's biggest threat. Back again is Indy Champ, who won the race in 2019 and missed the winner's circle by 0.1 seconds last year. Salios, also a returnee, is looking for a better break and improvement on last year's fifth, while 2020 Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes winner and last year's Best 2-Year-Old Colt Danon the Kid and 2020 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes winner Grenadier Guards add considerable color and competition to the mix.

The Hanshin outer course over the mile is the usual venue for two Grade 1 fillies-only events, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas). The race is often clinched by the runner with the fastest time over the final three furlongs. Stamina is also brought into play with Hanshin's sharp hill just before the finish line. From just past 200 meters out, the track rises 1.8 meters over some 100 meters.

Assigned weights for the Mile Championship are 57 kg for males 4 years old and up, with a 1-kg allowance for 3-year-old colts and a 2-kg allowance for fillies and mares. The Mile Championship is the 11th race on the Sunday card of 12 at Hanshin. Post time is 3:40 p.m.

Here's a look at the expected top choices.

Gran Alegria: This daughter of Deep Impact has quite the spectacular record herself. In 14 starts, she has eight wins and has finished out of the top three spots only twice, a fourth in this year's Grade 1 Osaka Hai over 2,000 meters and fifth in the 2019 NHK Mile Cup (she crossed the line in fourth but was demoted for interference). Eleven of her starts have been at the top level and she's competing in her ninth Grade 1 in a row. Following the Osaka Hai in April, she took on the Victoria Mile in May, then returned just three weeks later for the Yasuda Kinen, which she lost to Danon Kingly by a mere head. She returned on Oct. 31 for the 2,000-meter Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) but finished third, only 0.2 seconds behind this year's Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) winner Efforia and half that time behind last year's Triple Crown winner Contrail. Now, with only three weeks between races, she's back, but at her best distance, and with jockey Christophe Lemaire expected to be in the saddle, the winning duo of last year is hoping for a repeat winning performance. If she can pull off a repeat, she'll be the first to do it since Daiwa Major in 2006 and '07.

Schnell Meister: A 3-year-old son of Kingman, Schnell Meister was victorious in the NHK Mile Cup in early May and followed that up with a third-place finish half a length behind Gran Alegria in the Yasuda Kinen a month later in his first time competing against older horses. The colt has a number of firsts to conquer, however. It will be his first time at Hanshin and, based at Miho, his first long haul to the track. His assigned weight of 56 kg will not be the most he's carried but it will, unlike the 54kg he shouldered in the Yasuda Kinen, be the most when competing amid older horses. Expected in the saddle is a familiar face, however. The young jockey Takeshi Yokoyama, hungry for his fourth G1 win this year, partnered Schnell Meister twice before, in the colt's winning debut and in the Yasuda Kinen.

Danon the Kid: Top 2-year-old last year with a 3-for-3 record, the Just a Way colt Danon the Kid was handed his first defeat with a third in the Grade 2 Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen in March. His next start was no better, with him finishing only one off the rear in the Satsuki Sho. He was later diagnosed with a fracture. He returned after 6 months for a fourth in his first mile, the Grade 2 Fuji Stakes on Oct. 23 at Tokyo, and the distance may prove more to his liking. Out of the mare Epic Love, his half-brother Mikki Brillante has five wins, three of them over the mile.

Salios: The 2019 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes winner Salios finished fifth here last year. The Heart's Cry 4-year-old drew the far outside gate and, traveling from close to the rear, still managed to turn in the field's fastest final three furlongs time of 33.1 seconds to finish only 0.4 seconds behind the winner. He next posted 5-8 in his two starts hence, both at the G1 level. Both were difficult runs, with the Osaka Hai run over heavy ground. Next out only two months later, he encountered interference at the furlong pole in the Yasuda Kinen. Returning straight from the Yasuda Kinen, Salios is to be partnered with jockey Kohei Matsuyama again. Based at Ritto, Matsuyama made the trip last week to the Noriyuki Hori stable at Miho to ride Salios in trackwork. “I put the colt in quarter-cup blinkers with a cross noseband and he ran well,” said Hori. “We were aiming for a good time but he was a bit excited and the time was fast. His breathing wasn't good. He's had enough work so this week we'll work on his weakpoint, his power from behind. I'll have him in good shape for the race. He's a different horse from what he was in the Yasuda Kinen,” Hori claims.

Indy Champ: If ever there's a consistent horse who deserves to win another Grade 1, it's Indy Champ. The 6-year-old son of Stay Gold also returns straight from the Yasuda Kinen (which he won in 2019), finishing fourth only a neck behind Schnell Meister and 0.2 seconds behind winner Danon Kingly. First here in 2019, and second last year, Indy Champ's last win was the Grade 2 Yomiuri Milers Cup in late April 2020. Since then, he's run only in graded races, all in the 1,200-1,600 range, four of them G1s, but has failed to win. One second, three thirds and two fourths. Regular partner Yuichi Fukunaga is set for the ride. Veteran trainer Hidetaka Otonashi, who has won the Mile Championship three times before, says, “He felt too good in the Yasuda Kinen and in hindsight, he made his move too soon and was overtaken with only 50 meters left. It wasn't a bad race at all. We followed the usual routine in getting him ready, with this race as our sole objective.”

Grenadier Guards: First in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes last year, the Frankel-sired Grenadier Guards has only figured out of the top three spots once in his seven starts. He missed the winner's circle narrowly in his three starts since his Grade 1 win, all in graded stakes, then lost by a head in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Chunichi Sports Sho Falcon Stakes at Chukyo, and finished third only half a second behind Schnell Meister in the NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo. Trained at Ritto by Japan's current leading trainer for wins MItsumasa Nakauchida and to be paired with jockey Kenichi Ikezoe, the colt returned after four months off to finish third in the Grade 3 Keisei Hai Autumn Handicap on Sept. 12. Both Grenadier Guards' two wins have come at Hanshin, one of them over the mile.

Others to watch are:

Lotus Land has consistently run first or second in all but three of her starts. She captured the Grade 3 Sekiya Kinen in August over the Niigata 1,600 meters, but returned in late October 10 kg heavier for a 10th in the Fuji Stakes at Tokyo. Matured since her 12th in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2019, and with a sharpened behind her, this American-bred girl could surprise. Third in the 2019 NHK Mile Cup, Catedral takes on his second Mile Championship following his sixth in 2019. Often slow at the break and no different last out in the Keisei Autumn Handicap, he nonetheless won with a final 600-meter time of 33.9 seconds under Keita Tosaki, expected back up on Sunday. The Heart's Cry 5-year-old is 1-2-10 at Hanshin. The 6-year-old Sound Chiara rose consistently from her debut and shone through her second in the Victoria Mile last year. Since then, including a 10th here last year and an 11th in this year's Victoria Mile, she returned after five months off to land a second amid mixed company in the Grade 2 MBS Sho Swan Stakes over the Hanshin 1,400 meters on Oct. 30 and may be on the up and up.

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Akai Ito Upsets Japan’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup

Akai Ito marked an upset victory at odds of 64.9-1 in this year's Queen Elizabeth II Cup to score her first graded title and became the first Kizuna filly or colt to capture a JRA-G1 title. Debuting in September of her two-year-old season, she broke her maiden in her second start and concluded the season with one win out of five starts. The Kizuna brown marked another win out of eight starts last year and stepped up to open class after marking two wins out of five starts in the first half of this season but came off a seventh in the Fuchu Himba Stakes (G2) on Oct. 16. Trainer Kazuya Nakatake marked his third JRA-G1 win following his win in the 2018 Hopeful Stakes with Saturnalia while jockey Hideaki Miyuki claimed his eighth JRA-G1 victory following his 2018 Victoria Mile title with Jour Polaire.

Missing her break from stall 16, four-year-old Akai Ito traveled fifth from last and advanced boldly turning the last two corners wide to enter the lane in third. The four-year-old brown continued to accelerate powerfully in the stretch, pinning race-favorite Lei Papale passing the 200-meter pole, and easily held off the rest of the field with her incredible late drive that marked the fastest last three furlongs in the field for a two-length victory.

“As she seemed to be a bit tense when I trained her the other day, I tried to race her in her own rhythm. Though I could not break her smoothly out of the gate, I was able to eventually race her in the intended position at the backstretch. I was confident that she will stretch well at the end and, because it was a G1 race, I made bid earlier than usual. We were able to take the front earlier than I had expected and, as there was no horse right behind us, I just kept on urging her to go until,” commented Hideaki Miyuki.

Seventh choice Stellaria, another Kizuna filly, broke smoothly and settled around seventh to eighth from the front. The three-year-old dark bay rounded the last two corners the widest of the field, persistently chased the leaders in the straight and produced a remarkable turn of speed in the last 100 meters to cross the wire in second.

Ninth pick Clavel saved ground around 14th behind eventual winner, found a narrow space entering the homestretch, showed the tied third fastest late drive between horses and closed in on Stellaria but was neck short in third.

Race favorite Lei Papale settled around fourth, advanced in the last two corners and was leading the field when entering the stretch. The Deep Impact filly, however, lost momentum in the last 200 meters and succumbed to sixth.

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Japan: Sophomore Akaitorino Musume Headlines Sunday’s QEII Cup

After a great weekend at the Breeders' Cup for Japan, this coming Sunday (Nov. 14) sees the domestic Grade 1 action return to the Hanshin Racecourse, where the Queen Elizabeth II Cup will be run over 2,200 meters (about 1 3/8 miles) on the track's inner turf course. Established in 1976, it was originally run over 2,400 meters (1 1/2 miles), but when the race's format changed in 1996 to allow fillies and mares over 3 years old to enter, the distance was shortened to its current 2,200 meters. It became an international Grade 1 in 1999. It is also the first leg of four races of what is now known as the Japan Autumn International series of races, and one that includes the prestigious Grade 1 Japan Cup.

There are eighteen nominations for this year's Queen Elizabeth II Cup, including recent Grade 1 Shuka Sho winner Akaitorino Musume. As a 3-year-old filly, she'll be able to claim a 2kg allowance, whereas 4-year-olds and up are allotted 56kg. There were originally three runners nominated from overseas, but none of them will take a place in the final line-up. The race hasn't been kind to first favorites in the last ten years, with just two heading the market and going on to win. Third favorites have fared better, taking out four of the last ten races. 4-year-olds have been dominant over the same time period, winning on six occasions. Record time for the race was set just last year, when Lucky Lilac (now retired) won the race for the second year in a row, setting a time of 2 minutes 10.3 seconds, although it must be remembered that last year the race was also run at Hanshin, not its regular venue Kyoto. The winner's check this time around is JPY105 million (approximately USD 1 million).

The Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Hanshin, with a post time locally of 15:40. The final field and the barrier draw will be available later in the week.

Here's a look at some of the fillies and mares expected to take on the race:

Akaitorino Musume: The 3-year-old filly by Deep Impact managed to go one better last time than she did in the Grade 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) back in May, when winning the Grade 1 Shuka Sho over 2,000 meters at Hanshin in October. It's a fairly tight rotation, but trainer Sakae Kunieda feels the horse is coping with everything just fine. “She ran a good race in the Shuka Sho, which was her first race in a while, and ran smoothly despite drawing an outside gate, so I was very pleased. She quickly recovered from the race, and getting her back in work has been an easy task,” said the trainer recently. The filly is now four wins from her seven career starts, and jockey Keita Tosaki is expected to ride her again here.

Lei Papale: Another filly by Deep Impact, her stunning six-win streak finally came to an end in the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen back in June, when she finished third, and most recently she had to settle for fourth in the Grade 2 Sankei Sho All Comers over 2,200 meters at Nakayama in September. It would seem she just has to find a bit more over the extended distance. Trainer Tomokazu Takano commented: “In the All Comers last time, I don't think she found her best rhythm throughout the race, but she did find the front briefly in the homestraight, and showed what ability she has. The extra furlong just found her out, so the key will be getting her to stay that little bit more.” Connections have been quick to secure the services of Christophe Lemaire this time, so a big run can be expected from Lei Papale.

Win Marilyn: Winner of the Grade 2 Sankei Sho All Comers at Nakayama on her last start, the 4-year-old filly by Screen Hero looks set for a run here, and before her last victory she finished a creditable fifth in this year's Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) back in May. Trainer Takahisa Tezuka said, “She ran very well last time when taking on the male horses, especially when you consider she hadn't run in a while. She had an operation on a leg swelling a while ago, and after this last race it flared up a bit and she had a fever, but we've kept her at the stable since and she's been back in work recently. She's running slightly awkwardly, but I expect that to improve.”

Win Kiitos: As with Win Marilyn, Win Kiitos was also bred at Cosmo View Farm, but is a daughter of Gold Ship, who claimed his first Grade 1 as a sire earlier this year. Win Kiitos won the Grade 2 Meguro Kinen over 2,500 meters back in May at Tokyo, and is coming off a second place finish in the Grade 2 Sankei Sho All Comers. “In recent training, I intended her to do a five-furlong piece of work solo in about 70 seconds, but in front of the stand she ended up running with a horse from another stable and got quite switched on. Consequently, her time was faster than expected. She's in good shape though, and things are pretty much going according to plan,” said trainer Yoshitada Munakata. The trainer is looking for his first ever JRA Grade 1 victory.

Terzetto: Looking like jockey Mirco Demuro's big race ride, the improving filly by Deep Impact is now six wins from eight career starts. Trainer Shoichiro Wada was pleased with her latest win in the Grade 3 Hokkaido Shimbun Hai Queen Stakes over 1,800 meters at Hakodate in August. “The jockey managed to get the best out of the horse last time, especially with a great turn of foot at the end of the race. She was relaxed, and it was just a short distance from the paddock to the track, so this helped her stay calm,” stated the trainer. Terzetto has run beyond 1,800 meters just once, when finishing third over 2,000 meters at Nakayama as a 3-year-old.

Des Ailes: Another filly by Deep Impact, the 4-year-old still boasts an almost 50% win strike rate, despite finishing outside the first three in her last two starts, an 8th in the Grade 1 Victoria Mile in May, and a disappointing 16th of 18 last time in the Grade 2 Ireland Trophy Fuchu Himba Stakes at Tokyo in October. Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi is not too worried about her latest run. ”It was unlike her to drop out of the race like she did last time, and since being back at the stable she seems her usual self. I think in the summer when she was at the farm, she obviously wasn't being prepared for a race, and it showed in that last run. I think we're in a much better place now that she's got a race under her,” commented the trainer.

Rambling Alley: As with Des Ailes, Rambling Alley carries the colors of the Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd. and is a stablemate of the former. Every race she's taken on this year has been a graded one, so her experience in those races points to a likely good run in this one too. She finished second in the Grade 1 Victoria Mile in May, and last time out she was seventh in the Grade 2 Sankei Sho All Comers over 2,200 meters at Nakayama in September. Of the 5-year-old mare, trainer Yasuo Tomomichi said: “She got a bit too far back last time and wasn't suited by the pace, but it wasn't a bad result. She's been working well in training and there's no change with her.” The trainer has thirteen JRA Grade 1 wins, but they don't include a win in this race, although it looks as if he'll be well represented here this time if both his runners get a start.

Clavel: The 4-year-old filly by Epiphaneia has been in the first three eight times from her twelve-race career, and her graded race experience, while limited, has been quite impressive. Most recently she produced a great late run in what was a tough race, the Grade 3 Niigata Kinen over 2,000 meters in September. Trainer Shogo Yasuda said, “She has done well before, saving ground in races and showing a good late turn of foot, but in her last race, she really flew home in a good final three-furlong time. It took a bit out of her, so she's had a rest at the farm, but on returning to the stable, she's currently running with a good rhythm.” The trainer is seeking his first JRA Grade 1 success.

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