Can Donki Buck The Trend Again?

Sophomore fillies take center stage Sunday in Japan for the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), the second Classic of the season in their division, and Let’s Go Donki (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) will be out to justify the form of her win in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) Apr. 12. Let’s Go Donki wired the Oka Sho field over a heavy track after getting away with a slow pace, and jockey Yasunari Iwata noted that the step up to 2400 meters is a question mark. “I need to get her to settle. If I can do that, she should last 2400 meters and let’s not forget it’s a race among 3-year-old fillies, in which anything can happen,” Iwata said. “She has no problems running left-handed, and she should be just as good as she was for her last race. I thought the field in this year’s Oka Sho was pretty strong. I’m sure many of them will be looking to bounce back in the Oaks, but we won a tough Oka Sho, and we can go into the next race with our chins held high.”Rouge Buck (Jpn) (Manhattan Cafe {Jpn}), a daughter of American champion Ginger Punch (Awesome Again), seeks redemption after finishing a head-scratching ninth as the firm favorite in the Oka Sho. The bay had gone unbeaten in three previous outings against males, but was 15th turning for home in the Oka Sho and failed to make up much ground. 

“I imagine it’s the same with some of the other horses, but the pace was so slow that she didn’t have any time to recover,” trainer Masahiro Otake said of Rogue Buck’s Oka Sho effort. “The shine on her coat has looked considerably better and she’s looking fine physically. She’s been racing on a regular basis so as long as she puts in some work, she should be fine. She’s untested at the distance of 2400 meters, but she’s won at Tokyo over 2000 meters, which is a good sign for us. We’re counting on a smoother race–and a better result–this time around.” 

A new challenge comes in the form of Mikki Queen (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was an early favorite for the Oka Sho but instead partook in that day’s Wasurenagusa Sho S., which she won.