Straight Girl (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn}) became just the second mare to win back-to-back Victoria Miles when successfully defending her title at Tokyo on Sunday. Settled midpack and on the outside as Red Reveur (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) and Smart Layer (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) dueled for the lead, Straight Girl had plenty of running room when the field turned into the straight and charted a course up the four path. She needed only hand urging to get to the lead in midstretch, and three reminders with the stick once she got there, but she ultimately cruised clear in deep stretch to win by a comfortable 2 1/2 lengths in a track-record time of 1:31.50. Last year's G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner and race favourite Mikki Queen (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) made a late bid to grab second, just holding off her G1 Japan Cup conqueror Shonan Pandora (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Straight Girl had come agonizingly close to Group 1 glory on three occasions in 2014, finishing third in this before checking in second in the G1 Sprinters S. and third in Sha Tin's G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint, each time beaten a length or less. An unflattering 13th of 18 first-up in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen last year, Straight Girl bounced back to win this contest by a head, and exacted further revenge when winning the Sprinters in October. Slated for retirement after a ninth-place finish in last year's Hong Kong Sprint, Straight Girl's connections instead decided to give her another season on the track. Ninth first-up behind Smart Layer in the G2 Hanshin Himba S. Apr. 9, Straight Girl rewarded her connections with a cozy victory Sunday.
Jockey Keita Tosaki said, “Her response was terrific and we were very fortunate to find a clear path open right in front of us in the homestretch. I felt I didn't have to use my whip, but with top Group 1 competition chasing us, I drove her to the finish line just in case. The Hanshin Himba S. was a good start to get her back in form.”
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
VICTORIA MILE-G1, ¥181,760,000, Tokyo, 5-15, 4yo/up, f/m, 1600mT, 1:31.50 (NTR), fm.
1–STRAIGHT GIRL (JPN), 121, m, 7, Fuji Kiseki (Jpn)
1st Dam: Never Period (Jpn), by Taiki Shuttle.
2nd Dam: Future Happy (Jpn), by Danehill
3rd Dam: Taisei Kagura (Jpn), by Morning Frolic
O-Toshihiro Hirosaki HD Inc; B-Okamoto Farm; T-Hideaki
Fujiwara; J-Keita Tosaki. ¥96,822,000. Lifetime Record:
31-11-4-3. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Mikki Queen (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Musical Way
(Fr), by Gold Away (Ire). (¥100,000,000 yrl '13 JRHAJUL)
O-Mizuki Noda; B-Northern Farm. ¥38,092,000.
3–Shonan Pandora (Jpn), 121, m, 5, by Deep Impact (Jpn)–Cutie
Gold (Jpn), by French Deputy. O-Tetsuhide Kunimoto; B-Shiraoi
Farm. ¥23,546,000.
Margins: 2HF, NO, 1 1/4. Odds: 16.70, 2.40, 3.40.
Also Ran: Smart Layer (Jpn), Rouge Buck (Jpn), Magic Time (Jpn), Ukiyono Kaze (Jpn), Queens Ring (Jpn), Sundarbans (Jpn), Let's Go Donki (Jpn), Win Primera (Jpn), Meisho Mambo (Jpn), Uliuli (Jpn), Red Reveur (Jpn), Cafe Brilliant (Jpn), Shonan Adela (Jpn), Tosen Victory (Jpn), Chaleur (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart and video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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