Admire Lead, second behind Mikki Queen (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G2 Hanshin Himba S. on Apr. 8, turned the tables on that heavily favoured rival to earn her first black-type score in Sunday's G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse. Dropping back to travel near the back of the 17-horse field down the backstretch on the rail, Admire Lead was pointed to a very narrow seam between Smart Layer (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Solveig (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in midstretch by Christophe Lemaire. Squeezing her way through, the dark bay hit the lead well inside the final furlong and pulled away to a convincing score. Mikki Queen, wide throughout, met traffic trouble in the final furlong and came in seventh.
“I had every confidence in her today because I knew the soft track wouldn't bother her at all,” Lemaire said. “I was able to position her well and although she has a good turn of foot, her charge doesn't last long so I tried not to drive her in early stretch. She kicked off the season with two wins and then a second in a Group 2 race–it's obvious she's progressed enormously.”
Although she was lining up against a field that included three prior Group 1 winners on Sunday, Admire Lead's form was certainly solid. As mentioned by Lemaire, the 4-year-old opened the season with a pair of wins in allowance company prior to her second behind Mikki Queen in the Hanshin Himba.
Pedigree Notes…
Admire Lead's dam, Belle Allure, was the winner of the G3 Prix Vanteaux in France and also took the GIII Athenia S. in New York. A 375,000gns purchase by Katsumi Yoshida at Tattersalls December in 2010 while in foal to Giant's Causeway (that produce was ultimately unplaced), she is a half-sister to four stakes winners headed by dual Group 1-winning stayer Jukebox Jury (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Admire Lead's third dam, Feerie Boreale (Fr) (Irish River {Fr}), was third in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, while her fourth dam is the French champion 2-year-old filly Skelda (La Varende {Fr}), who later produced five stakes horses, headed by G1 Grand Prix de Paris victor Soleil Noir (Fr) (Exbury {Fr}), and three stakes producers. Belle Allure's most recent reported foal is a 2-year-old filly by Harbinger (GB).
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
VICTORIA MILE-G1, ¥181,400,000, Tokyo, 5-14, 4yo/up, f, 1600mT, 1:33.90, gd.
1-&@#ADMIRE LEAD (JPN), 121, f, 4, by Stay Gold (Jpn)
1st Dam: Belle Allure (Ire) (GSW-Fr & US, $216,392), by Numerous
2nd Dam: Mare Aux Fees (GB), by Kenmare (Fr)
3rd Dam: Feerie Boreale (Fr), by Irish River (Fr)
(¥46,000,000 wnl '13 JRHAJUL) O-Riichi Kondo; B-Northern
Farm; T-Naosuke Sugai; J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥96,570,000.
Lifetime Record: 14-5-3-0. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Denko Ange (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Meisho Samson (Jpn)–Denko
Lucky (Jpn), by Marienbard (Ire). O-Yasuhiro Tanaka; B-Isono
Farm; ¥38,020,000.
3–Jour Polaire (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Summer
Night City (Jpn), by Helissio (Fr). O-G1 Racing; B-Shiraoi Farm;
¥23,510,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, HD. Odds: 12.50, 66.90, 16.50.
Also Ran: Smart Layer (Jpn), Solveig (Jpn), Queens Ring (Jpn), Mikki Queen (Jpn), Frontier Queen (Jpn), Ukiyono Kaze (Jpn), Rouge Buck (Jpn), Let's Go Donki (Jpn), At the Seaside (Jpn), Asuka Biren (Jpn), Hiruno Matera (Jpn), Kurino Lahore (Jpn), Lethal Weapon (Jpn), Halteclere (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart and video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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