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Improving Vivlos Impressive in Shuka Sho Victory

Third favorite Vivlos claimed the last jewel of the three-year-old fillies’ Triple Crown, coming off a second-place finish in the Shion Stakes which qualified her to make her first G1 challenge. Following a runner-up effort in her two-year-old debut in October last year, the Deep Impact filly concluded the season with a win in her second start but was 12th in both her grade-race starts during the spring of this year and was unable to qualify for neither the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) nor the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks). Progressing well during the summer, she won her second win in an allowance race and demonstrated a good turn of speed from traveling behind to score her second place in in the G3 Shion Stakes. She is a full sister to Verxina, a runner-up in all three of the fillies’ Triple Crown behind Gentildonna. Her Trainer Yasuo Tomoichi marked his seventh career JRA-G1 victory—his first since the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) with Makahiki—while jockey Yuichi Fukunaga registered his 20th JRA-G1 title, his last being the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in March with Big Arthur.

Vivlos traveled just off the rails in mid-pack, made headway passing the 1000-meter marker and turned wide entering the stretch but still had plenty left as she swept past rivals and pinned the leader in the last few strides for the win.

“We were in a perfect position and the trip was smooth and in good rhythm. I was aware of Biche behind me at the third corner but we were able to pick our own timing for the move. Her sister (Verxina) had a lot of speed and staying power but this filly has a tremendous burst of speed”, commented Yuichi Fukunaga.

Pearl Code was rated outside a rival in mid-division, a few lengths ahead of the eventual winner, angled out slightly and tracked Kaiserball coming into the homestretch. The Victoire Pisa filly rallied gamely and overtook that rival but was outrun by the winner in the end.

Kaiserball was keen early, already making headway along the outside as the field entered the backstretch and near the leaders in fifth entering the straight. Still with enough to maintain good speed, she stayed well, overtaking the tiring leaders and only giving way in the very last strides.

Jeweler was positioned well off the pace along the rails among the latter half of the field, had to make some effort coming out of traffic and while showing a great turn of speed in the final stages, was a fraction too late to pin the leaders.

Other Horses:
5th: (5) Red Avancer—raced around 12th, behind winner entering lane, failed to threaten top finishers
6th: (9) Crocosmia—set pace, held well until 100m out
7th: (4) Persi’s Best—traveled near rear, showed fastest late drive over last 3 furlongs
8th: (14) Mieno Succeed—sat wide toward rear, passed tired rivals at stretch
9th: (8) Denko Ange—trailed in rear, showed belated charge after turning wide into stretch
11th: (18) Kinsho Yukihime—raced in front of winner, showed brief effort at stretch
12th: (12) Win Fabulous—chased leaders in 3rd, sustained bid until 150m out, weakened
13th: (6) Gekkako—saved ground toward rear, even paced at stretch
14th: (11) Frontier Queen—positioned wide off the pace, lacked needed kick at stretch
15th: (16) Daiwa Dresser—traveled near pace in 4th, ran gamely until 200m out, weakened
16th: (1) Angel Face—near pace early, keen to go, gradually fell back, faded
17th: (17) Neo Verthandi—stalked leader in 2nd, ran out of steam at final corner
18th: (13) Wonder Pirouette—settled wide in mid-division, no factor

THE 21ST SHUKA SHO (G1)
3-year-old Fillies, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Sunday, October 16, 2016    Kyoto Racecourse       11th Race        Post Time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 199,120,000 (about US$ 1,659,000 <US$1=¥120>)
3-y-o: 55 kg (about 121 lbs), 2 kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2013
Safety factor: 18 runners

1. 1.Vivlos (JPN), black, filly, 3-year-old
   Deep Impact / Halwa Sweet (Machiavellian)

   Owner: Kazuhiro Sasaki	Breeder: Northern Racing
   Trainer: Yasuo Tomomichi	Jockey: Yuichi Fukunaga
   7 Starts, 3 Wins
   Added money: ¥ 95,822,000	Career earnings: ¥ 125,306,000
   Principal Race Performances:	’16 Shion Stakes (G3, 2,000m)	2nd

   
   
2. 2.Pearl Code (JPN), dark bay or brown, filly, 3-year-old
   Victoire Pisa / Magic Code (Lost Code)

   Owner: HH Sheikh Fahad bin Abdulla K.H Al-Thani	Breeder: Shadai Farm
   Trainer: Mitsumasa Nakauchida	Jockey: Yuga Kawada

   
   
3. 3.Kaiserball (JPN), dark bay or brown, filly, 3-year-old
   Empire Maker / Dance in the Mood (Sunday Silence)

   Owner: Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd.	Breeder: Shadai Farm
   Trainer: Katsuhiko Sumii	Jockey: Hirofumi Shii

* Shuka Sho(G1)
The Shuka Sho, established in 1996, is run over 2,000 meters at Kyoto Racecourse and the third leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown reserved for the season’s three-year-old fillies following the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m) and the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m). The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1, 2,200m) was formally regarded as the third leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown until the race was opened to older fillies and mares; hence the Shuka Sho was established to take its place. Acquiring international G1 status in 2009, the Shuka Sho is open to a maximum of nine foreign runners.
Gentildonna (JPN, by Deep Impact) became only the fourth filly in JRA history to claim the fillies’ Triple Crown title after Mejiro Ramonu (JPN, by Mogami; 1986), Still in Love (JPN, by Sunday Silence; 2003) and Apapane (JPN, by King Kamehameha; 2010),and proceeded to achieve greater accomplishment within her three-year-old season by winning the Japan Cup (G1, 2,400m) against a powerful field which contributed to earning the season’s highest honor of JRA’s Horse of the Year award in 2012. Mikki Queen (JPN, by Deep Impact), who was unable to make the lineup in the Oka Sho but claimed her first G1 title in the Yushun Himba, continued to excel in the 2015 edition of this race to renew the race record at 1:56.9 over the 2000-meter course.
This year’s Yushun Himba victor Sinhalite (JPN, by Deep Impact) held high expectations for the race after her victory in the Rose Stakes (G2, 1,800m) on September 18 but had to be withdrawn due to a tendon injury to her left foreleg. Crocosmia and Kaiserball earned their berth in the Shuka Sho finishing second and third, respectively, in the Rose Stakes while 2015 Artemis Stakes (G3, 1,600m) winner Denko Ange finished fourth. Oka Sho winner Jeweler, who was 11th in the Rose Stakes, her comeback start after a long break due to injury, was well backed in the Shuka Sho.
Yushun Himba third-place finisher Biche, Vivlos and Frontier Queen also earned their tickets to run in the Shuka Sho by finishing first, second and third, respectively, in another trial race, the Shion Stakes (G3, 2,000m) on September 10. Flower Cup (G3, 1,800m) winner Angel Face was 16th in the same race.
Both NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1,600m) champion Major Emblem (JPN, F3, by Daiwa Major) and Yushun Himba runner-up Cecchino (JPN, F3, by King Kamehameha) were not included in the race due to injury.