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Yushun Himba winner Mikki Queen Captures Shuka Sho title in Record Time

Race favorite Mikki Queen was crowned once again as she captured this year’s Shuka Sho, the final leg of the three-year-old Fillies’ Triple Crown, following her Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) triumph in May. Her victory comes by renewing the race record by 0.1 seconds set by last year’s victor Shonan Pandora. She had come off a runner-up effort in her first autumn start in the Rose Stakes where she ran well to make up for her slow break.

Following his Takarazuka Kinen victory with Lovely Day in June, Trainer Yasutoshi Ikee has now 13 JRA-G1 wins under his belt while jockey Suguru Hamanaka has six, the most recent one with Mikki Queen in their Yushun Himba triumph. This is his second Shuka Sho victory, the latest being last year’s win with Shonan Pandora.

“She was the Oaks queen hoping for a second crown—I had no idea how the wide stall would affect her, but she was just amazing. Her usual slow start wasn’t that bad today and since the pace and surface was fast, I intentionally kept her near the pace. At the top of the stretch, I asked her to go right through the group of horses instead of going wide because I had faith in her strength and she responded beautifully. She will now head for races against stronger competition but I’m confident she will show us great results—I’m looking forward to the battles,” commented Suguru Hamanaka after the race.

The race got underway with longshot Not Formal gunning for the lead and setting the early pace distancing herself and the rest of the field by the second corner. Mikki Queen was settled in mid-field in the backstretch, and although in a tight spot rounding the last two corners, the race favorite used her stupendous stretch kick to spurt clear after entering the straight in sixth to seventh tagging Maximum de Paris 100 meters out and hold off the strong challenge from Queens Ring to win by a neck for the title.

Unhurried in the latter half of field and way back near the rear turning wide at the last corner, fifth choice Queens Ring demonstrated an amazing drive catching all but the winner for the runner-up seat. The Manhattan Cafe filly was a neck short while clocking the fastest last three-furlong time of 34.1 seconds in the 18 horse field.

Eighth pick Maximum de Paris sat off the pace in fifth to sixth and three-wide, was at the top of the straight in third, showed a good charge but was caught by the winner with 100 meters to go just as she drew even with her last front runner and succumbed to the furious charge by Queens Ring to clear the wire 1-1/4 lengths behind for third.

Other Horses:
4th: (12) Andriette—raced in rear division, driven after 3rd corner, quickened after passing furlong pole
5th: (17) Earthrise—sat in rear pack, accelerated at 2nd fastest over last 3 furlongs after angling wide
6th: (11) Touching Speech—trailed in rear, turned wide, showed belated charge but too late
7th: (13) Asuka Biren—positioned 3-wide in mid-pack, quickened until 100m out after turning 4th corner
8th: (7) Tosen Victory—sat in mid-group, lacked needed kick at stretch
9th: (2) Queen’s Milagro—traveled near rear, angled wide, passed tired rivals
10th: (5) Sing with Joy—ran along rail around 5th, switched to outside turning final corner, no impression
11th: (8) White Elegance—raced in 2nd, led before final furlong, weakened soon
12th: (3) Deep Jewelry—saved ground in mid-division, even paced at stretch
13th: (4) Dear My Darling—sat in front of winner, failed to respond at stretch
14th: (1) Kokorono Ai—hugged rail in mid-pack, unable to reach contention
15th: (16) Not Formal—set fast pace, led till top of stretch, faded
16th: (14) Cat Coin—traveled toward rear, gradually fell back, no factor
17th: (10) Let’s Go Donki—positioned in 6th, keen to go, entered lane in 2nd, ran out of steam thereafter
18th: (15) Tenderly Voice—raced in 3rd, dropped back after 3rd corner, faded

THE 20TH SHUKA SHO (G1)
3-year-old Fillies, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Sunday, October 18, 2015   Kyoto Racecourse   11th Race   Post Time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 184,920,000 (about US$ 1,541,000 <US$1=¥120>)
3-y-o: 55 kg (about 121 lbs), 2 kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2012
Safety factor: 18 runners

PAY-OFF (for ¥100)

1. Mikki Queen (JPN), bay, filly, 3-year-old
   Deep Impact / Musical Way (Gold Away)
   

   Owner: Mizuki Noda	Breeder: Northern Farm
   Trainer: Yasutoshi Ikee	Jockey: Suguru Hamanaka
   7 Starts, 4 Wins
   Added money: ¥ 92,822,000	Career earnings: ¥ 279,498,000
   Principal Race Performances:	’15 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1, 2,400m)	1st

   
   
   
2. Queens Ring (JPN), dark bay or brown, filly, 3-year-old
   Manhattan Cafe / Aqua Ring (Anabaa)
   

   Owner: Chizu Yoshida	Breeder: Shadai Farm
   Trainer: Keiji Yoshimura	Jockey: Mirco Demuro

   
   
   
3. Maximum de Paris (JPN), gray, filly, 3-year-old
   King Kamehameha / Mlle de Paris (Sunday Silence)
   

   Owner: Green Farm	Breeder: Shadai Farm
   Trainer: Shigeki Matsumoto	Jockey: Hideaki Miyuki

* 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. However, no foreign runners have taken part in the race since and the Shuka Sho was contested between an all-Japanese field again this year.
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.
The Rose Stakes (G2, 1,800m), held on September 20 as the major trial for the Shuka Sho, was won by Touching Speech who demonstrated a terrific turn of speed, racing second from last early and zoomed to a 1-1/2-length victory. She managed to hold off Yushun Himba winner Mikki Queen who also exerted a powerful late charge after having to trail the field from a poor break while Tosen Victory followed a length and a quarter behind for third. Let’s Go Donki, who claimed the Oka Sho, was unable to sustain an early lead and finished fourth. Queens Ring, who won the Fillies’ Revue (G2, 1,400m) in March and was fourth in the Oka Sho, followed in fifth. Sing with Joy, winner of the Flora Stakes (G2, 2,000m) in April, faded to 14th.
Queen’s Milagro and White Elegance also earned berths in the Shuka Sho by finishing first and second, respectively, in another trial race, the Shion Stakes (2,000m), on September 12. For grade-race winners Kokorono Ai and Cat Coin, it was their first starts since their Yushun Himba challenges in May.