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Lucky Lilac Returns to Winning Ways with Queen Elizabeth II Cup Victory

Lucky Lilac bounced back from a long struggle since her first G1 victory as a two-year-old in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1, 1,600m), turning in a strong performance in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. The 2017 Best Two-Year-Old Filly was winless during her three-year-old season, while finishing second in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m), third in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m) and then ninth in the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m). She was fourth this year in the Victoria Mile (G1, 1,600m) and had come off a third-place finish in the prep Fuchu Himba Stakes (G2, 1,800m). Trainer Mikio Matsunaga, who was winning jockey with Phalaenopsis to victory in the 2000 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, landed his fourth career G1 title including one G1 title over obstacles and the first since with Lucky Lilac in the 2017 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Jockey Christophe Soumillon, who is riding under a short term license from October 19, landed his first JRA-G1 title in five years since the 2014 Japan Cup with Epiphaneia and third overall—his first was in 2010 in the Tenno Sho (Autumn, Buena Vista).

Lucky Lilac broke sharply from stall No.2 but allowed the early leaders pass and settled along the rails in mid-pack in sixth or seventh position. As the field spread rounding the last corner, Christophe Soumillon kept the filly straight in the inside and skillfully coaxed her to spring forward into the stretch, pinned race favorite Loves Only You at the furlong pole and then Crocosmia at the 100-meter marker after which she continued to draw away to a 1-1/4-length victory.

“I was very confident when I saw how good she was in training but today she was even better. She was really concentrating and I saw she was reacting very fast. In the race, I would have preferred to have her another position closer, the pace was not very fast so I thought it would be a little bit hard to make up ground, but finally I took the option to stay in the inside and she really quickened well and at the 200-meter marker when I saw the gap was still open I was confident that I had won,” commented winning jockey Christophe Soumillon after the race.

Crocosmia broke smoothly and was allowed to dictate a moderate pace without pressure as she opened the margin to two to three lengths for most of the trip. The Stay Gold mare made most of the early advantage and continued to maintain her lead but was unable to keep up with the increasing speed of the winner while holding off the rest for second place.

Race favorite Loves Only You secured a forward position with good speed coming out of gate 11 and tracked the leader in second with the rest of the field keeping close watch of the favorite and trailing another length behind. As the field closed in and entered the stretch, the Deep Impact filly was slow coming into gear as the winner overtook her inside the furlong pole but found her best strides to close in on Crocosmia for third.

Other Horses:
4th: (12) Centelleo—advanced to 3rd in backstretch, ran gamely but failed to threaten top 3 finishers
5th: (8) Chrono Genesis—took economic trip 5th in front of eventual winner, lacked needed kick
6th: (17) Salacia—advanced to 4th from wide draw, found little room at early stretch, accelerated in last 200m
7th: (16) Scarlet Color—ran in 5-6th, willingly until 200m marker, weakened thereafter
8th: (9) Armeria Bloom—settled in 11th behind winner, quickened but belatedly inside 200m pole
9th: (13) Satono Garnet—traveled in 9th, best strides late while timed 2nd fastest over last 3 furlongs
10th: (10) Frontier Queen—sat in 3rd, ran gamely until 200m pole, outrun thereafter
11th: (4) Uranus Charm—positioned in 15th early, gradually advanced, showed belated charge
12th: (14) Gorgeous Lunch—was off slow, ran 3-wide 2nd from rear, passed tired rivals at stretch
13th: (7) Reiho Romance—raced around 14th, unable to reach contention
14th: (18) Red Landini—traveled 3-wide in 12th, even paced at stretch
15th: (3) Shadow Diva—saved ground in 13th, showed little after turning final corner
16th: (5) Pont des Arts—hugged rails around 10th, never fired at stretch
17th: (15) Miss Mamma Mia—trailed in rear, no factor throughout
18th: (1) Bright Moon—settled 3rd from rear along rails, faded after final corner

THE 44TH QUEEN ELIZABETH II CUP (G1) – Japan Autumn International -
3-year-olds & up, Fillies & Mares, 2,200 meters (about 11 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Sunday, November 10, 2019  Kyoto Racecourse    11th Race      Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 226,800,000 (about US$ 1,972,000 <US$1=¥115>)
3-y-o: 54kg (about 119 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 56kg (about 124 lbs),
2kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2016
Safety factor: 18 runners

1. 1.Lucky Lilac (JPN), chestnut, filly, 4-year-olds
   Orfevre / Lilacs and Lace (Flower Alley)
   

   Owner: Sunday Racing Co., Ltd.	Breeder: Northern Racing
   Trainer: Mikio Matsunaga	Jockey: Christophe Soumillon
   12 Starts, 5 Wins
   Added money: ¥ 108,822,000	Career earnings: ¥ 400,739,000

   
   
2. 2.Crocosmia (JPN), dark bay or brown, mare, 6-year-olds
   Stay Gold / Developpe (Boston Harbor)
   

   Owner: Ryoichi Otsuka	Breeder: Hideo Takadaru
   Trainer: Katsuichi Nishiura	Jockey: Yusuke Fujioka

   
   
3. 3.Loves Only You (JPN), bay, filly, 3-year-olds
   Deep Impact / Loves Only Me (Storm Cat)
   

   Owner: DMM Dream Club Co., Ltd.	Breeder: Northern Farm
   Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi	Jockey: Mirco Demuro

* Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1)

The Queen Elizabeth II Cup was established in 1976 to facilitate friendly relations between Japan and England, in commemoration of Her Excellency’s visit to Japan in 1975. The race initially started as a 2,400-meter race and the last leg of the “Triple Crown for three-year-old fillies,” but became a 2,200-meter race for fillies and mares of three-year-old and up from 1996.
Tigertail (FR, by Priolo) and Ana Marie (FR, by Anabaa) were the first two foreign contestants to run in 2003—four years after its designation as an international event in 1999—and finished third and eighth, respectively. Shalanaya (IRE, by Lomitas) finished fourth in 2009 before Edward Dunlop-trained Snow Fairy (IRE, by Intikhab) became the first foreign runner to win back-to-back G1 titles in 2010 and 2011.
Last year’s winner and JRA’s Best Older Filly or Mare Lys Gracieux (JPN, M5, by Heart’s Cry) has thrived both within and outside Japan this season, claiming the Takarazuka Kinen (G1, 2,200m) in June and the Australian prestigious Cox Plate (G1, 2,040m) in October and finishing within the money in her two other starts in Japan and Hong Kong.
Scarlet Color, an improving four-year-old came off her first grade-race victory in the main prep for four-year-old and up fillies/mares, the Fuchu Himba Stakes (G2, 1,800m; Oct.14). Lucky Lilac, Best Two-Year-Old Filly in 2017 was third while two-time Queen Elizabeth II Cup runner-up Crocosmia finished fifth in the same race. Gorgeous Lunch and Pont des Arts were among the key runners with respective victories against male foes in the Nihonkai Stakes (2,200m; Aug.17) and the Tancho Stakes (2,600m; Sep.1).
Three-Year-Old fillies, who came off the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m; Oct.13), were Chrono Genesis (1st) and Shadow Diva (4th) while Loves Only You, who passed the last leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown with a hoof problem, made her first start since her Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m) victory in May.
The race record has not been broken since To the Victory (JPN, by Sunday Silence) covered the 2,200-meter distance in 2:11.2 in 2001.