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Gran Alegria Wins Third Consecutive G1 Title in Mile Championship

Overwhelming favorite Gran Alegria claimed this year’s Mile Championship, her third consecutive G1 triumph following the Yasuda Kinen (1,600m) and the Sprinters Stakes (1,200m). The Mile Championship victory by a female runner was last seen 12 years ago in 2008 by Blumenblatt and only the sixth overall. The 2019 Best Three-Year-Old Filly and Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) winner now has four G1 titles to her name while becoming the eighth horse in JRA history, the first after Indy Champ last year, to claim both mile G1 titles in the same year. Furthermore, she is also the third horse to claim the Sprinters Stakes-Mile Championship double—Durandal was the last horse to accomplish the feat in 2003. Trainer Kazuo Fujisawa picked up his 32nd JRA-G1 title with the win while renewing his own record of four titles in the Mile Championship—his previous victories were with Shinko Lovely (1993), Taiki Shuttle (1997,98) and Zenno El Cid (2001)—to five. Jockey Christophe Lemaire won three G1s in a row after the Tenno Sho (Autumn) with Almond Eye and the Queen Elizabeth II Cup with Lucky Lilac to reach 34 career G1 wins.

Gran Alegria broke sharply and positioned behind the leaders and just off the rails around fifth position behind a slower than moderate pace set by Resistencia. Moving with the flow towards the front as the field closed in approaching the final turn, Christophe Lemaire was boxed inside an unable to angle out for a clear path coming into the homestretch. Still caught behind the dueling Admire Mars and Indy Champ in front with a furlong to go, Gran Alegria shifted further outside and showed a tremendous turn of foot with a little more than 100 meters to the wire and stormed past both rivals to win by 3/4 lengths.

“She had a good break so we were able to sit in a good position. She’s matured and a lot easier to ride now being a four-year-old so she was relaxed and we had a good trip until the last turn where, as a favorite you’re marked and it so happens, but we weren’t able to make our move to the outside smoothly for the stretch run. I was a little worried but the way she exploded into gear in the last 150 meters, it just shows how powerful she is and I’m looking forward to a great season from her as a five-year-old,” commented Christophe Lemaire.

Indy Champ was in hand immediately after the break and settled around seventh with the eventual winner in view, advanced and raced in tandem with the eventual winner approaching the final corner and increased his pace to reach Admire Mars and overtaking that foe at the furlong pole but soon joined by and quickly overtaken by the winner before the wire.

Other Horses:
4th: (11) Scarlet Color—hugged rails around 8th, ran gamely but weakened in last 100m
5th: (17) Salios—sat around 13th, angled out, showed fastest late kick, belatedly
6th: (16) Vin de Garde—raced around 11th, showed effort but had too much to make up
7th: (15) Persian Knight—traveled near rear, struggled to find clear path, accelerated in last 300m
8th: (2) Resistencia—set pace, surrendered lead 200m out, outrun thereafter
9th: (1) Besten Dank—tracked leaders in 3rd in front of winner, ran willingly until 100m out
10th: (14) Sound Chiara—settled 3-wide around 11th, lacked needed kick
11th: (5) Meikei Die Hard—ran around 8th behind winner, failed to respond
12th: (12) A Will a Way—saved ground around 13th, even paced at stretch
13th: (3) Keiai Nautique—trailed in rear, circled wide, unable to reach contention
14th: (13) Taisei Vision—sat 3-wide around 8th, never fired at stretch
15th: (6) Lauda Sion—stalked leader in 2nd, ran out of steam in last 300m
16th: (10) Black Moon—raced near rear, no factor
17th: (9) Katsuji—traveled around 5th outside winner, faded after early stretch

THE 37TH MILE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1) – Japan Autumn International -
3-year-olds & up, 1,600 meters (about 8 furlongs), right-handed, turf
Sunday, November 22, 2020     Hanshin Racecourse     11th Race       Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 281,800,000 (about US$ 2,610,000 <US$1=¥108>)
3-y-o: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 57kg (about 126 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares,
1kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2017
Course Record: 1:31.9              Race Record: 1:31.5 [Danon Shark (JPN, by Deep Impact), Kyoto, 2014]
Safety factor: 18 runners     Going: Firm           Weather: Cloudy

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 17,641,000,900        Turnover for the Day: ¥ 27,009,996,900        Attendance: 2,556

Winner= 10 starts, 7 wins, 1 second, 1 third / Added money: ¥ 133,570,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 720,215,000

* Mile Championship (G1)

The Mile Championship is one of the most prestigious autumn grade-one events for milers together with the Yasuda Kinen (G1, 1,600m) in spring. Horse racing in Japan had been focusing on long distance racing for a long time, regarding stamina and strength as the most important quality of horses. However, with modern racing having increased its attention to speed horses suited to a mile or shorter distance races, the Mile Championship was established in 1984 in conjunction with Japanese races adopting the grading system. The current racing program now provides races for short, middle and long distance racehorses. Since its establishment, the race had been held at Kyoto Racecourse but has temporarily shifted to Hanshin as the regular venue is currently under renovation beginning last month.
After being designated an international race in 1998, the race welcomed several foreign contestants, including Sahpresa (USA, by Sahm) who ran three consecutive years—third in 2009 and 2011, fourth in 2010—but none has taken part since 2012.
Last year, Indy Champ won the race following his Yasuda Kinen victory, becoming the seventh horse to claim both mile events in the same year, and later named the season’s JRA Award Best Sprinter or Miler. The defending champion kicked off his fall campaign in this race after finishing third in the Yasuda Kinen behind victor Gran Alegria who went on to claim the Sprinters Stakes (G1, 1,200m; Oct.4). The Fuji Stakes (G2, 1,600m; Oct.24), one of the trial races towards the mile G1 was won by Vin de Garde, followed by this year’s NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1,600m) champion Lauda Sion in second, 2018 NHK Mile Cup victor Keiai Nautique in third, 2017 Mile Championship winner Persian Knight in fourth and 2019 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1, 1,600m) runner-up Taisei Vision in fifth. Katsuji registered his second graded title in another trial, the Swan Stakes (G2, 1,400m; Oct.31) in which three-time G1 victor Admire Mars finished third and Victoria Mile (G1, 1,600m) runner-up Sound Chiara disappointed to 10th. The Mile Championship field also included Salios, winner of the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes who came off a win in the Mainichi Okan (G2, 1,800m; Oct.11), Resistencia, 2019 Best Two-Year-Old Filly who came back from a leg injury found after finishing second in the NHK Mile Cup, and the Sprinters Stakes third-place finisher A Will a Way.