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Tenth Pick Akai Ito Scores Upset Victory in This Year’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup

Tenth pick Akai Ito marked an upset victory in this year’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup to score her first graded title and became the first Kizuna filly or colt to capture a JRA-G1 title. Debuting in September of her two-year-old season, she broke her maiden in her second start and concluded the season with one win out of five starts. The Kizuna brown marked another win out of eight starts last year and stepped up to open class after marking two wins out of five starts in the first half of this season but came off a seventh in the Fuchu Himba Stakes (G2, 1,800m) on October 16. Trainer Kazuya Nakatake marked his third JRA-G1 win following his win in the 2018 Hopeful Stakes with Saturnalia while jockey Hideaki Miyuki claimed his eighth JRA-G1 victory following his 2018 Victoria Mile title with Jour Polaire.

Missing her break from stall 16, four-year-old Akai Ito traveled fifth from last and advanced boldly turning the last two corners wide to enter the lane in third. The four-year-old brown continued to accelerate powerfully in the stretch, pinning race-favorite Lei Papale passing the 200-meter pole, and easily held off the rest of the field with her incredible late drive that marked the fastest last three furlongs in the field for a two-length victory.

“As she seemed to be a bit tense when I trained her the other day, I tried to race her in her own rhythm. Though I could not break her smoothly out of the gate, I was able to eventually race her in the intended position at the backstretch. I was confident that she will stretch well at the end and, because it was a G1 race, I made bid earlier than usual. We were able to take the front earlier than I had expected and, as there was no horse right behind us, I just kept on urging her to go until,” commented Hideaki Miyuki.

Seventh choice Stellaria, another Kizuna filly, broke smoothly and settled around seventh to eighth from the front. The three-year-old dark bay rounded the last two corners the widest of the field, persistently chased the leaders in the straight and produced a remarkable turn of speed in the last 100 meters to cross the wire in second.

Ninth pick Clavel saved ground around 14th behind eventual winner, found a narrow space entering the homestretch, showed the tied third fastest late drive between horses and closed in on Stellaria but was neck short in third.

Other Horses:
4th: (11) Soft Fruit—settled near rear, showed 2nd fastest late kick between horses, belatedly
5th: (4) Izu Jo no Kiseki—traveled around 7th, boxed in at final corner, accelerated in last 200m
7th: (3) Akaitorino Musume—sat near favorite around 5th, met traffic 250m out, lost momentum
8th: (12) Des Ailes—positioned around 11th, circled wide, passed tired rivals
9th: (6) Rambling Alley—raced around 9th, advanced and remained in contention up to 200m pole
10th: (15) Win Kiitos—ran 3-wide around 9th, angled out for stretch run, lacked needed kick
11th: (8) Terzetto—hugged rails around 11th, gradually advanced, ran gamely up to 200m pole
12th: (10) Musica—settled along rails among rear trio, met traffic at final corner
13th: (17) Kotobuki Thetis—trailed in rear, no factor throughout
14th: (13) Lune Rouge—traveled 3-wide around 5th early, dropped position at backstretch
15th: (7) Shamrock Hill—set pace, sustained lead until final corner, fell back
16th: (9) Win Marilyn—tracked leaders in 3rd, nothing left after rounding final corner
17th: (14) Rose Amour—pressed pace in 2nd, faded after final corner

THE 46TH 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 14, 2021     Hanshin Racecourse     11th Race       Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 226,800,000 (about US$ 2,160,000 <US$1=¥105>)
3-y-o: 54kg (about 119 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs),
2kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2018
Course Record: 2:10.1        Race Record: 2:11.2 [To the Victory (JPN, by Sunday Silence), Kyoto, 2001]
Safety factor: 18 runners     Going: Good to Firm           Weather: Fine

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 16,827,316,500       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 24,812,341,300       Attendance: 5,909

Winner= 20 starts, 5 wins, 4 seconds, 1 third / Added money: ¥ 108,612,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 192,895,000

* 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. The race has been shifted to Hanshin Racecourse due to the renovation of Kyoto Racecourse since last year.
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.
2018 victor Lys Gracieux (JPN, by Heart’s Cry) subsequently claimed two Grand-Prix races—the Takarazuka Kinen (G1, 2,200m) and the Arima Kinen (G1, 2,500m)—and Australia’s prestigious Cox Plate (G1, 2,040m), which earned her the Horse of the Year title in 2019. Last year, Lucky Lilac (JPN, by Orfevre) defended her title to become the fourth filly/mare to accomplish the feat since Snow Fairy (IRE, by Intikhab; 2010-11) from Great Britain.
Win Marilyn came off her third graded win in the All Comers (G2, 2,200m, Sep.26), followed by Meguro Kinen (G2, 2,500m) victor Win Kiitos in second and Osaka Hai (G1, 2,000m) champion Lei Papale in third while Victoria Mile (G1, 1,600m) runner-up Rambling Alley was seventh. The three-year-old fillies coming off the last leg of the Triple Tiara, the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m, Oct.17), were Akaitorino Musume (1st) and Stellaria (6th). The field also included Terzetto and Mermaid Stakes (G3, 2,000m) winner Shamrock Hill, coming off first and ninth, respectively, in the Queen Stakes (G3, 1,800m, Aug.1), Clavel who finished third against male opponents in the Niigata Kinen (G3, 2,000m, Sep.5) and Hanshin Himba Stakes (G2, 1,600m) champion Des Ailes who finished a disappointing 16th in the Fuchu Hihmba Stakes (G2, 1,800m, Oct.16).