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Four-Year-Old Sodashi Defeats Strong Field in This Year’s Victoria Mile

Fourth favorite Sodashi claimed this year’s Victoria Mile to register her third G1 title following the 2020 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the 2021 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas). The 2021 Best Three-Year-Old Filly, who came off a third in her second dirt start, the February Stakes (G1, dirt, 1,600m), has claimed all her four starts on turf over a mile distance. This marked trainer Naosuke Sugai’s 14th JRA-G1 title following the Oka Sho victory with this filly, and the second Victoria Mile title following his win with Admire Lead in 2017. Jockey Hayato Yoshida landed his fifth JRA-G1 title following his Osaka Hai victory with Potager last month.

Breaking sharply from stall five, four-year-old Sodashi traveled by the rails in fourth and steered slightly to the outside entering the lane to make bid. The Kurofune filly broke loose from the pack passing the 200-meter pole, promptly overtook the frontrunner and pulled away with an impressive late drive for a two-length victory.

“The filly was relaxed and in good condition when I rode her in the post parade. Once she entered the gate, she was focused and was able to make a good break and I was able to ride her in good rhythm while holding down her pace. She responded well at the stretch and when I urged her to go. As today’s race included a very strong field, it was like a dream for a white horse to be able to win a G1 race at Tokyo Racecourse,” commented Hayato Yoshida.

Third choice Fine Rouge sat three-wide in around sixth and while struggling to find a clear path at the early stretch, showed a persistent turn of foot to close in on the winner, passing her rivals one by one. Though unable to catch up with Sodashi, the Kizuna filly won out a four-horse rally to secure a runner-up seat by a neck.

Sixth pick Resistencia rallied to take the lead but eased back to second to let Rosa Noir set the pace. Angling out slightly entering the stretch, the Daiwa Major mare ran strongly to nose out the tenacious pacesetter just before the wire but was outrun by fast-closing Fine Rouge to finish third.

Race favorite Lei Papale broke smoothly and settled third from the front. Though entering the homestretch in good striking position, the Deep Impact mare was unable to show her usual late kick and faded to 12th.

Other Horses:
4th: (10) Rosa Noir—set pace, showed tenacity after surrendering lead, weakened in final strides
5th: (2) Songline—sat around 9th, accelerated but had too much ground to make up
6th: (1) Daring Tact—hugged rails around 6th behind winner, showed effort but lacked another gear
7th: (9) Ablaze—positioned around 15th, timed tied fastest over last 3 furlongs, never threatened
8th: (14) Akai Ito—traveled 3-wide in 14th, passed tiring rivals at stretch
9th: (17) Shadow Diva—unhurried around 15h, turned wide, launched belated charge
10th: (12) Miss New York—ran in 11th, circled wide, responded until 100m out
11th: (6) Divina—settled around 8th behind winner, showed brief effort
13th: (18) Terzetto—trailed in rear, showed fastest late drive, belatedly
14th: (15) Andvaranaut—sat 4-wide around 8-9th, lacked needed kick
15th: (16) Des Ailes—raced 3-wide around 12th, failed to respond
16th: (8) Kurino Premium—traveled in 5th near winner, outrun at stretch
17th: (4) Magic Castle—took economic trip around 12th, showed nothing at stretch
18th: (3) Meisho Mimosa—saved ground around 15th, never fired at stretch

THE 17TH VICTORIA MILE (G1)
4-year-olds & up, Fillies & Mares, 1,600 meters (about 8 furlongs), turf, left-handed
Sunday, May 15, 2022          Tokyo Racecourse          11th Race           Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 281,800,000 (about US$ 2,451,000 <US$1=¥115>)
4-y-o & up: 55kg (about 121 lbs), 1kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2018
Course Record: 1:30.5         Race Record: 1:30.5 [Normcore (JPN, by Harbinger), 2019]
Safety factor: 18 runners      Going: Good to Firm       Weather: Cloudy

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 19,781,050,800       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 29,827,902,700       Attendance: 26,657

Winner= 11 starts: 7 wins, 1 third / Added money: ¥ 133,780,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 501,420,000

* Victoria Mile (G1)

In accordance with the restructuring of JRA racing program for fillies/mares executed in the 2006 season, the Victoria Mile was established to give the older fillies/mares a stage to prove their ability among their own sex, in addition to the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, which had been the only G1 reserved for older fillies/mares. While the Queen Elizabeth is run over 2,200 meters and held in mid-November, the Victoria Mile is held in spring and provides female milers a chance to claim a G1 title without having a tough competition in a mixed field.
The race, however, attracts not only fillies/mares suited to the mile distance but also outstanding runners from the middle-long distance group. Past victors include two-time Horse of the Year winner Vodka (JPN, by Tanino Gimlet; ’09), 2010 Horse of the Year Buena Vista (JPN, by Special Week; ’10), 2010 fillies’ Triple Crown winner Apapane (JPN, by King Kamehameha; ’11) and two-time Horse of the Year victor Almond Eye (JPN, by Lord Kanaloa; ’20). Last year’s champion Gran Alegria (JPN, by Deep Impact) went on to defend her Mile Championship (G1, 1,600m) title and was named the Best Sprinter or Miler for the second consecutive season.
The top three finishers will earn automatic starting positions in the French mile G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp as well as the Prix Jacques le Marois while the race also joined the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series in 2020, enabling its winner to earn automatic starting position in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1, 2,200m).
This year’s field included Meisho Mimosa and Andvaranaut, winner and runner-up, respectively, of the main prep race, Hanshin Himba Stakes (G2, 1,600m, Apr.9) and Nakayama Himba Stakes (G3, 1,800m, Mar.12) winner Kurino Premium who came off a second in the other prep race, Fukushima Himba Stakes (G3, 1,800m, Apr.23). Other contenders included Fine Rouge, runner-up of the Tokyo Shimbun Hai (G3, 1,600m, Feb.6) against the opposite gender, 2021 Best Three-Year-Old Filly Sodashi, Songline, winner of the 1351 Turf Sprint (G3) in Saudi Arabia, 2019 Best Two-Year-Old Filly Resistencia, Lei Papale and Akai Ito, respective champions of last year’s Osaka Hai (G1, 2,000m) and Queen Elizabeth II Cup, and Daring Tact, fillies’ Triple Crown champion of 2020 who recovered from ligamentitis in her right foreleg and made her first outing in 13 months.