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Regaleira Becomes the First Filly to Win the Hopeful Stakes

Race favorite Regaleira won this year’s Hopeful Stakes with a race record time of 2:00.2 to become the first filly to win the race since it was elevated to G1 in 2017 and gave her sire Suave Richard his first G1 title. Breaking her maiden in her debut start (Hakodate, 1,800m) in July, she came off a third among a mixed field in the Ivy Stakes (Listed, 1,800m) on October 21. This win gave her trainer Tetsuya Kimura and jockey Christophe Lemaire their eighth and 50th JRA-G1 wins, respectively, following their Japan Cup victory with Equinox a month ago. Shunsuke Yoshida, representative of Sunday Racing, who owns Regaleira, stated that they will likely race her in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) next spring.

Breaking slowly from an outside draw, Regaleira settled third from the rear, edged forward traveling two wide in the backstretch and rounded the last two corners wide to make bid. Though meeting traffic at early stretch, Christophe Lemaire steered the Suave Richard filly further out for a clear path, from where she unleashed an explosive burst of speed, flying past her rivals with the fastest finishing drive and overtaking the front 100 meters out to claim the race.

“We had to travel near the rear because the filly missed her break, but she was very calm after that. She responded well at last two corners and, after I steered her to the outside, displayed an incredible late charge. I look forward to her performances next year, and I think a longer distance would also suit her,” commented Christophe Lemaire.

Second pick Shin Emperor broke smoothly out of the gate and traveled in good position, around fourth from the front. Advancing position turning the final corners, the Siyouni chestnut was at the top when entering the lane, further accelerate in the stretch and, though overtaken by the fast-closing winner 100 meters out, bested the rest of the field by two lengths to secure a runner-up seat.

13th choice Sunrise Zipangu advanced to third after breaking sharply and eased back to around fifth in the backstretch. The Kizuna colt angled out for the final turn and closed in on Shin Emperor while drifting to the inside in the stretch but was overtaken by the eventual winner in the last 100 meters, then found little room behind the runner-up to finish third.

Other Horses:
4th: (4) Admiral Ship—settled around 13th on rails, launched 2nd fastest late drive to finish strongly
5th: (18) Mr G T—raced 3-wide around 13th, struggled to find clear path on inner stretch, quickened in last 100m
6th: (10) Sirius Colt—saved ground around 10th, remained in contention until 100m out
7th: (11) Shonan la Punta—chased leaders in 3rd, showed effort but no match for top finishers
8th: (8) In the Moment—settled around 6th, ran gamely until 100m out
9th: (12) Di Speranza—traveled around 10th, showed brief effort while meeting traffic 200m out
10th: (2) Velociraptor—set pace, showed tenacity after surrendering lead, weakened in last 100m
11th: (14) Hortobagy—trailed in rear, circled wide, unable to reach contention
12th: (15) Win Maximum—sat 3-wide in 8th, failed to respond
13th: (7) Ten Ace One—positioned near rear, never fired
14th: (16) Century Bond—raced 3-wide in 11th, showed little
15th: (3) Ammothyella—stalked leader in 2nd, faded after final corner
Fail to Finish: (9) Tariff Line—traveled around 5th on rails, pulled up due to fracture
Scratched: (1) Gonbade Qabus—sickness
Scratched: (17) Sunrise Earth—lameness in his left foreleg

THE 40TH HOPEFUL STAKES (G1)
2-year-olds, Colts & Fillies, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Thursday, December 28, 2023     Nakayama Racecourse         11th Race        Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 152,200,000 (about US$ 1,324,000 <US$1=¥115>)
2-y-o: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs), 1 kg allowance for Fillies, 3 kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2021
Course Record: 1:58.9                Race Record: 2:00.2 [Regaleira (JPN, by Suave Richard), 2023]
Safety factor: 18 runners             Going: Good to Firm            Weather: Fine

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 14,104,186,100       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 26,464,128,000       Attendance: 25,006

Winner= 3 starts: 2 wins & 1 third / Added & stakes money: ¥ 71,260,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 82,779,000

* Hopeful Stakes (G1)

Established in 1984 under the name of Radio Tampa Hai Sansai Himba Stakes as a G3 race for two-year-old fillies run over 1,600 meters at Hanshin Racecourse, the race held in December has undergone various changes in its status over the years. The distance was extended to 2,000 meters while the runners were limited to colts and geldings in 1991, opened its doors once again to fillies and mares in 2000 and acquired international status in 2010. In 2014, the race was given the Hopeful Stakes name, upgraded to G2, excluded geldings and shifted to a new venue, the Nakayama Racecourse where the first leg of the three-year-old Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, G1), is held over the same distance. In 2017, the race made its final elevation in grade and has become JRA’s 24th G1 flat race.
Even before becoming a G1 race, the Hopeful Stakes was highly regarded as the championship event for two- year-old middle-distance prospects aiming for the three-year-old classics and chosen as the main target in place of the traditional two-year-old G1 championships, the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes and the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies run over 1,600 meters. As a result, the 2,000-meter race attracted many talented runners and subsequent G1 title holders such as 2010 Satsuki Sho and 2011 Dubai World Cup (AW, 2,000m) winner Victoire Pisa (JPN, by Neo Universe), 2013 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, 3,000m) and 2014 Japan Cup (2,400m) victor Epiphaneia (JPN, by Symboli Kris S), 2017 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, 2,400m) champion Rey de Oro (JPN, by King Kamehameha), 2019 Satsuki Sho winner Saturnalia (JPN, by Lord Kanaloa) and 2020 Triple Crown victor Contrail (JPN, by Deep Impact).
Coming off their respective second wins into this year’s edition were Velociraptor (Nojigiku Stakes [Open Class, 1,800m, Sep.23]), Sirius Colt (Fuyo Stakes [Open Class, 2,000m, Sep.30]), Ammothyella (Mochinoki Sho [1 Win Class, dirt, 1,800m, Nov.5]), Century Bond (Kigiku Sho [1 Win Class, 2,000m, Nov.12]) and Shin Emperor (Kyoto Nisai Stakes [G3, 2,000m, Nov.25]). The field also included Regaleira and Shonan la Punta, who came off a third in the Ivy Stakes (Listed, 1,800m, Oct.21) and a fourth in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G2, 1,800m, Nov.18), respectively.