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Upset Victory by Ten Happy Rose in This Year’s Victoria Mile

Ten Happy Rose, coming off a sixth-place finish in her previous start, the Hanshin Himba Stakes G2, 1,600m) and sent to post 14th favorite in this race, landed her first graded victory and G1 title in this year’s Victoria Mile, upsetting a quality field of proven grade-race winners. After winning her two-year-old debut over 1,200 meters, the Epiphaneia mare was winless in her next five starts over a mile and scored four wins after stepping down in distance to 1,400 meters in 15 of her following 17 starts, which included a listed win in the Toki Stakes (1,400m). Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi scored his second JRA-G1 title after saddling T O Keynes to victory in the 2021 Champions Cup while jockey Akihide Tsumura celebrated his first career G1 victory in his 18th grade-race win in his 21st season as a jockey.

Ten Happy Rose broke sharply but soon eased back to settle fourth from the rear. Gradually making up ground along the outside approaching the third corner and securing a clear path into the homestretch, the six-year-old mare showed terrific acceleration going uphill with 400 meters to go, reaching the leader soon after the furlong pole and continuing to pull away to a 1-1/4-length victory.

“I had long been waiting and working hard to be able to stand on this podium as a G1 winner and it feels really great that I have finally made it. The race development, from the start up until the final corner, exceeded my imagination and it was just a matter of how much the mare could extend her strides from there. When we were actually leading in the last 200 meters, it was almost unbelievable. I am grateful for the fans that have been rooting for me and I hope this is just the start of more victories like this,” commented jockey Akihide Tsumura.

Fierce Pride chased the leaders just off the rails in fourth position early, angled out entering the stretch to overtake the early leaders who began to run out of steam going uphill and assumed command before the furlong pole but was outrun by the powerful charge from the outside by the eventual winner and unable to match that foe while managing to hold off the fast closing race favorite to finish second.

Race favorite Masked Diva, breaking smoothly and eased back to mid-division, met disadvantages after shifting out for the stretch run, blocked by horses in front and, while showing a good turn of speed once finding some space inside the furlong pole, was too late to make up enough ground to catch the leaders to finish third.

Other Horses:

4th: (15) Doe Eyes sat around 7th, checked 300m out, showed effort thereafter
5th: (11) Rouge Lignage was off a slow, trailed in rear, launched fastest late speed, belatedly
6th: (5) Umbrail hugged rails around 5th, weakened in last 100m
7th: (13) Moryana positioned around 13th, circled wide, passed tired rivals
8th: (10) Namur broke poorly, ran 2nd from rear, lacked needed kick at stretch
9th: (3) Stunning Rose tracked leaders around 3rd on rails, remained in contention until 100m out
10th: (8) Sound Vivace raced around 5th, checked 300m out, weakened in last 200m
11th: (12) Kita Wing took economic trip around 12th, failed to reach contention
12th: (14) Feel Sympathy broke sharply, stalked leader in 2nd, dropped back after 200m pole
13th: (4) Conch Shell disputed lead and set pace, faded after 300m out
14th: (1) Lilac saved ground around 9th, no response when asked

THE 19TH VICTORIA MILE (G1)
4-year-olds & up, Fillies & Mares, 1,600 meters (about 8 furlongs), turf, left-handed
Sunday, May 12, 2024          Tokyo Racecourse          11th Race           Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 281,800,000 (about US$ 1,999,000 <US$1=¥141>)
4-y-o & up: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs), 1kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2020
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: ¥ 16,580,329,700       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 26,395,708,000       Attendance: 37,619

Winner= 24 starts: 6 wins, 5 seconds & 2 thirds / Added & stakes money: ¥ 133,150,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 268,853,000

* 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). Gran Alegria (JPN, by Deep Impact) who won the 2021 edition went on to defend her Mile Championship (G1, 1,600m) title and was named the Best Sprinter or Miler for the second consecutive season. Last year’s champion Songline (JPN, by Kizuna) proceeded to win her second consecutive Yasuda Kinen (G1, 1,600m) title and capped off her final season as JRA’s Best Miler of 2023.
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 an automatic starting position in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1, 2,200m).
Last year’s Mile Championship victor Namur came off a close second in the Dubai Turf (G1, 1,800m, Mar.30) while 2022 Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m) champion Stunning Rose and 2023 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m) runner-up Harper hoped to bounce back after finishing eighth and 13th, respectively, in the Osaka Hai (G1, 2,000m, Mar.31). Key runners coming off the main prep race, the Hanshin Himba Stakes (G2, 1,600m, Apr.6) were Masked Diva (1st) and Umbrail (2nd), respective runner-ups in the Shuka Sho and the NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1,600m) last year, and graded winners Moryana (3rd) and Lilac (10th). This year’s field also included Sound Vivace, winner of last year’s Hanshin Himba Stakes, and Conch Shell, victor of the Nakayama Himba Stakes (G3, 1,800m, Mar.9).