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Stunning Rose Blooms in Stunning Win in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup

Third favorite Stunning Rose claimed her first win since 2022 and second G1 victory in this year’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup in an impressive 2:11.1, updating the 23-year-old race record set by To the Victory. As a three-year-old, the filly captured the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m), the Flower Cup (G3, 1,800m) and the Shion Stakes (G3, 2,000m) titles as well as putting in a runner-up effort in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m). After being sidelined with peritendinitis in her left foreleg after finishing 12th in last year’s Victoria Mile (G1, 1,600m), she made her comeback in the Osaka Hai (G1, 2,000m) in March this season in which she was eighth. The King Kamehameha mare then went on to run in the Victoria Mile in May and the Queen Stakes (G3, 1,800m) in July, finishing ninth and sixth, respectively. The five-year-old mare presented her trainer Tomokazu Takano with his eighth JRA-G1 title, his latest was with Jantar Mantar in this year’s NHK Mile Cup, and jockey Cristian Demuro, who is riding under a short-term license and had won the title with Geraldina in 2022, his fifth.

The field broke in front of the stands with Conch Shell taking the early lead while Harper and Shinryokuka followed in close pursuit. A bit keen in the backstretch, Stunning Rose chased the frontrunners in fourth before making headway and swiftly took over the lead while turning the last corner. First to enter the straight, the King Kamehameha mare romped to the wire unthreatened for an impressive two-length victory.

“I’m very happy to have won a G1 race which I wanted to achieve here in Japan, especially after finishing second a few times. Today after the start, I chose to go behind the leader and the mare just showed a special turn of foot,” Christian Demuro said in a post-race interview.

Sent off lightly favored as twelfth choice, Ravel, winner of the G3 Artemis Stakes (1,600m) as a two-year-old, settled outside the favorite around eighth, circled wide into the stretch and although no match for the eventual winner, dug in well to overhaul Wholeness 100 meters out to score a two-length second.

Second pick of the 17-horse field, Wholeness saved ground in fifth, angled out for her stretch run and while denied the runner-up seat by the fast-closing Ravel, shook off her rivals in a fierce rally in the final strides to secure third place by a neck.

Heavy favorite and the only three-year-old runner, Regaleira broke well and settled in mid-pack but found herself in tight quarters in early stretch. The Hopeful Stakes winner bumped rivals trying to squeeze through aggressively and launched her bid late, finishing fifth.

Other Horses:
4th: (8) Shinryokuka—tracked leaders in 3rd on rails, showed tenacity, weakened in last 100m
6th: (2) Lilac—saved ground in 11th, angled out, quickened to time tied fastest over last three furlongs
7th: (13) Saliera—settled near rear in 14th, circled wide, showed tied fastest late kick but belatedly
8th: (15) Gold Eclipse—raced wide around 12th, improved position at stretch
9th: (17) Costa Bonita—ran wide around 6th behind winner, showed effort until 100m out
10th: (12) Scintillation—hugged rails around 8th, bumped at early stretch, lacked needed kick
11th: (9) Kiminonawa Maria—sat around 6th, showed little at stretch
12th: (10) Erika Vita—traveled around 12th, unable to reach contention
13th: (3) Rouge Lignage—trailed in rear, passed tired rivals
14th: (5) Moryana—raced near rear, showed brief effort at stretch, outrun in last 100m
15th: (6) Peace of the Life—trailed in rear, no factor throughout trip
16th: (4) Conch Shell—set pace, faded after 200m pole
17th: (14) Harper—chased leader in 2nd, bumped at early stretch, lost momentum

THE 49TH 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 10, 2024       Kyoto Racecourse         11th Race       Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 281,800,000 (about US$ 1,999,000 <US$1=¥141>)
3-y-o: 54kg (about 119 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs),
2kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2021
Course Record: 2:09.7               Race Record: 2:11.1 [Stunning Rose (JPN, by King Kamehameha), 2024]
Safety factor: 18 runners            Going: Good to Firm      Weather: Cloudy

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 16,903,148,200       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 25,297,525,300       Attendance: 32,574

Winner= 17 starts: 6 wins, 2 seconds & 1 third / Added & stakes money: ¥ 133,654,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 426,216,000

* 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 was temporarily held at Hanshin Racecourse between 2020 and 2022 due to the renovation of Kyoto Racecourse.
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 the race in 2010 and then defended the title again in 2011.
With the absence of last year’s victor Brede Weg (JPN, F4, by Lord Kanaloa) who recently claimed the Fuchu Himba Stakes (G2, 1,800m, Oct.14), this year’s field was consisted of other Fuchu Himba Stakes finishers such as runner up Scintillation followed by graded winners Moryana in eighth, Conch Shell in ninth, Costa Bonita in 11th, Lilac in 13th and Harper in 15th. Also among the lineup were Stunning Rose, Shinryokuka and Wholeness, respective winners of the 2022 Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m), the Niigata Kinen (G3, 2,000m, Sep.1) and the Niigata Himba Stakes (Listed, 2,200m, Oct.20) as well as the 2023 Hopeful Stakes (G1, 2,000m) champion Regaleira, the only three-year-old filly in the field.