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Monroe Walk Continues Winning Streak in Shuka Sho Victory

Overwhelming favorite Monroe Walk became an undefeated winner of this year’s Shuka Sho, the final leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown, while renewing race record by 0.8 seconds to 1:56.1. The daughter of Kizuna won her debut start (Niigata, 1,600m) in August as a two-year-old but sustained a leg fracture thereafter. She won her comeback start in the Yakumo Tokubetsu (Hakodate, 1 Win Class, 1,800m) June this year, and then the Kamomejima Tokubetsu (Hakodate, 2 Wins Class, 1,800m) in July before her first grade-race victory in the Rose Stakes (Hanshin, G2, 1,800m) in September prior to this race. Extending her winning streak to five from her debut, she now becomes the fourth unbeaten filly to win the Shuka Sho after Fine Motion (2002), Kawakami Princess (2006) and Daring Tact (2020). Trainer Hiroyuki Uemura registered his fourth JRA-G1 title, the first since the 2025 Osaka Hai with Bellagio Opera, while jockey Keita Tosaki claimed his 15th JRA-G1 title after last year’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup with Regaleira and second Shuka Sho victory after Akaitorino Musume in 2021.

Monroe Walk broke smoothly under veteran jockey Keita Tosaki, chasing a brisk pace in fifth position along the backstretch. Picking up speed from approaching the final corner with a little more than 400 meters to go, the Kizuna filly entered the stretch in third position closing in on the early leaders and engaged in a neck-to-neck duel with Garavogue in the last furlong. Finally wearing down that foe at the 100-meter marker, the heavy favorite refused to let go of her lead to wire as Garavogue continued to pressure the winner and prevailed by a neck margin.

“I am happy to have had such huge support as race favorite and to have finished with good results. I just prayed that my filly would stay calm into to the race—she did get a little excited inside the gate but she went into a nice rhythm and although we were sitting behind horses in fifth, the pace was flowing nicely so the trip was smooth. Although we knew there were strong horses from behind, we made a bold move to make our bid a little early and she responded well. Having gained a G1 victory unbeaten shows how good a filly she is and I am looking forward to a bright future for this talented filly,” commented Keita Tosaki after the race.

Seventh favorite Garavogue rushed out from the innermost stall to secure a forward position, a few lengths behind the leader in third position along the rails. Advancing to second and at the heels of the pacesetter into the straight, the Lord Kanaloa filly grabbed the lead just before the furlong pole but was soon joined by the eventual winner on her outside and, while surrendering the lead near the finish, the filly did not give up fighting and finished a respectable neck second.

Second choice Dream Core was rated well off the pace, more than ten lengths from the leader and about fourth from last along the backstretch. Making steady headway between the third and fourth corner, and turning wide into the homestretch, the Yushun Himba runner-up closed in impressively in the last stages but too late to cause a serious threat, finishing 1-1/4 lengths behind the runner up in third place.

Other Horses:
4th: (4) Enne—hugged rails behind winner around 6th, showed effort inside Dream Core
5th: (14) Something Sweet—settled around 16th, showed tied fastest late kick while never threatened
6th: (6) La Belle Scene—traveled around 9th, circled wide, checked by rival 250m out
7th: (15) Festival Hill—trailed in rear, timed tied fastest over last 600m, belatedly
8th: (3) Master Soarer—sat around 8th, showed brief effort
9th: (16) Hayabusa Sakichan—positioned around 12th, needed more
10th: (5) Taisei Vogue—settled around 8th, lacked needed kick
11th: (11) Garnet Flare—ran in front of winner in 4th, outrun in stretch
12th: (7) Birthday Flight—saved ground around 13th, even paced
13th: (12) Canal Saint Martin—followed winner around 6th, showed little at stretch
14th: (2) T M I Run—set fast pace, dropped back after 200m pole
15th: (17) Losange—raced around 15th, no factor
16th: (10) Nice Play Ask—chased leader in 2nd, faded after 4th corner
FF: (9) Sweet Happiness—traveled wide around 9th, pulled up at 4th corner due to lameness

THE 31ST SHUKA SHO (G1)
3-year-olds, Fillies, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs), turf, right-handed
Sunday, October 18, 2026        Kyoto Racecourse         11th Race         Post time: 15:40
Total prize money: ¥ 239,700,000 (about US$ 1,547,000 <US$1=¥155>)
3-y-o: 55 kg (about 121 lbs), 2 kg allowance for Southern Hemisphere-bred born in 2023
Course record: 1:56.1              Race record: 1:56.1 [Monroe Walk (JPN, by Kizuna), 2026]
Safety factor: 18 runners          Going: Good to Firm      Weather: Fine

Turnover for the Race alone: ¥ 18,484,343,700       Turnover for the Day: ¥ 26,737,256,200       Attendance: 33,115

Winner= 5 starts: 5 wins / Added & stakes money: ¥ 113,612,000 / Career earnings: ¥ 201,712,000

* Shuka Sho (G1)

The Shuka Sho, established in 1996, is run over 2,000 meters at Kyoto Racecourse as the third leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown following the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m) and the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m) held in spring. The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1, 2,200m) was formally regarded as the third leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown until the race was opened to older fillies and mares; hence the Shuka Sho was established to take its place. Acquiring international G1 status in 2009, the Shuka Sho is open to foreign runners. The race was temporarily shifted to Hanshin Racecourse during 2021-2022 due to the renovation of Kyoto Racecourse, which has hosted the race since its establishment.
Past fillies’ Triple Crown winners include Mejiro Ramonu (JPN, by Mogami; 1986), Still in Love (JPN, by Sunday Silence; 2003), Apapane (JPN, by King Kamehameha; 2010), Gentildonna (JPN, by Deep Impact; 2012), Almond Eye (JPN, by Lord Kanaloa; 2018), Daring Tact (JPN, by Epiphaneia; 2020) and Liberty Island (JPN, by Duramente; 2023).
Oka Sho winner Star Anise (JPN, by Drefong) chose to run in the Sprinters Stakes (G1, 1,200m, Sep.27) instead of the Shuka Sho and finished fourth, and Yushun Himba victor Juryoku Pierrot (JPN, by Orfevre) also withdrew from the race due to training delayed by a mild case of colic and altered her schedule for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1, 2,200m, Nov.15). The last leg of the fillies’ triple featured Monroe Walk who registered her fourth consecutive win in the Rose Stakes (G2, 1,800m, Sep.13) in which Enne followed in second. The other Shuka Sho trial, the Shion Stakes (G2, 2,000m, Sep.6) was won by Master Soarer with Something Sweet in second and Yushun Himba runner-up Dream Core in third. The field also included; Canal Saint Martin, La Belle Scene and Taisei Vogue, respective winners of the Sweetpea Stakes (Listed, 1,800m) in May, the Miomotegawa Tokubetsu (2 Wins Class, 1,800m) in August and the Tulip Sho (G2, 1,600m) in March; as well as Oka Sho runner-up Garavogue.