Yasuda Kinen (Group 1)

SUCCESSFUL in the Group 1 Victoria Mile just three weeks prior, Songline claimed her second consecutive Group 1 when running out a comprehensive winner of the Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo on Sunday.

As it transpired, Songline being drawn widest of all 18 runners, proved to be just a minor inconvenience in arguably a career best performance.

Run over a mile on the ultra-fast Tokyo turf, jockey Keita Tosaki was once again deputising aboard Songline. The pair broke well to settle in the rear of mid-division.

Unleashed

Approaching the final three furlongs, Songline was unleashed towards the centre of the home straight. The five-year-old mare quickened sharply to take the lead inside the last 150 metres and won going away from Serifos and Schnell Meister in second and third.

Fan favourite, Sodashi, raced prominently and held every chance but was unable to repeat the form shown when second behind Songline in the Victoria Mile. The unmistakable brilliant-white mare faded in the final furlong and finished in seventh.

Songline is the sole Group 1 winner produced by the stable of trainer Toru Hayashi. It was an 11th career Group 1 win for Keita Tosaki. Official racecourse attendance on Yasuda Kinen day was 64,638, double that of 2022.

Automatic berth

Both the Victoria Mile and the Yasuda Kinen are part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. The winner of each race earns an automatic berth in the Filly & Mare Turf and the Breeders’ Cup Mile,

Shunsuke Yoshida, on behalf of Sunday Racing Co. Ltd., has declared that Songline will indeed travel to the US in November for the Breeders’ Cup meeting. The Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile will be her targeted race.

The first three finishers in the Yasuda Kinen also earn entry into two French Group 1 races, the Prix Jacques le Marois and the Prix du Moulin in Longchamp. A Breeders’ Cup excursion for Songline was aborted in 2022 when she was found to be suffering from a respiratory infection in the build-up to the race.

Bred by Northern Farm, Songline is a daughter of Kizuna (Deep Impact) and the first foal of the four-time JRA dirt winner, Luminous Parade (Symboli Kris).

She becomes the third horse in JRA history to win the Yasuda Kinen back to back, cementing her name in the history books beside Yamanin Zephyr (’92- ‘93) and Vodka (’08-’09). Songline is now a seven-time winner including three Group 1 titles and she has amassed earnings in excess of €5 million.

Equinox targets boosted

Japan Cup

THE current highest rated horse in the world, Equinox, is scheduled to run in the Takarazuka Kinen on June 25th. Seven individual Group 1 winners including Geraldina, Ask Victor More, and Vela Azul will be in opposition.

Owners of the three-time Group 1 winner, Silk Racing, have announced that Equinox will be campaigned in Japan this autumn, with the Japan Cup as his main goal.

A significant factor noted in the decision to remain at home was the new Japan Cup bonus system implemented by the JRA for 2023.

To encourage foreign-trained participants in the Japan Cup, the JRA have added a US$3m bonus to the already lucrative prize pool for the winner. Horses qualify for the bonus by winning a nominated 2023 Group 1 race, such as the Irish Derby, and go on to complete the Japan Cup double.

Eligible

Equinox’s mesmerizing win in the Dubai Sheema Classic made him eligible for the JRA incentive. However, domestic-trained JRA horses only qualify for 50% of the added prize if successful in the Japan Cup.

An invitation to the Japan Cup, on November 26th, is extended to the winners of 24 specific Group 1 races worldwide. There are six races staged in North America, six in the UK, four in Australia, four in France, two in Ireland, and a singular race in both Germany and the UAE.

An eligible foreign-trained runner-up in the Japan Cup will pocket an extra US$1.2m on top of the existing prize pool. Third place earns an added US$750k. For fourth place and below, qualified foreign competitors will net an extra US$200k.