Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Group 1)

A WEEK ahead of the big clash between Equinox and the Triple Tiara winning three-year-old filly Liberty Island, it was a three-year-old filly, Brede Weg who came through with an impressive win in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kyoto last Sunday.

Sent off favourite over the 11-furlong trip, the Lord Kanaloa filly was capturing her first graded title for owners Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.

Her connections had avoided the Shuka Sho, the last leg of the Triple Tiara, and she is the first three-year-old filly to win the Queen Elizabeth II Cup since 2017. It was a big win for trainer Keisuke Miyata while jockey Christophe Lemaire’s terrific season continued with his 48th JRA-Grade 1 win following the Tenno Sho (Autumn) with Equinox.

Breaking from the inside, Brede Weg hugged the rails in fifth, and continued in the inside rails early on. The three-year-old raced from the pack passing the furlong pole to close in on the front two. She hit the front half a furlong out and easily pulled away with her strong late kick for a three quarter-length victory.

“I was a bit worried about the soft ground but it was no problem for her. We couldn’t break well but were able to travel in good position behind Harper.

Pulled away

“She was calm, responded well throughout the race and pulled away strongly with her explosive kick,” Christophe Lemaire told JRA reporters.

Third choice Harper, placed in the Japanese Oaks and Shuka Sho behind Liberty Island, travelled behind the front two pacesetters in third by the rails.

Though overtaken by the top two finishers a furlong out, the Heart’s Cry filly closed in on the runner-up in the last strides to finish just a neck behind in third.

Last year’s winner Geraldina failed to match the finishing speed of the first two and finished fifth.