An unbeaten champion at the 67th Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks)(JPN G1) was born on Sunday, as third choice Kawakami Princess made it 4-for-4 with a victory in the second leg of the filly's triple crown.
On a summer like afternoon at Tokyo Racecourse, Kawakami Princess, Masaru Honda up, held off Fusaichi Pandora and Asahi Rising to claim the 2,400-meter race in 2 minutes, 26.2 seconds. Honda won his fifth career Grade 1 honor, becoming the oldest jockey to win the Oaks.
"She's always had what it takes; it wasn't that she suddenly got better," the 47-year-old Honda told reporters, after cashing in the winner's check of 97 million yen. "I rode her with the same confidence I always have in her.
"I didn't want to be up there and start thinking too much, trying to do this and that. The only thing I made sure was to not switch gears too late and make it easy for the ones who come from behind."
The Katsuichi Nishiura-trained Kawakami Princess, who only made her debut in late February, finished three-quarters of a length in front of fifth favorite Fusaichi Pandora, ridden by Yuichi Fukunaga who was gunning at the title for the third consecutive year. Fukunaga had won the Oaks aboard Daiwa El Cielo and Cesario in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
Yoshitomi Shibata guided Asahi Rising to the bronze a neck behind Fukunaga's mount, and the Yutaka Take-ridden favorite, Admire Kiss, could do no better than fourth, chasing the leaders from the outside. Nishino Fujimusume, the sixth pick among the bookies, finished fifth to fill out the board.
Oka Sho champion Kiss to Heaven failed to do the double as the second favorite came in sixth running on heavy turf listed as in excellent condition following a full evening of downpour in the nation's capitol.
Fourth pick Koiuta, third in the Oka Sho last month with Norihiro Yokoyama in the irons, was unable to cross the finish line, pulling up with an injury rounding the third turn.
The race got off to an unexpected start as Yamanin Fabuleux took command, jumping out to the sole lead in the stead of Asahi Rising, who was widely expected to joust for pole position.
Mamoru Ishibashi, the champion jockey of this year's Satsuki Sho, the first leg of the triple crown series featuring the boys, had given Yamanin Fabuleux a cushion of 20 lengths along the back stretch before the full field of 18 started to gather moving into the next to last bend.
As the pack hit the final straight, Asahi Rising found an opening along the railing and surged into the lead, with the eventual champion and Fusaichi Pandora lurking to her right not far behind.
With a half furlong to go, Kawakami Princess wrested pole position away from Asahi Rising and hung on for the win. Fusaichi Pandora edged Shibata's filly right at the wire to haul in the silver.
Honda liked Kawakami Princess's chances in the autumn, in the third race of the filly's triple crown, the 2,000-meter Shuka Sho at Kyoto.
"She handled 2,400 meters, and all the other female (G1) races are shorter than that, so it will not be an issue," said Honda. "She will be even tougher in the fall."
Kawakami Princess, by King Halo out of Takano Secretary, has earned more than 162 million yen for her career.
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