Japanese Oaks champion Kawakami Princess claimed another Grade 1 title on Sunday, the unbeaten second favorite winning the 2,000-meter Shuka Sho in 1 minute, 58.2 seconds at Kyoto Racecourse.
The victory on a sunny afternoon in the ancient Japanese capital was Kawakami Princess’ fifth in as many starts, making her the first horse ever to win both the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and the Shuka Sho with a perfect record.
The Katsuichi Nishiura-trained Kawakami Princess, ridden by Masaru Honda, finished half a length ahead of fifth favorite Asahi Rising, the runner-up of the American Oaks this summer.
With two trophies in the cabinet from the triple crown races for fillies, Kawakami Princess will now head to the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup on Nov. 15, also at the Kyoto track but at 2,200 meters.
Kiss to Heaven, winner of the series’ first leg, the 1,600-meter Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) , failed to even reach the board, coming in sixth. The Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup is open to all female horses three and above.
“She took a bit of a knock around the fourth turn, but she stabilized right away,” said Honda, who won his second Shuka Sho with Nishiura, following his 2001 victory aboard T.M. Ocean.
“She’s a tough horse, and I knew she would prop herself back up. I believed in her.”
Asahi Rising, with Yoshitomi Shibata in the irons, had surged into the lead down the final straight along the inside, but Kawakami Princess proved too much as Honda’s mount went under the wire first.
The favorite, Yutaka Take’s Admire Kiss, came in fourth, coming from behind to finish a half length after the Yuichi Fukunaga-ridden Fusaichi Pandora, who trailed Asahi Rising by a length and a quarter.
Before a crowd of more than 45,000, the 11th running of the Shuka Sho kicked off with long-shot Toshi the Sansan setting the pace, followed by Koiuta and Shells Lei. The trio pushed the full field of 18 through the first 1,000 meters at 58.4 seconds, and the pack bunched up as it hit the last turn.
Asahi Rising looked strong coming off the corner, Shibata’s 500-kilogram partner powering down the flat stretch toward the first place check of 89 million yen. Yet Kawakami Princess turned the tables with less than half a furlong to go, wresting the lead from Asahi Rising to make it a spectacular 5-for-5.
Admire Kiss had a clear path to the finish line, but Take may have brought her out a split second too late. Admire Kiss was just as fast as Kawakami Princess over the last three furlongs, but still failed to place among the top three.
Kawakami Princess, by King Halo out of Takano Secretary, drove her purse up to more than 255 million yen.
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