Unlike in the Oka Sho, Tall Poppy was not first choice this time. Also unlike in the Oka Sho, trainer Katsuhiko Sumii’s filly did not finish eighth, either.
Before a turnout of 75,108, Tall Poppy added the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) title to the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies crown on Sunday afternoon, overcoming 2,400 meters, a stewards’ inquiry and the rest of the 18-horse field to win the second jewel in the filly’s triple crown series at Tokyo Racecourse.
Tall Poppy went off as the favorite in the 1,600-meter Oka Sho at Hanshin but fizzled to eighth, finishing more than two lengths behind champion Reginetta. Tall Poppy rebounded on Sunday for her third win in seven starts, taking her earnings to more than 217 million yen.
Stewards at Tokyo probed the race for nearly 15 minutes after Kenichi Ikezoe’s fourth favorite beat long-shot F T Maia by a head for a 2 minute, 28.8 second victory on wet turf. The inquiry resulted in a two-day suspension for the rider on grounds of slanting across the final straight, but Tall Poppy was still confirmed as the 69th winner of the Japanese Oaks.
Both jockey and trainer apologized for the confusion on the 525-meter stretch at the post-race press conference. They were also confident that their horse was going to regroup for the Japanese Oaks after a hugely disappointing Oka Sho last month.
“I panicked a little bit when I was blocked off on the outside,” said Ikezoe, who won the race for his first time. “I want to apologize because I got in the way of the other horses.
“She was in a good rhythm from the moment she set foot on the course. I was praying she hadn’t lost any more weight. She only put on two kilograms from the last race, but her condition was superb. I think she’s starting to fill out her frame.
“I was aware of all the talk about her workouts being light, but I knew she was well prepared.”
“I’m sorry for all the trouble,” said Sumii, now a two-time Japanese Oaks winner who also won with Cesario in 2005. “Her weight wasn’t that much different, but she had been looking very fit and strong. The only thing I was hoping the jockey would do is pick a good part of the stretch to run on.”
F T Maia was runner-up in the Oka Sho, and had to settle for silver once again. Reginetta, who won the Oka Sho as the 12th choice, went off as the fifth favorite in the Japanese Oaks and came in third. Sixth pick Black Emblem and the Katsumi Ando-ridden Odile filled out the rest of the board in order.
Favorite Little Amapola ended up seventh and second choice Red Agate—the only horse in the field to have experienced the 2,400 meters at Fuchu—was sixth in a race whose pace was set by Air Pascale. The first 1,000 meters proceeded in a gentle 1 minute, 1.4 seconds.
Jockey Yuichi Fukunaga had won three of the last four Japanese Oaks with one second-place finish, tied for most victories among active jockeys with Yutaka Take (Fukunaga won last year’s race with Robe Decollete). On Sunday, he was aboard MoodIndigo who came home 10th.
Reginetta was the highest finisher among five horses entered by Shadai Race Horse. The four others were: Little Amapola (7th), Aroma Candle (11th), Lime Candy (12th) and Spellbind (16th).
Tall Poppy left from the No. 15 barrier, and took position in the middle of a stretched out pack brought up by Challenge. Black Emblem and Karei Jasmine stalked Air Pascale for practically the entire trip as Red Agate led a second bunch. Little Amapola, who started from the outside barrier, seemed to be playing catch up the entire journey and was never able to hit her stride.
The pack bunched up rounding the final turn, and Tall Poppy came off the railing as she accelerated for the wire. Ikezoe’s mount drifted out first, but came back inside—the sequence of the race that prompted the inquiry. Yet once she found the lane of her liking, there was no stopping the 2-year-old champion filly.
Masayoshi Ebina rode a masterful race aboard F T Maia, but the 13th favorite could only come close to overtaking Tall Poppy, who may have had it in her blood to win the Japanese Oaks. Her sire, Jungle Pocket, won the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and Japan Cup—both held at the Tokyo track over a dozen furlongs.
“She mowed them down on the straight,” said Sumii, who after the race hinted at entering Tall Poppy, out of Admire Sunday, in the American Oaks—a race he won with Cesario.
“Her last race was a tough loss,” Ikezoe said. “I think the longer races might be better for her. I’ve been riding her since her debut, and it’s a privilege.”
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