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2008 News

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Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (G1) preview - With foreign contenders, strong field set to decide next queen

The Tenno Sho (Autumn) two weeks ago was a race for the ages, with Vodka beating Daiwa Scarlet by a hair to take home the honors. The two 4-year-old fillies may not be part of this weekend's Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, but the 33rd running of the race in the ancient Japanese capital is set to feature an intriguing field nonetheless - including a pair of foreign entries in Tres Rapide and Fair Breeze.

The Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup was founded in 1970 as the Victoria Cup, which served as the last leg of the fillies' triple crown and was run over 2,400 meters at Kyoto Racecourse - one furlong longer than its current distance. The race was given its present name in 1976, a year after Queen Elizabeth visited Japan, and two decades later the terms were changed; the distance was set at 2,200 meters, and the race was opened up to filly or mare older than three. The Shuka Sho was created as the new third jewel in the fillies' triple crown at 2,000 meters, fixed a month prior to the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup.

The race starts on the flat and spacious home stretch which runs for approximately 400 meters to the first turn. The course rises four meters from the 1,200 meter- to the 800 meter-mark before dipping until 300 meters remaining before flattening out again.

Starting this year, the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup kicks off the Japan Autumn International - a new series made up of four Grade 1 races spanning over four weeks, with a total purse of more than 1.2 billion yen. The Mile Championship, the Japan Cup and the Japan Cup Dirt follow, the last of which makes up the World Super Jockeys Series.

Who will reign as the new queen without defending champion Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka? The following are the favorites for Sunday's Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup:

KAWAKAMI PRINCESS: Two years ago, prior to the Daiwa Scarlet-Vodka days, there was no question who the best female horse was. Kawakami Princess dominated, winning the first five races of her career, the last two of which were the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and the Shuka Sho - two of the three jewels in the filly's triple crown. And trainer Katsuichi Nishiura's new star went on to win the 2006 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup - or so it seemed. Kawakami Princess was demoted to 12th for cutting off an opponent on the straight, suffering the first black mark of her career and also became just the second winner ever to be penalized in a Japanese Grade 1 race (the other was Mejiro McQueen in 1991). The demotion was the start of a frustrating period for the King Halo daughter, who would go on to miss a total of 21 months over the next two years due to a series of injuries, racing just four times without a win. Kawakami Princess has shown signs of turning it around this year, coming off a runnerup finish in the Grade 3 Fuchu Himba Stakes at 1,800 meters, and Nishiura is convinced the 5-year-old mare is a better runner than she was two years ago. Her quality shouldn't be questioned; fitness is the only thing standing in her way back to supremacy.		Kawakami Princess
TALL POPPY: Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Katsuhiko Sumii's filly has a pair of Grade 1 titles to her credit, yet she remains as unpredictable as the weather. Tall Poppy, who has won the Japanese Oaks as well as the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, is always one of the favorites, as she was in the Shuka Sho last month when she bombed to 10th. But when she decides to turn it up is anyone's guess. Having won the 2,400-meter Japanese Oaks, Tall Poppy can definitely cover the distance required in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, and the long, flat Kyoto stretch should suit her stride. She's a potential winner for sure, but which Tall Poppy fans will get on race day - the one who has won two G1 races, or the one who crashed and burned in the Shuka Sho - will be hard to pick.		Tall Poppy
REGINETTA: This year's Oka Sho champion is coming off an unlikely eighth-place finish in the Shuka Sho, after at least placing in all six of her previous races in 2008. Reginetta, who won the Oka Sho in April as a long-shot, has been a model of consistency during her career, finishing third or better in all but three of her first 11 starts. The result in the Shuka Sho befuddled everyone at Hidekazu Asami's stable, and the connections are betting that the French Deputy offspring will revert to her ultra competitive form, which will be more than good enough to hand her the 90 million yen winner's check.		Reginetta
PORTOFINO: She has had all but four races in her career, and yet the 3-year-old will surely be among the top picks come post time. The reason why? Her superior bloodline, sired by Japan Cup Dirt winner Kurofune out of Tenno Sho (Autumn) champion Air Groove; her trainer, Katsuhiko Sumii, currently the second leading trainer in Japan who has had international success; and her jockey, Yutaka Take, who won the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup four consecutive years from 2001 to 2004, an all-time record. Portofino has yet to run in a Grade 1 race - she was a last-minute scratch in the Oka Sho - and has never raced beyond a mile. Potential and hope are the primary reasons for her running on Sunday, but the blueblood will be out to prove she is not just that.		Portofino
MOOD INDIGO: The 3-year-old may have the most momentum going into the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, after finishing a narrow second to Black Emblem in the Shuka Sho. The Yasuo Tomomichi-trained filly is said to be in even better form than she was for the last leg of the filly's triple crown - when she came in half-a-length behind the winner - and with big-race jockey Yuichi Fukunaga in the saddle once again, there's a good chance Mood Indigo could end up in the winner's circle this weekend.		Mood Indigo (right, No. 10)
BELLA RHEIA: The 4-year-old was among the contenders in the filly's triple crown series last year alongside Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet, but has yet to rediscover her form in 2008. Bella Rheia took second in the Japanese Oaks and came in fourth in the Shuka Sho, so the potential is definitely there. She warmed up well for the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup by taking third in last month's Fuchu Himba Stakes, and it could be time for the Narita Top Road offspring to finally come full circle.		Bella Rheia
TRES RAPIDE: Henri Alex Pantall's 3-year-old touched down safely from France last Thursday, and if she's anywhere near the form she was back home, the Anabaa Blue-sired filly should prove to be a threat to the domestic contingency. Tres Rapide has been consistent throughout her nine-race career, never having finished below fourth with a pair of wins and three second-place finishes. Jockey Dominique Boeuf has had her coming from behind the last two outings, which should suit Sunday's race conditions, and Tres Rapide will be difficult to pass up for the bettors.		Tres Rapide
FAIR BREEZE: The German-bred 5-year-old is coming off a less than stellar performance in her most recent race, finishing last in a field of 14 in the Prix de l'Opera, the French Group 1 contest at 2,000 meters on Oct. 5. But apart from the forgettable outing, the Mario Hofer-trained mare has been solid in 2008, winning two of five and coming in second twice with a third-place finish. Her connections said she was rattled by the 22-hour trip from Germany, but if Fair Breeze can settle her nerves, she could be an interesting pick.		Fair Breeze

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