Daiwa Scarlet became the first female horse to win the Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) in 37 years

Daiwa Scarlet made up for her loss to Vodka in the Tenno Sho (Autumn)--and then some.

Daiwa Scarlet became the first female horse to win the Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) in 37 years on Sunday afternoon at Nakayama Racecourse, as Katsumi Ando's favorite ran away with a victory of almost two lengths in the finale to a year of JRA racing.

Rebounding from a photo finish defeat in last month's Tenno Sho, Daiwa Scarlet cut a winning time of 2 minutes, 31.5 seconds over the 2,500 meters, holding off 7-year-old Admire Monarch-the least favored horse in the field of 14-to produce her eighth win in a dozen career starts. Daiwa Scarlet has never finished below second.

Tenth choice Air Shady took third, while second favorite and the 2007 champion, Matsurida Gogh, finished a shocking 12th. Meisho Samson, running the last race of his career, tried to keep up with Daiwa Scarlet during the trip and failed, fading to eighth in the end. Mirco Demuro's Japan Cup winner Screen Hero settled for fifth.

Ando, who rode a superb race to his first Arima Kinen title, said his faith in the 4-year-old filly, who was second in the fan voting behind Vodka, never waivered.

"I knew she would find her second wind so I wasn't the least bit concerned," said Ando, the only jockey Daiwa Scarlet has known. "I didn't get the sense anyone else was going to take the lead, so she had no problems running at a pace she liked.

"I think today's performance proved once again what a strong horse she is. I mean, she has never failed to show and that says something about her."

Trainer Kunihide Matsuda, who has overseen some of the Japan Racing Association's brightest stars in the modern era such as King Kamehameha and Kurofune, also won the Arima Kinen for his first time.

"I don't know what to say," Matsuda said. "I owe it to the staff at my stable, the jockey, the owner and everyone else involved with (Daiwa) Scarlet. We lost the Tenno Sho by just two centimeters, and we came here with a lot to prove.

"2,000 meters is probably a better distance for her, but it's a better distance for other horses as well. It all starts from the workouts. After the Tenno Sho, our target was to keep her as loose and relaxed as possible, and I think everyone associated with Daiwa Scarlet fulfilled his responsibility, in particular the jockey.

"I never said a word to him before the race, but Ando was perfect today. We had to set a relatively fast pace to the race because if we slowed it down too much, it would have made it easier for the others. Because the race progressed pretty fast, the other horses had to work to keep up, and you have to credit Ando for dictating the race precisely the right way.

"Last year, Matsurida Gogh passed us on the final turn to the finish, but at today's pace, he wasn't going to do that."

Matsuda said he wants to take Daiwa Scarlet overseas next year-and win abroad, not just to participate.

"I haven't gotten the owner's permission yet, but speaking strictly from a trainer's standpoint, I would like to try her overseas. We haven't decided where, when and which race yet but we want to put her up against the best horses in the world."

Daiwa Scarlet, by Agnes Tachyon out of Scarlet Bouquet, took her career earnings to more than 786 million yen, good for 19th on the all-time list. She has also won the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup and two of three of the filly's triple crown-the Shuka Sho and the Oka Sho.