Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (G1) - Preview (2)

With Shuka Sho champion Red Desire opting for the Japan Cup, it cannot be denied that the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup on Sunday at Kyoto lost a little luster as fans and critics alike were looking forward to the rematch with Buena Vista.

The race will also miss 5-year-old Bella Rheia, who took third in last year's Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup and was expected to be ridden by Japan's most popular jockey, Yutaka Take. Bella Rheia was retired last week after a nose bleed forced her into her breeding career.

Yet their absences should not stop the 34th Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup from turning into a stellar race with heavyweights like Buena Vista, defending champion Little Amapola, Kawakami Princess and Prix de l'Opera winner Shalanaya in the field, as well as an eager group out to make a name for herself such as Broad Street, Bravo Daisy and Germinal.

There were 22 nominations for a full field of 18, with post time set for 3:40 p.m. (Japan time). The following are the early Japanese favorites:

Bravo Daisy BRAVO DAISY: Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi’s 4-year-old had an impressive spring, winning the Fukushima Himba Stakes in April for her first graded title followed by a runnerup finish to Vodka in the Victoria Mile in her Grade 1 debut as the 11th favorite. Bravo Daisy’s fall season, however, did not start well, finishing 17th out of 18 in the 1,800-meter Fuchu Himba Stakes at Tokyo on Oct. 18. Jockey Kenichi Shono attributes the defeat to an outside draw and a fast pace, and is convinced the daughter of Kurofune will bounce back this weekend. The distance of 2,200 meters is uncharted territory for Bravo Daisy, but the mostly flat Kyoto course should make it easier for her to conquer. If Shono can get his filly jogging at a good rhythm during the trip, then she could turns some heads – the way she did in the Victoria Mile.

Broad Street BROAD STREET: That this filly finished second to Red Desire in the 2,000-meter Shuka Sho despite all the setbacks is a testament to her outstanding ability. First, Broad Street breaks last in the field, forcing her to play catchup. Then, turning for home she's cut off by Buena Vista, jockey Shinji Fujita nearly having to stand in the saddle to slam the brakes. But Broad Street still roared back, gaining inside a length-and-a-half of Red Desire with a blazing stretch run. Fujita was rightfully livid after the race, the performance so strong that anyone who saw the race had to be wondering what if. Trainer Hideaki Fujiwara says the 3-year-old daughter of Agnes Tachyon twisted her right hind leg during the Shuka Sho, but has healed in time for the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup. If Broad Street is fit, and if she can be allowed to race without the disadvantages she had in the Shuka Sho, then she could be the one in the winner's circle, not Buena Vista.

Buena Vista BUENA VISTA: The expected favorite is looking to get back on the winning track after a pair of disappointing races to start the fall campaign (by her standards, that is). Trainer Hiroyoshi Matsuda called off her Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe plans after she came in second under 52 kilograms in the Grade 2 Sapporo Kinen in late August. Buena Vista was demoted to third from second in last month's Shuka Sho on grounds of interference, losing her bid to become the third winner of the filly's Triple Crown. At 2,200 meters on the outer oval at Kyoto - which ends with a 400-meter straight - the track dimensions clearly favor Buena Vista who will almost certainly come from behind in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup. Matsuda continues to have all the faith in world in the 3-year-old by Special Week out of Biwa Heidi, and jockey Katsumi Ando - who had been suspended for two weeks for his riding in the Shuka Sho - should have an easier time maneuvering through the field this time around. It'll be very difficult to bet against Buena Vista this Sunday.

Germinal GERMINAL: So far in the autumn, the other 3-year-old from Hideaki Fujiwara's stable has fallen short of her form from the spring, when she finished third in both the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) and the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) behind the two stars of her generation, Buena Vista and Red Desire. Germinal, under Yuichi Fukunaga, was 11th out of 18 in the Grade 2 Rose Stakes on Sept. 20 at Hanshin, and took sixth in the Shuka Sho, three lengths behind stablemate Broad Street. Fujiwara says the distance and the course of the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup should suit the Shadai Race Horse-owned filly by Agnes Tachyon, and claims Germinal will be in the best form of the season this weekend. A 3-year-old has won the race the last three years; could Germinal be it this year?

Kawakami Princess KAWAKAMI PRINCESS: Time is starting to run out for the 6-year-old Kawakami Princess, who will call it a career at year's end. The Katsuichi Nishiura-trained mare has not won in more than three years, her last victory dating back to the 2006 Shuka Sho which she won with a perfect record. That year, Kawakami Princess was demoted from first to 12th in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, and was second in the race last year under Norihiro Yokoyama, who has held her reins since. Kawakami Princess was eighth in the Victoria Mile this year and came in sixth out of 18 in the Fuchu Himba Stakes to start the fall campaign on Oct. 18 at Tokyo. Her conditioning will be on the up this weekend, but her chances will depend a lot on the hot hands of veteran Yokoyama, who has won the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and the Tenno Sho (Autumn) in 2009 with Logi Universe and Company, respectively. It's now or never for a former queen of the Japan Racing Association.

Little Amapola LITTLE AMAPOLA: The holder of the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup returns with another France-based rider in the saddle, this year, Christophe Soumillon who last rode in Japan six years ago in the World Super Jockeys Series. The 28-year-old Belgian has gotten off to a solid start in the JRA, winning the Grade 2 Mainichi Broadcasting System Sho Swan Stakes at 1,400 meters two weeks ago. Little Amapola came in fifth in last month's Fuchu Himba Stakes to warm up for her title defense, but the 4-year-old has not picked up another win in four starts since the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup last year when she won with Christope Lemaire, who will ride Shalanaya this weekend. The Shadai-owned filly has been inconsistent over her career, but there's no denying the potential, and the 400 meters added from her last race in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup will benefit her. An aggressive ride by Soumillon on Sunday - like the way Lemaire pushed her last November - could be the ticket back to the winner's circle for Little Amapola.

Mood Indigo MOOD INDIGO: Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi's 4-year-old is coming off a convincing two-length victory in the Fuchu Himba Stakes, her first win since April 2008. Mood Indigo had a good autumn last year, taking second in both the Shuka Sho and its trial, the Rose Stakes. She had a shot at the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, too, finishing an admirable sixth out of 18 to close out the season. This year, prior to the Fuchu Himba Stakes, the Dance in the Dark daughter had been winless in four races under four different jockeys. But Tomomichi may have found a match for Mood Indigo in Katsuharu Tanaka, who rode her to the third win of her career in the Fuchu Himba Stakes. The trainer reckons Mood Indigo is simply a fitter horse in the fall, as evidenced by last month's victory at Fuchu. And if that's the case, then you're looking at the scene stealer for the 34th Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup.