Lucky Lilac Back in Form With QEII Cup Victory at Kyoto

Lucky Lilac, a royally-bred filly who had fallen upon hard times, reigned again in the Nov. 10 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at Kyoto Racecourse thanks to a well-timed ride by Christophe Soumillon.

After breaking cleanly from post 2, Soumillon took back, settled Lucky Lilac in a ground-saving position, and bided his time through most of the 2,200 meters (about 1 3/8 miles), well behind pacesetter Crocosmia.

Turning for home, Lucky Lilac quickened on cue, closed the gap, and got through inside Crocosmia, winning by 1 1/4 lengths. The favorite, previously undefeated 3-year-old Loves Only You, was second in the stretch but was slow to respond when asked for another gear in the final 200 meters and fell a neck short of catching Crocosmia to finish third.

Lucky Lilac finished in 2:14.10 over firm going.

"I was very confident when I saw how good she was in training," said Soumillon, who is riding in Japan on a short-term license. "But today she was even better. She was really concentrating and I saw she was reacting very fast.

"In the race, I would have preferred to have her another position closer," the rider added. "The pace was not very fast so I thought it would be a little bit hard to make up ground, but finally I took the option to stay on the inside and she really quickened well. At the 200-meter marker when I saw the gap was still open I was confident that I had won."

Lucky Lilac, bred by Northern Racing and owned by Sunday Racing, is by Orfevre out of the Flower Alley mare Lilacs and Lace. Her sire was a six-time grade 1 winner who twice finished second in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1). Kentucky-bred Lilacs and Lace won the 2011 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland but was retired after beating only one rival in that year's Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Lucky Lilac won all three starts as a 2-year-old and her first outing in 2018, giving rise to great expectations. But she then failed to live up to the promise during the balance of her 3-year-old season—partly because she ran into the juggernaut that is Almond Eye. Lucky Lilac finished second in the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1), third in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1), and ninth in the Shuka Sho (G1)—all won by Almond Eye.

Three more defeats started her 4-year-old season but she showed enough promise to be sent off third-favorite as 50,150 fans turned out to watch the 44th running of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

"She seems to be at her best now, both physically and mentally," Eishu Maruuchi, assistant to trainer Mikio Matsunaga, said at the barrier draw. "Before, if there was anyone around, she wouldn't eat or would get nervous if the feeding time was changed. But now, she eats well and never goes off her feed, which has helped a lot. ... She's always been marked by the others but the pressure should be off this time, which will also help."