Ria Antonia Foal Ria Amelia to Race in Japan Grade 1

A big field is set for the Dec. 8 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Hanshin Racecourse, with optimism outweighing experience in the form charts.

The 1,600 meters (about one mile) is the first of two weekends of trials for Japan's brightest prospects, with the Asahi Hai Futurity (G1) over the same course and distance a week later open to both colts and fillies.

Stablemates Cravache d'Or and Ria Amelia are among those sparking hope in the hearts of their connections in a Juvenile Fillies field where few runners have more than two starts.

A Heart's Cry filly, Cravache d'Or comes off a runner-up finish in the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup (G3), losing only to Salios, who lowered the course record in that heat and is considered a top prospect for the Futurity.

Jockey Yusuke Fujioka said Cravache d'Or might have made the finish even closer with a more favorable position heading into the uphill climb in the straight. And assistant trainer Teruhiko Saruhashi added, "I don't think we could have asked for more out of her in the previous start. It was a good performance."

Ria Amelia, by Deep Impact, is out of the Rockport Harbor mare Ria Antonia, winner of the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita Park. Ria Amelia won by eight lengths at first asking in June at Hanshin, then unleashed a last-to-first move in the Oct. 26 Artemis Stakes (G3) at Tokyo.

"She's been putting in the work since her last race at a constant," Saruhashi said of Ria Amelia. "She was born a brilliant racehorse, so I'm not sure how much better she can get. I don't see a huge difference in her from the last start, but she's shaping up really well."

Katsumi Yoshida purchased Ria Antonia for $1.8 million in 2014 at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's breeding stock sale in Kentucky, where she was consigned by co-owner Loooch Racing Stables with Three Chimneys Farm as agent.

Japanese riding legend Yutaka Take finds hope in the form of Maltese Diosa. A daughter of Kizuna, she is the winner of her past two starts with late runs that bring to mind her sire's running style. Although Take relinquishes the ride to Hironobu Tanabe, he still lavished praise on Maltese Diosa.

"Kizuna's kids come in all shapes and sizes," Take said. "But this one is nice and easygoing. I'm really looking forward to what she does from here on out."

Among the others, Resistencia and Woman's Heart are both 2-for-2. Woman's Heart's wins include one over Maltise Diosa in the latter's debut.

The race is run right-handed, starting on the backstretch. Three furlongs from the finish, the course dips sharply, then hits a rise that carries the field the final 200 meters to the finish.

Vodka, whose statue graces the paddock area at Tokyo Racecourse, won the race in 2006 and has the stakes record of 1:33.1. Danon Fantasy and Chrono Genesis finished 1-2 in 2018, with the latter going on this year to finish third in both the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1) and Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1) and winning the Oct. 13 Shuka Sho (G1) at Kyoto.