Resistencia Sets Record in Hanshin Juvenile Fillies
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Photo: Naoji Inada
Resistencia wins the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies at Hanshin Racecourse
Resistencia led from gate to wire in the Dec. 8 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1), drawing off with ease through the final 200 meters to win by five lengths while bettering the stakes record held by Vodka.
The Daiwa Major filly remains undefeated after three starts and appears to be on track to continue the long line of exciting Japanese fillies stretching from Vodka through Almond Eye.
The race was basically over a few jumps after the gates opened. Jockey Yuichi Kitamura got Resistencia right to the front from gate 4 and never looked back. After showing the way through the turn, Kitamura gave his filly a few reminder taps and she quickly put matters to rest.
Maltese Diosa, a Kizuna filly, was best of the rest, a nose in front of Cravache d'Or. The favorite, Ria Amelia, a daughter of Deep Impact out of the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Ria Antonia, finished sixth with a late run from far back in the big field.
The winning time of 1:32.7 shaved 4/10ths of a second off the stakes record set by Vodka in 2006.
"I knew she had the necessary speed as long as she broke well, so I concentrated on keeping her relaxed in the middle stages," Kitamura said of Resistencia. "We were hoping she would mature mentally, and I'm happy to see she was calm and relaxed
today. She was so strong and has so much potential. Her future is definitely something to look forward to."
Resistencia, out of the Argentinian dam Malacostumbrada, comfortably won at first asking Oct. 14 and immediately jumped up in class to take the Nov. 2 KBS Kyoto Sho Fantasy Stakes (G3). Those races were both 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs) at Kyoto Racecourse.
Bred by Northern Farm and owned by U Carrot Farm, Resistencia is trained by Takeshi Matsushita, who notched his first grade 1 victory.
The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies has been a springboard for top-class fillies and mares since it achieved grade 1 status in 1991. Vodka went on to become Japanese Horse of the Year in 2008 and 2009. Buena Vista emerged from the race to become Horse of the Year in 2010, and the race's 2009 winner, Apapane, swept the following year's Japanese Fillies Triple Crown.
Resistencia's sire also produced Admire Mars, winner of the Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1) at Sha Tin about the same time Resistencia was thrashing 15 rivals at Hanshin.