Almond Eye Earns Breeders' Cup Berth in Victoria Mile

Almond Eye shrugged off a fruitless trip to Dubai, a long layoff, and a lackluster performance in her previous outing to thoroughly dominate the May 17 Victoria Mile (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse.

The victory rekindled hopes for further international success, opening doors to big races on two continents. The Victoria Mile joined the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series this year, earning Almond Eye a guaranteed berth in the Nov. 7 Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Keeneland. The top three finishers also earned automatic starting positions in the Prix Jacques le Marois (G1), a one-mile test at Deauville normally run in August.

After tracking pacesetter Trois Etoiles around the bend and into the stretch, jockey Christophe Lemaire turned Almond Eye loose about 250 meters from home. A blink of an eye later, Lemaire took a look back over his right shoulder and saw nothing but sod as Almond Eye had no remaining rival.

Geared down, the 5-year-old Lord Kanaloa mare sailed home first by four lengths in 1:30.6, just :0.1 off the stakes record established last year by Normcore. Sound Chiara was best of the rest, with Normcore rallying to edge Trois Etoiles for third.

"I think she's matured well, as she was relaxed from the paddock to the start of the race," Lemaire said. "I was able to position her in good behind Sound Chiara and race her in her own rhythm without getting any pressure from the outside. She felt good during the race and displayed her powerful strides at the end."

The free bid in the Prix Jacques le Marois in France will incite Almond Eye's fans. As long as she keeps winning with authority, she will be seen as potentially the latest in a long line of Japanese runners who have tilted at the windmill that is the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1)—a prize that has eluded some of the country's top runners.

Without specifying where it might be achieved, Lemaire said he sees further glory for Almond Eye.

"She's a legend horse and will surely win more grade 1 races going forward," he said.

The Victoria Mile itself was straightforward for Almond Eye, who had not raced since finishing a dull ninth in the Dec. 22 Arima Kinen (Grand Prix, G1) at Nakayama. She had been meant to defend her title in the Dubai Turf Sponsored by DP World (G1) on World Cup Night in March at Meydan, but that entire card was canceled on short notice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After the 2019 win in Dubai, trainer Sakae Kunieda put the kibosh on talk of an autumn campaign in Europe, saying his filly struggled to shake off the travel. With that in mind and coming off the loss at Nakayama, Almond Eye had a bit to prove in her return, and Kunieda said before the race he thought she was ready.

"Everything's been fine with her since returning from Dubai, and although she only came back from the farm to Miho (training center) recently, she's in good condition," the trainer said. "She's relaxed, and last week in training all went well, and in her last piece of track work this week, she finished off strongly. Mentally, she's in the right place, too."

Almond Eye, out of the Sunday Silence mare Fusaichi Pandora, was bred by Northern Farm and races for Silk Racing.

After finishing second in her career debut, Almond Eye went on a blitz that made her the latest in a series of wildly popular fillies to race in Japan. After capturing all three legs of the Japanese Triple Tiara in 2018, she immediately expanded her horizons, defeating older male runners in the Japan Cup (G1) at 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles).

She kicked off the 2019 season in style, defeating a deep and talented field in Dubai. Possibly still feeling the effects of that trip, she finished third in the Yasuda Kinen (G1) in June but rebounded to win the Tenno Sho (Autumn) four months later—her sixth grade 1 victory. With the Victoria Mile score, she is tied with six other horses, including champion mares Vodka and Gentildonna, for the most top-level victories by a Japanese horse.