White Filly Sodashi Steps Up in Sapporo Kinen

Sodashi is no longer just "that white filly."

Rebounding nicely from her only loss, the striking daughter of Kurofune took a huge step forward in the Aug. 22 Sapporo Kinen (G1), her first test against older horses and males and a second chance to prove she can win at a distance of ground.

She showed them how it's done, winning by three-quarters of a length while covering the 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in a handy 1:59.5 with Hayato Yoshido riding. And, while many in the 13-horse field clearly were a class or two below her, the runner-up, Loves Only You , is an established international star already targeting the Breeders' Cup and the Longines Hong Kong International Races.

Yoshida got Sodashi away cleanly from the outside gate and positioned her right behind the pace heading down the Sapporo Racecourse stretch for the first time. She held that position until the second turn loomed on the horizon when Yasunari Iwata sent Blast Onepiece from the back of the pack to range up outside Sodashi.

That was enough to get Sodashi's interest up. She quickly surged to the lead and never seemed threatened thereafter. Loves Only You and 7-year-old veteran Persian Knight both put in bids through the final 100 meters but finished second and third, a head apart.

"I am relieved," Racing Post quoted Yoshida. "I couldn't meet fans' expectations on the Oaks, which was regrettable. But she has run well here on her return and I am looking forward to the autumn."

Sodashi's demonstration of stamina was more than welcome to her connections. After blitzing through her first five starts, including the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) and the grade 1  Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas), she faded badly through the stretch when asked to go beyond a mile for the first time in the grade 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), finishing eighth. She had not run since that 2,400-meter (almost 1 1/2-mile) effort May 23.

The race was also a return for Loves Only You, a 5-year-old mare by Deep Impact  out of the Storm Cat  mare Loves Only Me . She was last seen winning the April 25 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at Sha Tin in Hong Kong. A month earlier, she finished third, beaten just a pair of necks, in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) at Meydan Racecourse—a race won by Mishriff , who also won the $20 million Saudi Cup in February and the Aug. 18 Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York.

Loves Only You also won the 2019 Yushun Himba and the Japan Racing Association reports her owners have teed up further international travel for the remainder of her season.

Sodashi's progression up the class ladder not only has made her the latest idol of the enthusiastic Japanese racing fandom but also has established several firsts. She is the first Japanese white horse to win a graded turf race, to have multiple graded victories, and to have a grade 1 win.

She would be the prohibitive favorite should she return for the third leg of the Japanese filly Triple Tiara, the Oct. 17 Shuka Sho (G1) at 2,000 meters at Hanshin Racecourse.

Sodashi was bred by her owner, Kaneko Makoto, who also owned Deep Impact, and she is trained by Naosuke Sugai. She inherited her unusual coloring from her dam, Buchiko, whose dramatic white coloring, mixed with extensive dark markings, made her equally noticeable on the racecourse.