Let's Go Donki Aces JPN One Thousand Guineas

Let's Go Donki dominated 17 rivals April 12 at Hanshin when cruising to a front-running win in the Oka Sho (Jpn-I, Japanese One Thousand Guineas), the first jewel in Japan's Triple Crown for fillies.

 

Owner Toshihiro Hirosaki's King Kamehameha filly drew away through the stretch and won by four lengths from Culminar, with Contessa Thule three-quarters of a length back in the third. Heavily favored and previously unbeaten against males, Rogue Buck, a daughter of Manhattan Cafe out of U.S. champion Ginger Punch, finished a lackluster ninth. 

 

The fifth choice at 10-1 odds, Let's Go Donki covered 1,600 meters (about one mile) in 1:36 while posting her first stakes victory and second win since breaking her maiden last August at Sapporo. Her career line stands at 2-2-2 from six career starts for Toshihiro Hirosaki. 

 

Let's Go Donki came into the Japanese Guineas with four group stakes placings, including her half-length second to Shonan Adela in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (Jpn-I), the race that determines the nation's best 2-year-old filly, in December, and then launched her 2015 campaign there with a third in the Tulip Sho (Jpn-III) March 7.

 

Winning rider Yasunari Iwata said that when no filly took charge Sunday he let his filly take him to the front.

 

"It was a good move, because she was able to travel at an easy pace," the jockey said. "The going was good and she just stretched well after saving energy in the first half of the race. She's been winless after breaking her maiden and had very close finishes since, so I'm glad she was able to demonstrate her true strength."

 

Let's Go Donki kept a comfortable advantage, about 1 1/2 lengths, to the final turn with Not Formal and Earthrise tracking. She lengthened stride entering the lane and secured the easy win, while Culimar came flying down the center of the course to take second after racing in 10th entering the lane.

 

Let's Go Donki was bred by Shimizu Bokujo from the winning Marvelous Sunday mare Marutoku. She is from the extended family of 2009 Queen Elizabeth Commemorative Cup (Jpn-I) winner Queen Spumante.

 

The classic series for fillies continues with the Yushun Himba (Jpn-I, Japanese Oaks) May 24 at Tokyo and the Shuka Sho (Jpn-I) Oct. 18 at Kyoto.