Stars on Earth Shines Bright in Japanese Oaks

Stars on Earth shone brightly in the Tokyo Racecourse sunshine May 22, handling the classic distance of the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks-G1) with ease and setting up a shot at the Fillies Triple Crown with a clear victory.

Stars on Earth, a Duramente  filly out of the Smart Strike mare Southern Stars, got a dream trip with Christophe Lemaire at the controls.

After a delay of nearly 15 minutes because of a loose horse, Stars on Earth was off smoothly from the outside gate for the first run down the stretch, held in mid-pack and out of any potential trouble. She raced there until the field swung around the final bend when Lemaire started to test her ability to get the 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles).

As the leaders labored up the incline toward the finish, Stars on Earth looked like a fresh horse. Moving outside rivals, she was in contention 100 meters out and kicked away gamely to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Stunning Rose, by King Kamehameha , and Namur, a Harbinger  filly, also kept going to finish second and third, respectively.

The favorite, Circle of Life, appeared upset by the delay, broke last of 17, and never got into contention, finishing 12th.

Stars on Earth has progressed steadily through the early stages of her career, starting with a win, one second, and a third from three starts in 2021. She finished second in her first two races as a 3-year-old, both at 1,600 meters (about 1 mile), then stepped up to gain the narrow win in the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas-G1) at the same trip.

With the Yushun Himba win, Stars on Earth is eligible to complete the Triple Crown with a tilt at the 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4 miles) Shuka Sho (G1) in the autumn.

Lemaire notched his first Japanese grade 1 win of the year and the 41st of his career.

"The filly was in great condition coming into the race," Lemaire said. "But it requires a lot of effort to start from an outside draw, so I was easy with her early. She stayed calm and responded really well in the closing stages, so I was happy."

Lemaire said the victory not only demonstrated versatility in distance but also promised good things for Stars on Earth's future.

"It was her first attempt at 2,400 meters, but her pedigree showed that she should be up to it in terms of stamina, so I thought it shouldn't be a problem," he said. "She's already won at 1,600 meters and shown to handle 2,400 meters, so I think she has a pretty good chance to win her third grade 1 over 2,000 meters."

Stars on Earth, bred at Shadai Farm, races for Shadai Race Horse Co. and is conditined by trainer Mizuki Takayanagi. She is the second foal to race and second winner for her dam.

The 3-year-old males take their chance at the same conditions May 29 in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby-G1) as the spring progression of top-level racing continues.