Liberty Island Easily Best in Hanshin Juvenile Fillies

If Japan's 2-year-old filly scene looked wide open before the Dec. 11 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1)—and it did—Liberty Island put some order into the mix with an impressive, stretch-running win.

The Duramente  filly came into the race with only a win in a newcomer event and a second, behind Ravel, in the October Artemis Stakes (G3)—a record similar to many of her 17 rivals in the Hanshin race.

This time around the 1,600-meter (about 1 mile) course, Liberty Island made a statement.

With Yuga Kawada in the irons, Liberty Island broke alertly on the Hanshin backstretch, took back to race in mid-pack and was still well behind the leaders around the turn. Kawada confidently took the overland route from there, finding plenty of room outside rivals, and was challenging for the lead 200 meters from the finish.

From there, it was all Liberty Island. She won in a hand ride, 2 1/2 lengths in front of a pair of longshots, Shinryokuka and Doe Eyes, finishing in 1:33.1.

"I am happy that the filly was able to show her performance at its best today," Kawada said. "I just let the filly choose the position within the field that she felt comfortable in and concentrated on maintaining a good flow and rhythm during the trip.

"She cruised along smoothly and her response when asked was just as I had imagined, so I was quite confident that she would make it to the finish line."

Assistant trainer Taku Fukunaga said before the race that Liberty Island had some issues to overcome in her third start.

"The Artemis Stakes was a tough race for her and she couldn't get a clear run in the stretch," Fukunaga said. "But that couldn't be helped...She's still quite immature physically and also has some quirks that make riding a bit difficult."

Kawada said the performance bodes well for Liberty Island's 3-year-old campaign.

"She has progressed well, including her loss last time out, towards winning this big championship race, and she has given us a promising view on what to expect and aim for in her coming future," he said.

The unsettled nature of the division is illustrated by Ravel's experience in the Hanshin heat. The winner of the Artemis broke poorly, trailed the field and was unable to make up much ground, finishing 11th.

While Liberty Island was a lukewarm favorite, none of the other well-fancied chances did much to justify their support. Second favorite Moryana got home 12th, and third choice Umbrail was 15th.

Liberty Island, bred by Northern Racing and carrying the familiar colors of Sunday Racing Co., Ltd., was produced by the All American  mare Yankee Rose.

Attention now will focus on leadups to next year's 3-year-old Classics, starting with the Tulip Sho (G2) and Hochi Hai Fillies Review (G2), both at Hanshin Racecourse in March. The Tulip Sho is contested at 1,600 meters, while the Fillies Review is 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs).

The Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas-G1) is in April, and the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks-G1) is run at 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) at Tokyo Racecourse in late May, posing a tough test of stamina for the young fillies.