Hot Rivalry Brewing Among Japanese 3-Year-Old Fillies

A new rivalry is brewing among Japanese fillies as Stellenbosch turned the tables on Japan's 2023 2-year-old champion, Ascoli Piceno in the first of the 2024 Classics, the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas-G1) April 7 at Hanshin Racecourse.

Against a backdrop of cherry blossoms on the backstretch, the two ran nearly side-by-side through the first half of the 1,600-meter (about one mile) Oka Sho, well back in the field of 16. Both advanced around the wide, right-handed turn but it was Stellenbosch first to challenge for the lead under jockey Joao Moreira.

Climbing the steep incline toward the finish, Ascoli Piceno and jockey Hiroshi Kitamura gave it a valiant go but fell 3/4 length short of capturing the flag. Light Back, a relative outsider in the wagering, was just another neck back in third.

Stellenbosch, an Epiphaneia  filly, stopped the timer at 1:32.5 on a course rated good to firm. The famous white filly, Sodashi , holds the stakes record of 1:31.1, set in 2021.

"She didn't jump very well but she did nothing wrong during the race," said Moreira, a former champion Hong Kong jockey, riding in Japan on a temporary license. "She was very impressive. When we were approaching the home turn, we were trapped. But as we passed by the 500-meter marker, we were able to split horses.

"She went up front a little bit too early and I was worried she couldn't sustain her speed all the way to the end. But, as with all good horses, she has proved to be capable and has given me my second grade 1 win in Japan which will be in my heart forever."

The two fillies finished 1-2, in the reverse order, in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) in December, deciding the championship for Ascoli Piceno. That race was Stellenbosch's first graded stakes and left her with a record of two wins and two seconds from starts as a 2-year-old.

Ascoli Piceno, by Daiwa Major , finished the 2023 season undefeated after three starts and won the Niigata Nisai Stakes (G3) as a prep for the Juvenile Fillies.

Trainer Sakae Kunieda said there were excuses for Stellenbosch's defeat in the 2023 finale.

"She went into the big race with only two full weeks in between races," Kunieda said. "The pace was different from what she'd encountered before and she wound up getting a position toward the rear. But, in the stretch, she was able to slip up the inside on a narrow path. Her late speed was the best it's been. Overall, I think it was a very good race."

Both fillies were bred by Northern Farm. Stellenbosch races in the name of Katsumi Yoshida while Ascoli Piceno is campaigned by Sunday Racing Co, Ltd.

The Oka Sho ("Oka" means cherry blossom in Japanese) is followed in the Triple Crown series by the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks-G1) at 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) and the Shuka Sho (G1) at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles).

Stellenbosch's sire, Epiphaneia, also sired the first filly to sweep the series while undefeated, Daring Tact , who turned the trick in 2020. Six others have won the crown, also including Almond Eye , and Liberty Island .

Bond Girl, originally entered in the Oka Sho, instead ran a day earlier in the New Zealand Trophy (G2) at Nakayama Racecourse, finishing second as the favorite. She had not run since finishing second in the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup (G3) in October, missing the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies with a minor setback.