Soul Stirring Stays Perfect in Tulip Sho
Image:
Description:
Photo: Japan Racing Association
Soul Stirring is undefeated in four starts
Frankel fever continues to sweep Japan, and the source could be Shadai Race Horse Co.'s 3-year-old Japanese-bred filly Soul Stirring, who kept her perfect record intact with a rollicking two-length victory in the March 4 Tulip Sho (G3) at Hanshin.
The Tulip Sho is considered a trial for the grade 1 Oka Sho (the Japanese One Thousand Guineas) April 9 at Hanshin.
Trained by Kazuo Fujisawa and ridden by Christophe Lemaire, Soul Stirring was making her 2017 debut after she won won three races as a juvenile, including the Hanshin Juvenile Filles (G1).
Miss Panthere finished second in the 12-horse Tulip Sho, a half-length better than Lys Gracieux in third.
The Yoshida family's Shadai Farm bred Soul Stirring from the Monsun mare Stacelita. Racing for Martin Schwartz in the U.S., the French-bred Stacelita earned an Eclipse Award as the 2011 champion turf female. A classic winner in France, Stacelita took a pair of grade 1 races stateside and retired with earnings of $2,371,241 from 10 wins in 18 starts.
Acquired by Shadai in foal to Smart Strike, Stacelita delivered a filly in Great Britain, was bred to Frankel, and sent to Japan, where she foaled Soul Stirring, her second foal.
Named Southern Stars, the Smart Strike filly won a maiden race at Sandown in the Yoshida colors for trainer John Gosden.