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Posted 2014-10-16 11:19:59  
Shuka Sho (G1) - final leg of fillies' Triple Crown - Preview

This Sunday, Kyoto Racecourse hosts the Shuka Sho, featuring 18 of the finest 3-year-old fillies currently racing in Japan. The 19th running of the Shuka Sho on Oct. 19 is this year's final leg of what is known as the Triple Crown for fillies.

The big three for the girls consists of the 1,600-meter Oka Sho, the equivalent of the 1000 Guineas, in the early spring. The Oka Sho is followed in late spring by the Yushun Himba, or Japanese Oaks, run over 2,400 meters. The first leg is run at the right-handed “outer course” at Hanshin, the second at the left-handed Tokyo Racecourse. The Shuka Sho, with a distance of 2,000 meters, takes place on the “inner course” at Kyoto.

The Shuka Sho is considered by many to be the hardest race to win on strength alone. It also requires agility and keen racing sense to execute the relatively tight turns of Kyoto and demands the best in both horse and man. Some of the best fillies, after gaining the first two jewels in the Triple Crown, have met their match in the Shuka Sho.

The Shuka Sho was first run in 1996 and created to replace the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, which had previously served as the final race in the filly's Triple Crown until the QEII was opened to older females as well.

The Shuka Sho was certified as an international Grade 1 race in 2009 and up to nine foreign horses can enter, though there are no runners from overseas this year. The winners of the Oka Sho and the Yushun Himba automatically qualify for the Shuka Sho, as do the top two finishers in the 2,000-meter Shion Stakes at Niigata Racecourse and the top three finishers in the 1,800-meter Grade 2 Kansai Telecasting Corp. Sho Rose Stakes at Hanshin.

This year's Oka Sho winner Harp Star was beaten in the Oaks by Nuovo Record and a meeting in the final leg would have made for an exciting match between the two heavyweights. Harp Star, however, having just taken on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France as Japan's first 3-year-old filly to do so, will be sitting the Shuka Sho out.

Harp Star's trainer, veteran Hiroyoshi Matsuda, however, will still have his chance to shine. Matsuda has four runners registered for the Shuka Sho, with three of them – Reve d'Etoiles, Sang Real, and Tagano Etoile -- holding tickets to the starting gate and expected to figure among the top picks.

The Shuka Sho starts in front of the Kyoto grandstand, with a run of 300 meters until the first bend. There is aggressive jockeying for position from the gate until the bend and four bends in the race make an inside draw desirable. The track is relatively flat except on the backstretch, with an upslope that starts from about 1,100 meters out at the end of the backstretch and rises about 3.1 meters over about 150 meters, then descends equally as sharply around the final bend and leads directly into the final stretch of 328 meters. The course would seem to favor frontrunners, but late closers make it to the front as well, making the winner over the course especially difficult to predict.

The following offers a look at some of the top choices and other interesting possibilities in the Shuka Sho:


Nuovo Record – This daughter of Heart's Cry is expected to be the rock-bottom favorite. In her seven-race career thus far she has figured out of the money only once, with a fourth in her debut. After that she was turning in return-reaping tickets, including a second in the G3 Tulip Sho behind Harp Star and a third in the G1 Oka Sho before she nabbed her first G1 with a win by a neck over Harp Star in the Yushun Himba, or Japanese Oaks. The 2,400-meter Oaks was her first race at the distance. Nuovo Record had been given all miles up to the Oaks, but proved she could handle more with ease. Settling midfield, she made her move and was able to hold off a blistering stretch charge by Harp Star to win. After taking the summer off, she came back on Sept. 21 to ace the 1,800-meter G2 Kansai Telecasting Corp. Sho Rose Stakes last time out. In the Rose Stakes, she went from a more forward position than she had in the Oaks. Always in reach of the front in fourth position, she topped Tagano Etoile by a length and a quarter for her second win of a graded stakes race. She has only had firm ground to date and will be running at Kyoto for the first time. Though three of her four wins have come over left-handed tracks, her win of the Rose Stakes at Hanshin indicates Kyoto shouldn't be a problem. Also, her trainer, the Miho-based Makoto Saito decided to save Nuovo Record the long haul from the east to Kyoto and has stabled the filly at Ritto Training Center near Kyoto following the Rose Stakes.

Red Reveur – The Stay Gold-sired Red Reveur blazed into her career with a three-race winning streak. After her debut first she captured the Sapporo Nisai Stakes, then landed the top 2-year-old filly of 2013 award with her win over Harp Star in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. After a second to Harp Star in the Oka Sho, she made the unusual move of passing on the Oaks to take on the boys in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). She was drawn wide in the race, and was never a factor, remaining far in the rear of the field and running at one pace throughout to finish in 12th. After a 3 1/2 month-layoff to refresh and recuperate, she went to the gate of the Rose Stakes the favorite and a full 10 kg heavier than she'd been in the Derby. She failed to meet expectations, finishing in sixth place 0.8 seconds off the winner. Her last two results will have undoubtedly lowered expectations for the Shuka Sho and no filly that has figured less than fifth place in the Rose Stakes has won the Shuka Sho since 2008. Red Reveur, however, who has taken a different path to the race than most, may once again surprise. This will be her first time at Kyoto, a course that can be advantageous for the more petite. Red Reveur is the third lightest of the fillies registered for Sunday along with Ceu Azul and Sang Real.

Reve d'Etoiles – The Zenno Rob Roy-sired Reve d'Etoiles won her berth in the Shuka Sho with a win of the 2,000-meter Shion Stakes last outing, on Sept. 13 at Niigata. Ninth in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and fifth in the Oka Sho (though only 0.3 seconds off the winner) meant Reve d'Etoiles was unable to run in the Japanese Oaks. She is half sister to Reve d'Essor, who captured the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2010 unbeaten, and expectations surrounding Reve d'Etoiles had been high. However, the win of the open-class Shion Stakes was her highest-level victory in her nine starts thus far. Her other two wins though have come at Kyoto and the soft going in the Shion Stakes indicates she can handle fast or slow ground. She is to be paired with Yuga Kawada, who rode Harp Star to her win of the Oka Sho.

Lilavati – Another of the five Zenno Rob Roy daughters registered for the Shuka Sho is Lilavati, from the stable of Sei Ishizaka. Lilavati won her rights to the Shuka Sho with a third in the Rose Stakes, where she overcame an outside draw with an excellent start, a forward position and tenacity in the stretch. If she can run her own race, this filly holds her ground. This will be her first time at Kyoto, where the shorter stretch of the inner 2,000 is a plus but key will be the pace.

Tagano Etoile – By King Kamehameha, the lightly raced Tagano Etoile only just debuted in May and had just broken her maiden two races ago. But, her second in the Rose Stakes last time out jumped her into the Shuka Sho lineup. She had the fastest time in the Rose Stakes final 600 meters, a blistering 33.3 seconds that boosted her finishing time to only 0.2 seconds off that of winner Nuovo Record. At 15th pick, her performance came as a surprise, but she had stood out in morning work from her debut and her potential had been recognized. Whether she is a late bloomer and only now coming into her own remains to be seen. Tagano Etoile may be good for another surprise. If she can make the winner's circle on what would be only the 162nd day from her debut, she will rewrite the current record held by Tico Tico Tac, a filly that captured the 2000 Shuka Sho only 204 days following her debut.

Sang Real – By Zenno Rob Roy, Sang Real is out of Biwa Heidi, making the filly half sister to six-time G1 champion Buena Vista. Following in the footsteps of the super mare put the spotlight on Sang Real from before her debut and she started only well enough, notching her second win and her first victory in a graded stakes race on only her third outing, the Oaks trial G2 Sankei Sports Sho Flora Stakes. However, a 14-kg decrease in weight saw her go to the Japanese Oaks at only 400 kg seemed to be a factor in her seventh-place finish. After the Oaks, she was given a layoff, then brought back for the Rose Stakes. Racing at 406 kg, she seemed bothered by other horses, appeared to lose concentration during the trip and finished ninth. This filly has latent potential but her inability to gain weight has long been a point of concern. If anyone can bring out that potential, however, it is her trainer Hiroyoshi Matsuda, known for his prowess with “the fairer sex.” Matsuda, who also trained Buena Vista, has fielded winners in 19 JRA G1 races, 14 of which winners have been females. Twelve of his G1 wins have come in all-female races.

Blanc Neige – Second in the Flora Stakes, then fifth in the Oaks, the Symboli Kris S-sired Blanc Neige returned after four months off to run fourth in the Rose Stakes. It was an admirable performance coming off a layoff and finishing only 0.4 seconds off the winner. Blanc Neige has proven a consistent runner and though she has only scored two wins in her 11 starts, she has three seconds and three thirds to her name as well. Preferring to run on the pace and possessing an agility that suits the course, Blanc Neige may be good for the money.

Bounce Shasse – The Zenno Rob Roy-sired Bounce Shasse has never been a consistent runner. But, if patterns are any indication, she could be up to at least make the top three in the Shuka Sho. This filly, whose weight also fluctuates rather sporadically, goes from single-digit finishes in the top three to pairs of double-digit finishes. She, or her trainer's choices may possibly be predictable in her performances' seeming unpredictability. Bounce Shasse, who is trained by no bozo and ridden by the very consistent Hiroshi Kitamura, won the G3 Flower Cup, then went to the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), ran 12th, and then to the Oaks for a third. Instead of being given the summer off, she next took on the G3 Hakodate Kinen in July and finished 16th, then ran in the Shion Stakes to finish 12th. Her three wins from nine starts have come at 1,800 and 2,000 meters. This will be her first time at Kyoto. Let's see if this filly can bounce back into the money this time around.
Shonan Pandora

Shonan Pandora – Fifth in the G3 Flower Cup, the Deep Impact-sired Shonan Pandora has been consistent in lower-level races, but has yet to win even an open-class race. Fifth in the Oaks trial Sweetpea Stakes as well meant the road to the classics was closed to her. Her second-place finish in the Shion Stakes at Niigata, however, won her a berth in the Shuka Sho. In the Shion Stakes, she moved forward gradually into the final bend from a 14th position, stepped into the lead in the stretch but was overtaken by a hard-driving Reve d'Etoiles, who beat her to the wire to win by a neck. Shonan Pandora has won over both fast and slow going and is familiar with the course, having broken her maiden on her second start over the inner 2,000 at Kyoto. The fast grass of both Niigata and Kyoto may be what suits Shonan Pandora. There may still be hope for this filly.

Omega Heart Rock – The Neo Universe-sired Omega Heart Rock is a wild card, a complete unknown with only two races behind her and her last outing in January. Both her starts were over the mile and both she won. Trained by Noriyuki Hori, Omega Heart Rock leapt from her debut win to the winner's circle of the G3 Fairy Stakes at Nakayama. She's coming off a layoff of nine months but if the potential is there, and it is believed to be, the work she has been given on the Miho hill and woodchip course from the end of September should stand her well. Unknown she is, which makes her a filly that shouldn't be ignored. 

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