2014 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner Nuovo Record won the Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap on Thursday, Nov. 24, held at Del Mar. After finishing 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, the 5-year-old daughter of Heart’s Cry bounced back strongly and edged race favorite Arles by a nose at the line to claim the 2,200-meter Red Carpet Handicap, a 10-horse field for fillies and mares.

Starting from the No. 1 gate, Nuovo Record hugged the rails and saved ground throughout the race, and when Arles picked up pace before the final turn to make her move, Yasunari Iwata and Nuovo Record followed suit and changed gears with the favorite in sight. Midway in the final straight, Iwata brought Nuovo Record outside of Arles and urged the mare for one more push to catch the leader. In a close photo finish, Nuovo Record had edged Arles by a nose, followed by Swear by It one length behind the top two runners.

Nuovo Record had been away from the winners’ circle since March 2015, when she won the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen. She had three runner-up finishes last year, the last coming in the 2,000 meter Hong Kong Cup. The Makoto Saito-trained mare is scheduled to travel to Hong Kong again this year – this time targeting the 2,400-meter Hong Kong Vase.

“The gate number and the pace of the race was ideal for her,” Iwata said after the race. “She had not won since the Nakayama Kinen last March, so it was nice to get the ‘W.’ We are looking forward to a good race in Hong Kong as well.”

“She was not able to save any ground in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare, but she was able to do so today – and this is what she is capable of doing,” Saito said. “Iwata rode a really nice race.”