The spring near nonstop slew of top-level events turns once again to the ladies on Sunday, May 15, with the sixth running of the Victoria Mile (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse.

The Victoria Mile, named after the Roman goddess of victory, was established as a G1 4yo & up Fillies & Mares event from its begin in 2006. The race was awarded international Grade 1 status in 2009 and is currently open to a maximum nine entries from overseas. This year's field, however, will once again be made up of only Japan-trained horses.

The Victoria Mile and the fall Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup are the top two races for older females, and, in its short history, the Victoria Mile has seen some of racing's top names to its winner's circle. Dance in the Mood, winner of the JRA Best 3-year-old Filly award in 2004, won the inaugural race in 2006 and was awarded the Best Older Filly or Mare award that same year. Two-time Horse of the Year Vodka, who captured the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in 2007 as the first filly in 64 years, was runnerup in the Victoria Mile the following year, then won the race in 2009 as a 5-year-old. Vodka holds the race record of 1 minute 32.4 seconds. Notching the race in 2010 was Buena Vista, another female that went on to become Horse of the Year the same year. Buena Vista is back this year for a bid at scooping successive wins and will undoubtedly be taking top billing in Sunday's lineup.

Tokyo Racecourse, with its wide, sweeping turns and long homestretch, is widely regarded as the fairest -- and the most grueling -- of the JRA tracks. Like the NHK Mile Cup in early May and the Yasuda Kinen in June, the Victoria Mile starts at the beginning of the backstretch for a straight run of more than 500 meters before turning left over 400 meters into the punishing homestretch of 525 meters. The first 225 meters of the straight slopes upward, challenging runners to their utmost and usually inviting a lead change over the final 100 meters.

Post time is 15:40, and a full field of 18 is expected. Featured in that lineup will be:

Buena Vista: Buena Vista will be the horse to watch on Sunday, as she has been in all of her outings. Never out of the money in Japan in 16 races and only out of the money once in two races abroad, the Special Week-sired Buena Vista's biggest blemish to date came in her last outing at Meydan, where she finished eighth in her first race over artificial course. Last year, she captured the Victoria Mile and the Tenno Sho (Autumn). She then crossed the line in first in the Japan Cup as well, but Christophe Soumillon's riding drew her demotion to second. In the Arima Kinen she missed the winner's circle by a nose, a loss trainer Hiroyoshi Matsuda blames on Soumillon's bringing her wide in the final turn. Nonetheless, Buena Vista earned both the JRA Horse of the Year award and the Best Older Filly or Mare award. Now 5, she will be looking to notch back-to-back wins of the Victoria Mile along with her sixth G1 jewel. Buena Vista has six wins at the mile, including the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) in addition to the Victoria Mile. All eyes will be on this powerhouse, paired for the first time with Yasunari Iwata, JRA's current leading jockey.

Apapane: Posing perhaps the biggest challenge to Buena Vista is 4-year-old Apapane, with 6 wins in 11 starts, one second, two thirds and two fourths. Winner of the filly triple crown—Oka Sho, Oaks, Shuka Sho—last year, the daughter of King Kamehameha also claimed the top 2-year-old race, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, the previous year and earned her the Best 2-Year-Old award for 2009. Last month, Apapane returned to the turf after a 5-month spell for a fourth in mixed company in the Yomiuri Milers Cup at Hanshin on April 17. "She doesn't do well after time off," trainer Sakae Kunieda explained. "But, it was her first time with older horses and in mixed company and I wanted to see how she would do. I think she settled nicely despite the wide draw," Kunieda said. "She was able to deal with the Oaks distance (2,400 meters) but her best is the mile," he claims. "I'm really looking forward to seeing who is the stronger this time out," Kunieda said referring largely to the emerging rivalry between his charge and Buena Vista.

Lady Alba Rosa: Winner of the Nakayama Himba Stakes (G3), held this year at Hanshin on April 2, Lady Alba Rosa looks to be on the up and up. This 4-year-old, yet another by King Kamehameha, winner of the 2004 Japanese Derby and NHK Mile Cup winner, failed to draw attention in last year's classics and turned in a crushing 11th in the Oka Sho and a lackluster fifth in the Shuka Sho. But, she has shown tremendous improvement this year, notching the Nakayama Himba Stakes (G3, 1,800 meters) at Hanshin in early April for her first graded-race win, one that put her clearly ahead of Fumino Imagine, who went on to win the Fukushima Himba Stakes (G3, 1,800 meters) at Niigata on April 23. Trainer Kazuhide Sasada says the Tokyo mile suits her. "She has the ability to switch gears well and the long stretch is a favorable element."

Cosmo Nemo Shin: Winner of last year's Fairy Stakes, this 4-year-old by Zenno Rob Roy, has only one graded race victory to date. Second in the Flower Cup last year, she finished ninth in the Oka Sho with a time only 0.4 second behind winner Apapane. She has proven a consistent runner in the 1,600-1,800 meter range and this year has steadily improved in her three outings, finishing ninth in the Kyoto Himba Stakes, third in the Nakayama Himba Stakes and second in her latest, the Fukushima Himba Stakes. Trainer Hidekatsu Shimizu said that following the 1,800-meter Nakayama Himba Stakes jockey Masami Matsuoka expressed the opinion that a mile was her best distance. "This will be a welcome factor this time out," Shimizu said. With her sights clearly on the Victoria Mile, Shimizu feels she is ready. "She has done well in her past two outings and seems to have gotten out of a bit of a slump. I think she'll be in best of form Sunday," he said. Shimizu also said he is hoping for a bit of rain as she does better on "a track that's a bit slow."

Shoryu Moon: Winner of last year's Tulip Sho and this year's Kyoto Himba Stakes (G3), which, along with the Nakayama Himba Stakes, are considered important preps for the Victoria Mile, Shoryu Moon has shown herself to be a darkhorse to watch. The King Kamehameha-sired filly beat Apapane in the Tulip Sho in splendid form. Her tremendous acceleration in the final stages are well suited to the Tokyo venue. Her last time out in the Yomiuri Milers Cup (G2) at Hanshin on April 17 ended in 14th place but a late break and a trip that took her wide in the final turn were blamed on the poor showing. "She wasn't ready when the gate opened," trainer Shozo Sasaki said. "That was a big factor. She wasn't able to get a good position because of that and with the slow pace, it all led to her poor result." Sasaki says Shoryu Moon has maintained her condition well following that race.

Animate Bio: Daughter of Zenno Rob Roy, Animate Bio lost to Apapane in both the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies as a 2-year-old and in the Shuka Sho the following year. Still, she was runnerup in both, with times only a tenth of a second off the winner. She won the Rose Stakes, a Shuka Sho trial, beating the fourth-place Apapane. Her last race, the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup saw her finish in 15th but she suffered a nosebleed during the race, which would account for her poor showing. After that race, she was given a rest before returning to Miho Training Center, where trainer Koji Maki says she has been working well. It will be her first race in six months. "I think she is well suited to the mile at Tokyo," said Maki. "We've been working on her taking the bit better," he said, adding that he was not concerned about it being her first race after a spell. "Her Rose Stakes performance showed us she can win after time off."

Apricot Fizz: A 4-year-old by Jungle Pocket and trained by Futoshi Kojima, Apricot Fizz won the Queen Stakes and the Queen Cup as a 3-year-old, but fared only moderately well in the classics, coming in fifth in the Oka Sho, sixth in the Oaks and third in the Shuka Sho. This year has been a huge disappointment, with a 14th two races back in the Kyoto Himba Stakes and a last place in the Nakayama Himba Stakes. That result came as a surprise to trainer Kojima, who felt the postponement of the race and move to Hanshin may have been factors in the poor showing. She was given a rest after the Nakayama Himba Stakes on April 2 and returned to Miho late that month. Kojima says she has shown considerable improvement. The fact that she has proven herself at Tokyo, with 2 wins in 3 starts, keeps Kojima optimistic. "We'll transport her directly on race day. The course and distance are perfect for her and I think she'll be in good form for the race."

Spring Thunder: A Mitsugu Kon-trained 4-year-old by Kurofune, Spring Thunder pocketed two in a row before moving on to her last outing, the Hanshin Himba Stakes on April 9. There, she turned in a strong third-place performance and improved her record over turf at 1,400 meters to 3 for 8 with 1 second and 1 third. All but two of her races have been at distances of 1,200 or 1,400 meters. The question will obviously be whether she can manage the extra furlong. Her two starts at the distance have ended out of the money.

En Ciel Blue: The 4-year-old En Ciel Blue won the Okutama Stakes (1,400 meter) at Tokyo last year and made her way into the open stakes level. After that, she took on the Turquoise Stakes, a mile at Nakayama and finished third, the finished fifth in a mile at Kyoto. Her last race out, however, in the Hanshin Himba Stakes (G2) she surprised as seventh pick with a second only half a length off the winner. "The conditions were perfect for that race," said trainer Kiyotaka Tanaka. With those earnings, she found her way into the Victoria Mile, her first G1 race. En Ciel Blue, by Manhattan Cafe, has shown a swift turn of foot and times to match. However, Tanaka, has expressed some concern over the distance. "Her best is 1,400 meters," he admitted.

Wild Raspberry: A 4-year-old trained by Hidemasa Nakao, the Falbrav-sired Wild Raspberry did well last year with a late run to score a second-place finish by a head to Animate Bio in the Shuka Sho trial Rose Stakes. In the Shuka Sho, she finished three-tenths of a second off Apapane in fourth place. She then went on, in an unusual move for a 3-year-old filly, to the Mile Championship (G1), where she finished eighth a half second off the winner. Trainer Nakao blames the poor showing on the filly's nerves. "She was quite nervous before the race and didn't relax, but I think she still quickened well despite." Nakao said Wild Raspberry has calmed down since. "That race seems to have let her let off some steam," Nakao said and added, "I don't have any complaints as far as her condition goes." This will be her first time over the Tokyo turf but she should take well to the long stretch. "I think she's best at the mile," Nakao said. "Shorter by a furlong will work in her favor. Still, she's not the type that can go at full speed for long, but she can win on a burst of speed, so her trip and how she'll be able to run over the long Tokyo stretch are key."

Oken Sakura: By Bago, Oken Sakura has had three wins in 15 races. She has not, however, had a win since March of last year, nor has she finished in the money since her second-place finish in last year's Oka Sho. Her last race of 2010 was the Mile Championship (G1) at Kyoto, in which she finished 16 of 18 runners. She has had three races this year, all at 1,800 meters or more and is coming off a fourth in the Fukushima Himba Stakes (G3), run at Niigata Racecourse on April 23. Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi sees the results as a sign that she is improving "The last race, her third time back after time off, she showed a great deal of improvement," he said. Oken Sakura typically likes to stay on the pace or lead and Otonashi feels this may be a good strategy come Sunday. "If no other horses go, we may just try for an aggressive wire-to-wire," he said.

A Shin Returns: Yet another King Kamehameha filly, the 4-year-old A Shin Returns will be returning to the track after more than five months off. She has notched her three wins but has yet to win a graded race in five bids. She has, however, finished in the money in three of them, including a third in last year's Oka Sho. The race favorite in her last race, the Turquoise Stakes on Dec. 5, she was drawn wide. Run over 1,600 meters at Nakayama she found it difficult to maintain her rhythm and disappointed with a seventh-place finish. She has proven she can best some of the top females running though. Earlier in the year, in the Rose Stakes, she came back after four months off to beat Apapane to the wire. She also topped Lady Alba Rosa by 2 1/2 lengths two races ago in the Utopia Stakes, a mile at Tokyo on Nov. 6. She is now 3 for 12 with 2 seconds and 3 thirds. A Shin Returns could well be a longshot to keep an eye on.