Only a nostril separated Jour Polaire (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and bridesmaid Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) at the wire of the 1600-metre G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo on Sunday. In the process, the 5-year-old provided trainer Masato Nishizono his fourth Group 1 victory, and jockey Hideaki Miyuki his seventh. Red Avancer (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was only a neck back in third in a race contested in a downpour. The first three home earned berths to the 1600-metre G1 Prix Jacques le Marois over a mile at Deauville on Aug. 12, with their registration fees waived and a €20,000 travel allowance provided.
Tabbed the eighth choice at 18-1, Jour Polaire broke forwardly, but dropped back through the field to sit eighth for the backstretch run as Kawakita Enka (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) strolled along on the front end. Undeterred by the boggy underfoot conditions, the bay spun seven deep into the home stretch and began to make inroads toward the vanguard a quarter-mile from the wire. The 3-1 favourite Lys Gracieux established a narrow advantage 200 out, but Jour Polaire collared that rival on the line in a bobbing finish. Red Avancer closed well to take third on the outside, a half-length to the good of rails-runner Aerolithe (Jpn) (Kurofune).
“I wasn't worried about the rain and going getting softer because it was perfect for my mare,” said winning hoop Hideaki Miyuki. “I was hoping to race a little more near the pace. She showed a great turn of foot, but it was so close, I couldn't make out if we were beaten by Lys Gracieux from the outside at the end or not.”
Third in this event last year behind Admire Lead (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) and Denko Ange (Jpn) (Meisho Samson {Jpn}), Jour Polaire was back in the winner's circle in Nakayama's Shufu S. over this distance after a four-month break on Sept. 30. Sixteenth upped to 2200 metres in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Nov. 12, she warmed up for this with a fifth in the G2 Sankeisports Hai Hanshin Himba S. at Hanshin on Apr. 7.
Pedigree Notes…
Jour Polaire is the 35th Group 1 winner for her Shadai Stallion Station-based sire. A half-sister to fellow Japanese Group 1 winner Sadamu Patek (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn) who also ran second in the 2011 G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), the 5-year-old mare is followed by a winning 3-year-old full-brother, Dark Night Moon (Jpn). Her dam is a half-sister to SW and GI Whitney H. runner-up Catienus (Storm Cat). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
VICTORIA MILE-G1, ¥204,900,000 (US$1,872,860/£1,383,022/€1,567,865), Tokyo, 5-13, 4yo/up, f, 1600mT, 1:32.30, gd.
1–JOUR POLAIRE (JPN), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Summer Night City (Jpn), by Helissio (Fr)
2nd Dam: Diamond City, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: Honey's Flag, by Hoist the Flag
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
O-G1 Racing; B-Shiraoi Farm (Jpn); T-Masato Nishizono;
J-Hideaki Miyuki; ¥108,780,000. Lifetime Record: 14-6-2-2.
*1/2 to Sadamu Patek (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn}), G1SW-Jpn,
$4,889,913. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lys Gracieux (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Heart's Cry (Jpn)
1st Dam: Liliside (Fr), by American Post (GB)
2nd Dam: Miller's Lily (Fr), by Miller's Mate (GB)
3rd Dam: Lymara (Fr), by Lyphard
O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥43,080,000.
3–Red Avancer (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Erimo Pixy (Jpn), by Dancing Brave
2nd Dam: Erimo Shooting (Jpn), by Tesco Boy (GB)
3rd Dam: Depgleef, by Vaguely Noble (Ire)
O-Tokyo Horse Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥26,540,000.
Margins: NO, NK, HF; Odds: 18.40, 3.30, 11.10.
Also Ran: Aerolithe (Jpn), Miss Panthere (Jpn), Let's Go Donki (Jpn), Soul Stirring (Jpn), Admire Lead (Jpn), One to One (Jpn), Reine Mioru (Jpn), Maids of Honour (Jpn), Denko Ange (Jpn), Rabbit Run, Kawakita Enka (Jpn), Rieno Tesoro, Dea Regalo (Jpn), Eterna Minoru (Jpn), Queen's Milagro (Jpn).
Click for the Racing Post chart. JRA Video.
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