Albiano faces males in NHK Mile

Albiano, an undefeated Kentucky-bred filly who went through the sales ring at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Florida March sale of 2-year-olds in training, is one of two fillies in Sunday’s $1,600,400 NHK Mile for 3-year-olds at Tokyo Racecourse.

Albiano, by Harlan’s Holiday, has won three races from seven furlongs to a mile, all on turf, including the Grade 3 Flower Cup at Nakayama in March. The Grade 1 NHK Mile will be her first start at the highest level and her first start against males.

Albiano is owned by Kazumi Yoshida and is trained by Tetsuya Kimura. Yuichi Shibayama has the mount on Albiano, who is out of the unraced Unbridled mare Antics. Albiano was purchased at the Fasig-Tipton sale in a post-auction private transaction for $400,000, according to the sale company’s website.

Antics is out of the stakes-winning Danzig mare Aurora, who produced the stakes winners Festival of Light and Arch and the millionaire stakes winner Acoma.

The NHK Mile drew a field of 18, including Yamakatsu Ace and Grand Silk, the first two finishers of the New Zealand Trophy at Nakayama Racecourse on April 11; Clarity Sky, who was fifth in the Japanese 2000 Guineas at Nakayama on April 19; and Tagano Azaghal, who won the Grade 3 Falcon Stakes at Chukyo Racecourse on March 21.