Almond Eye, Lucky Lilac rematched in Japanese Oaks

Almond Eye gave Lucky Lilac her first loss when they finished first and second in the Grade 1 Japanese 1000 Guineas at Hanshin Racecourse in April.

They meet for the second time in Sunday’s Grade 1 Japanese Oaks at Tokyo Racecourse and there is likely to be very little between the two fillies, in terms of betting.

Lucky Lilac, a winner of four of five starts and the champion 2-year-old filly of 2017 in Japan, is expected to be a slight favorite over Almond Eye, who is unbeaten in two starts this year, including a Grade 3 stakes in January.

Almond Eye and Lucky Lilac are part of a field of 18 in the $2.25 million Japanese Oaks, which is run at 1 1/2 miles on turf.

Almond Eye, trained by Sakae Kunieda, won the 1000 Guineas at a mile by 1 3/4 lengths over Lucky Lilac. Lily Noble, Tosen Bless, and Mau Lea, who were third through fifth, are part of the Japanese Oaks field.

Lucky Lilac won her first four starts, a span that included the Group 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies last December, and the Group 2 Tulip Sho over Mau Lea and Lily Noble on March 3.

A new prospect in the division is Satono Walkure, who has won three of four starts including the Grade 2 Flora Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Tokyo on April 22 in her stakes debut. She won the Flora Stakes by a neck over Pioneer Bio, who will be an outsider in the Japanese Oaks.

The lone American-bred in the field is Randonnee, a daughter of Blame who was bred in Kentucky by Winchester Farm. Randonee has won two of four starts. The Japanese Oaks will be her group stakes debut, preceded by a win in the Sweetpea Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Tokyo on April 29.