Almond Eye an odds-on favorite in Shuka Sho

In winning the first two legs of the Japanese Fillies Triple Crown, the brilliant filly Almond Eye has felt the crop wielded by jockey Christophe Lemaire only three times.

When she stormed home in winning the Oka Sho, a 1,600-meter right-handed race at Hanshin, passing nearly the entire field in the final quarter-mile, Almond Eye was hand-ridden to victory.

Winning the Yushun Humba over 2,400 meters going left-handed at Tokyo, Almond Eye made the front on her own courage after stalking the pace, Lemaire going to his crop three times in the final stages to assure Almond Eye took care of business.

She did, and one of the most exciting fillies in the world now is odds-on to become the first Fillies Triple Crown winner since Gentildonna in 2012 when she starts Sunday in the Group 1, $1.74 million Shuka Sho over 2,000 meters at Kyoto.

Almond Eye already has a win at Kyoto, landing a Group 3 over 1,600 meters, but will be asked to win again while making her first start since May 20. Trainer Sakaie Kunieda has expressed satisfaction with Almond Eye’s training for her comeback run, and at anywhere near her best, Almond Eye, a daughter of Lord Kanaloa and the Sunday Silence mare Lotta Lace, will be hugely formidable. Almond Eye has been so heavily backed in early betting on the race that none of the other 17 entrants is lower than double-digit odds. Lucky Lilac and Mikki Charm could prove the chief rivals to Almond Eye – if there are any at all.

Post time for the Shuka Show is 2:40 a.m. Eastern on Saturday night.

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