Gran Alegria ends racing career with second consecutive Mile Championshp win
Gran Alegria went out in a blaze of glory Sunday at Japan's Hanshin Racecourse, storming down the center of the track to capture her second straight Mile Championship.
The champion 5-year-old mare, a six-time Group 1 winner after Sunday’s triumph, will become a broodmare in 2022, ending her racing career still in excellent form. Gran Alegria, a nine-time winner from 15 starts, never started internationally, but in her connections’ chosen races at home she proved extremely difficult to beat in 1,600-meter contests like the Mile Championship. From 10 such races, Gran Alegria compiled a 7-1-1 record.
Sunday’s success did not come easily. Racing from 12th as this 16-horse field swung into the Mile Championship’s lone turn, a right-handed bend, Gran Alegria was guided from about the two path to the outside as jockey Christophe Lemaire probed for holes to make a run. None appeared, and Lemaire had no choice but to swing wide, coming at least 10 paths off the rail as Gran Alegria, still well behind the leaders, cornered into the homestretch. The mare really found her footing with about 300 meters to race, closing hard on Indy Champ, who had inherited the lead in midstretch, before reaching the front with a half-furlong to race and pulling away in the final strides.
Favored Gran Alegria won by three quarters of a length over 3-year-old Schnell Meister, who closed well between horses as the second favorite as Danon Kid nipped fading Indy Champ for third. Gran Alegria was timed in 1:32.6 over firm going.
Trained by Kazuo Fujisawa for Sunday Racing Company – also the owner of Schnell Meister – Gran Alegria is by Deep Impact out of Tapitsfly, by Tapit.
*** Contrail, who won Japan’s Triple Crown in 2020, will be retired to stud for 2022 after he races in the Japan Cup, it was reported over the weekend. Contrail finished second behind Almond Eye in the 2020 Japan Cup.