Japan: Almond Eye hard to look past in Yasuda Kinen

Three weeks after she thumped fillies and mares in the Grade 1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse, Almond Eye will be an odds-on favorite to win Sunday’s Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at a mile at the same venue against males.

The lads may not stand a chance.

Almond Eye was timed in 1:30.60 in the $1.9 million Victoria Mile, missing the course record by a tenth of a second. She won by four lengths, the widest margin of victory in her career.

With that win, Almond Eye earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 7. The winner of the Yasuda Kinen earns a berth to the BC Mile.

The 2018 Japanese Horse of the Year, Almond Eye had her 2020 debut in the Victoria Mile, her seventh Grade 1 or Group 1 win. She missed a start in the Group 1 Dubai Turf in the United Arab Emirates in March when that race and the other races on the Dubai World Cup program were canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Sunday, Christophe Lemaire has the mount on Almond Eye, a 5-year-old mare trained by Sakae Kunieda who has won 9 of 12 starts. Lemaire has been aboard for all seven of Almond Eye’s wins in Group 1 or Grade 1 races.

Almond Eye typically races from a stalking position.

The $2.3 million Yasuda Kinen drew a field of 14, including the Group 1 or Grade 1 winners Admire Mars, Gran Alegria, Indy Champ, and Normcore. Indy Champ won the 2019 Yasuda Kinen, with Almond Eye third.

Admire Mars has not raced since a win in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong in December. Admire Mars was an intended starter in the Dubai Turf.

Post time for the Yasuda Kinen is 2:40 a.m. Eastern on Sunday or 11:40 p.m. Pacific on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.