Ascoli Piceno needed every stride through the stretch to reach the front in Sunday’s Grade 1 Victoria Mile for fillies and mares at Tokyo Racecourse, eventually winning by a neck over an unlucky Queen’s Walk. The win may help Ascoli Piceno toward a second career championship. The Japanese champion 2-year-old filly of 2023, Ascoli Piceno’s status in Japan’s turf mile division was greatly enhanced by her win in the $1.73 million Victoria Mile. The outcome of the Grade 1 Mile Championship at Kyoto in November will play a key role in the divisional honors. It will be interesting to see how Ascoli Piceno, a five-time stakes winner in nine starts, will be campaigned later this year. With the win in the Victoria Mile, Ascoli Piceno earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar in November. The BC Filly and Mare Turf is run at 1 3/8 miles. Ascoli Piceno has yet to run beyond a mile. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. In the Victoria Mile, Ascoli Piceno closed from the back of a field of 17. Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, Ascoli Piceno, who paid $4.50 in American pools as the favorite, was 16th turning into the stretch. Brought wide, Ascoli Piceno was approximately 10th with a furlong remaining and caught 10-1 Queen’s Walk at the finish. Queen’s Walk, who led very briefly in the final 100 yards, finished a nose in front of 18-1 Shirankedo. The longshot Alice Verite set the pace before fading in the final furlong to finish fifth. Lemaire told Japan Racing Association publicity that Ascoli Piceno needed several furlongs to find her best stride after starting from post 16. “The break wasn’t too sharp and it took some effort to get her into the speed, but she did have plenty of energy left when needed,” he said. “While it did take her some time to reach her top speed, I was thrilled by how she showed her mental strength and potential in fighting to the very end.” A 4-year-old filly by Daiwa Major, Ascoli Piceno races for Sunday Racing Co., Ltd., and is trained by Yoichi Kuroiwa. Ascoli Piceno has won 6 of 9 starts and is unbeaten in two starts this year, beginning with the Group 2 1351 Turf Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs in Saudi Arabia in February. The Victoria Mile was her second Grade 1 win. She won the Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December 2023 to secure her championship. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.