Japan: Champagne Color notches upset in NHK Mile Cup

Champagne Color, sixth and third in his first two starts in graded stakes, recorded an upset win with a late rally in Sunday’s Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup for 3-year-old colts and fillies at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.

Champagne Color ($71.60) won for the third time in his fifth start, and first appearance in a Grade 1, in the $1.87 million NHK Mile Cup.

Ridden by Hiroyuki Uchida for trainer Tsuyoshi Tanaka, Champagne Color finished a head in front of 18-1 Umbrail.

“He came out of the last turn smoothly and responded incredibly well,” Uchida told Japan Racing Association publicity. “While waiting for the right moment and watching out for the other runners, I just drove him to the line.”

Obamburumai, the winner of the Grade 3 Arlington Cup at a mile at Hanshin on April 15, finished third by 1 1/4 lengths.

Obamburumai was the 6-1 third choice. Eeyan, the 4-1 favorite, finished ninth, failing to recover from a troubled trip in early stretch. Dolce More, the 2-year-old Japanese champion male of 2022, finished 12th of 17, never posing a threat.

Dolce More was seventh in the Grade 2 New Zealand Trophy at a mile at Nakayama Racecourse on April 8. Champagne Color was third in the New Zealand Trophy, an improvement from a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Keisai Hai Stakes at Nakayama in January in his 3-year-old debut.

Champagne Color, a Japanese-bred colt by Duramente, races for owner and breeder Yoichi Aoyama. Champagne Color won his first two starts in 2022 at a mile at Tokyo Racecourse – a race for first-time starters in October and an allowance race in November.

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