Japan: Embroidery takes Victoria Mile, gains berth in BC Filly and Mare Turf
Embroidery, Japan’s champion 3-year-old filly of 2025, is thriving as a 4-year-old.
On Sunday, Embroidery won her third Grade 1 race in the $1.83 million Victoria Mile for fillies and mares at Tokyo Racecourse. The win gave Embroidery a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
Embroidery won the Victoria Mile by 1 1/4 lengths, returning $4.20 as the favorite in American pools. Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, Embroidery was rated in sixth in a field of 18 on the backstretch while racing wide. Embroidery advanced to fifth in early stretch, at a point where the course has a slight incline, and moved closer to stretch leader Erika Express with more than a furlong remaining.
Embroidery reached the front in the final sixteenth.
“It was a perfect race,” Lemaire said. “We were able to break smoothly, which allowed us to race in a good position. She responded really well on the uphill stretch, and I was confident we could win again. She’s a smart horse with a strong mentality, and she’s developing physically as well. She’s truly a Grade 1-caliber horse.
“I think she can compete both in Japan and overseas.”
Kamunyak (5-1) closed from seventh to finish second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of 8-1 Queen’s Walk, who closed from 10th. Erika Express faded to finish fourth. Kamunyak won the Grade 1 Japanese Oaks in 2025. Queen’s Walk was second in the 2025 Victoria Mile.
Embroidery has won 7 of 11 starts, including her last three starts in Japan. She won the Grade 1 Shuka Sho for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles last October, and the Grade 2 Hanshin Himba Stakes at a mile at Hanshin Racecourse on April 11, her only start this year prior to Sunday. Last December, Embroidery finished 11th of 14 against males in the Group 1 Hong King Mile at Sha Tin in Hong Kong.
In April 2025, Embroidery won the Grade 1 Japanese 1000 Guineas at a mile.
By Admire Mars, Embroidery is owned by Silk Racing Co., Ltd., and trained by Kazutomo Mori.
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