Japan: Gran Alegria first to notch Grade 1 hat trick with Victoria Mile win

Japanese racing has three Grade 1 races at one mile for older horses – the Victoria Mile for fillies and mares in May, the Yasuda Kinen in June, and the Mile Championship in November.

Gran Alegria, the champion sprinter and miler in Japan in 2020, became the first horse to win all three with a victory in Sunday’s $1.87 million Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse.

Gran Alegria won the 2020 Yasuda Kinen and Mile Championship against males last year. Those races could appear on her schedule in coming months.

Sunday’s Victoria Mile was Gran Alegria’s first win of 2021 in her second start of the year, preceded by a fourth in the Grade 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan in April.

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Ridden in the Victoria Mile by Christophe Lemaire, Gran Alegria (who paid $3.10 in American pools) closed from the middle of a field of 18 to take the lead with a wide rally in the stretch. Gran Alegria pulled clear to win by four lengths over 70-1 Rambling Alley. Magic Castle (14-1) finished third.

Gran Alegria was timed in 1:31, slightly slower than the stakes and track record of 1:30.50 set by Normcore in 2019.

“She was very strong, as we had all expected,” Lemaire told Japan Racing Association publicity in reference to Gran Alegria.

“She’s not a very good starter, so we settled in mid-division, but she raced in a good rhythm. After I took her to the outside entering the lane, she showed a remarkable response and geared up on her own. She showed that she’s at a different level than her competitors and will probably win more (Grade) 1 titles going forward.”

Gran Alegria earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 6 with the victory. The first three finishers of the Victoria Mile earned berths in two Group 1 races in France later this year – the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Aug. 15, and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at Longchamp in Paris on Sept. 5.

For the 41-year-old French-born Lemaire, the Victoria Mile was his 1,400th win at a JRA track. Lemaire is the leading rider at JRA tracks this year, and won the riding title from 2017-2020.

Gran Alegria, 5, was the champion 3-year-old filly of 2019 in Japan. Owned by Sunday Racing Company, Ltd., and trained by Kazuo Fujisawa, Gran Alegria has won 8 of 12 starts.

Gran Alegria is by leading Japanese stallion Deep Impact and is out of Tapitsfly, the winner of two Grade 1 races in 2012 for American trainer Dale Romans – the Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park and the First Lady Stakes at Keeneland.