Japan: Songline surprises in Victoria Mile
Songline is not a consistent mare, but at her best she is capable of winning top-level races.
Songline was 10th in the Group 3 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia in February, her first start of the year. Her second start was a win in Sunday’s Grade 1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.
The win gave Songline a fees-paid berth to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.
Songline ($16.90) recorded a minor upset in the $1.86 million Victoria Mile, closing from ninth in a field of 16 fillies and mares to win by a head over 3-1 Sodashi, the winner of the 2022 Victoria Mile.
Winning jockey Keita Tosaki said he had Songline farther back than intended, but that the 5-year-old “responded strongly in the straight.
“It was a close race, but I was pretty sure we crossed the wire in front,” Tosaki told Japan Racing Association publicity.
Sodashi, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2020 and 3-year-old filly of 2021 in Japan, finished three-quarters of a length in front of 6-5 favorite Stars on Earth, Japan’s champion 3-year-old filly of 2022.
The Victoria Mile was Songline’s second Grade 1, preceded by the Yasuda Kinen against males at a mile last June. The Yasuda Kinen is run on June 4 this year.
Owned by Sunday Racing Co., Ltd., and trained by Toru Hayashi, Songline has won 6 of 14 starts in a career that began in June 2020. A 5-year-old Japanese-bred mare by Kizuna, Songline has won five stakes, including the 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia in 2022.
Earlier in her career, she was 15th in the Grade 1 Japanese 2000 Guineas at Hanshin Racecourse in April 2021, but recovered to finish second against 3-year-old males in the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo a month later.
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