Kyoto: Marcellina, Erin Court look to rebound

Marcellina, the winner of the Japanese 1000 Guineas in April, and Erin Court, the winner of the Japanese Oaks in May, will both attempt to rebound from recent losses when they meet in Sunday’s Group 1 Shuka Sho at Kyoto Racecourse, the final leg of the Japanese Triple Crown for fillies.

The Shuka Sho is run over about 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-old fillies and is worth approximately $2,175,000.

Marcellina and Erin Court were sixth and 10th in the Group 2 Sho Rose Stakes at Hanshin Racecourse on Sept. 18, finishing well behind Whale Capture, who is part of the Shuka Sho field.

Earlier this year, Whale Capture was second in the Japanese 1000 Guineas and third in the Japanese Oaks. Trained by Kiyotaka Tanaka, Whale Capture, by Kurofune, has yet to win a Group 1 race.

Another contender is Aventura, who missed the spring classics because of a leg injury and has won two starts since her return, including a Group 3 race in Sapporo against older fillies and mares in August. Aventura is trained by Katsuhiko Sumii, who won the Dubai World Cup earlier this year with Victoire Pisa.