Monster miler Gran Alegria faces males in Yasuda Kinen
More than two years have passed since Gran Alegria lost a one-mile race, one of many reasons the 5-year-old mare is an odds-on favorite to win the Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at that distance at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday.
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Gran Alegria was Japan’s champion 3-year-old filly of 2019, and won the combined championship as Japan’s top sprinter-miler of 2020. She won the Grade 1 Victoria Mile against fillies and mares at Tokyo Racecourse on May 16 for her third consecutive stakes win at a mile. The streak of wins at that distance began in the 2020 Yasuda Kinen.
The last time Gran Alegria was beaten at a mile she finished fifth in the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup for 3-year-olds in May 2019.
The three-week gap between the Victoria Mile and the $2.3 million Yasuda Kinen is the quickest turnaround in Gran Alegria’s 12-race career, which includes eight wins. Trainer Kazuo Fujisawa said he adjusted Gran Alegria’s training in recent weeks because of the race timing.
“Due to the lack of time between races, we’ve just focused on getting her recovered and tuned up,” Fujisawa told Japan Racing Association publicists. “She hasn’t had that many races overall, but has come along well nonetheless.”
Jockey Christophe Lemaire has ridden Gran Alegria in her last four races, all Grade 1 races and a span that includes three wins. Lemaire is the leading rider at JRA tracks and rides Gran Alegria on Sunday.
By Deep Impact, Gran Alegria was a surprising fourth in the Group 1 Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles at Hanshin in April in her first start of 2021, the longest race of her career. The Victoria Mile was her only subsequent start.
The Yasuda Kinen drew a field of 14 and has a post time of 2:40 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, or 11:40 p.m. Pacific on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
Gran Alegria is the only filly or mare in the Yasuda Kinen field. If she has a sub-par performance, Indy Champ and Salios are considered prospects to win.
Indy Champ, 6, was third in the 2020 Yasuda Kinen and third in his lone start in a Grade 1 this year, the Takamatsunomiya Kinen at six furlongs at Chukyo Racecourse in March.
Salios, second in the 2020 Japanese Derby, was fifth in the Osaka Hai in his only start this year. He won the Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes at a mile as a 2-year-old in December 2019.