Normcore by a neck in Victoria Mile

Normcore won her first Grade 1 race in Sunday’s $1,864,289 Victoria Mile for fillies and mares at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan, blazing the distance in a course-record time of 1:30.50 on firm turf.

Ridden by Australian-based jockey Damian Lane, who is riding in Japan on a short-term license, Normcore (8-1) closed from the middle of a field of 18 to reach contention in early stretch. Normcore was challenged late by 5-1 Primo Scene but held off that rival to win by a neck.

“She handled the mile great,” Lane told Japan Racing Association publicity. “I think the tempo of the mile really suited her. She traveled lovely and really finished strong.

“I always felt she was going to finish the race strong and she was going to be right there, but I just didn’t know whether there were going to be good horses coming from behind. She was good enough to hold them off.”

Crocosmia, a 30-1 outsider, finished third, beaten three-quarters of a length.

Aerolithe, who finished ninth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park in January, set the early pace but faded in the last sixteenth and finished fifth.

Normcore, a 4-year-old filly by Harbinger, is owned by Seiichi Iketani and trained by Kiyoshi Hagiwara. The Victoria Mile was her second graded stakes win. A winner of 4 of 9 starts, Normcore won the Grade 3 Shion Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Nakayama last September.