More To ‘Admire’ In NHK Mile Cup?

[Wandering Eyes]

A full field of 18 3-year-old milers line up for the G1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo on Sunday. Ante-post favouritism has been granted to G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes hero and Junko Kondo runner Admire Zoom.

The son of four-time Group 1-winning miler Maurice warmed up for this with a stalking neck second in the G2 New Zealand Trophy at Nakayama in April behind Katsumi Yoshida's Immigrant Song (Makfi) and 1 1/4 lengths in front of the Saturnalia filly Caught Alliciant in third.

Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi said, “He wasn't fully wound up for his last race, but he ran well enough. It was good that he handled the long trip to the track and the overnight stay, so those things were a real plus. In the meantime, things have been as expected with him.”

Owned by Teruya Yoshida, Caught Alliciant is one of six fillies in the race. If successful on Sunday, she would become the first filly to win since Aerolithe (Kurofune) in 2017. Jockey Akiro Sugawara will have his hands full, as he leaves from the widest stall in 18 aboard the ante-post fifth choice.

Trainer Daishi Ito said, “She started well last time [in the New Zealand Trophy] and got into a good rhythm in the race. She's not the type where her condition changes so much, but the warmer weather is definitely better for her.”

Another filly to watch is Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) fourth Ma Puce (Mind Your Biscuits). The Yuji Yoshimoto runner was second in the G2 Daily Hai Queen Cup to subsequent 1000 Guineas heroine Embroidery (Admire Mars) back in February. Hironobu Tanabe is booked to ride and the duo leaves from stall 12.

The one-two finishers out of April's G3 Churchill Downs Cup, a prep for the NHK Mile Cup, have been entered in Yoshinori Itsukage's Lance Of Chaos (Silver State) and TO Racing's Arte Veloce (Maurice) who leave from stalls five and 15, respectively. Also coming off a win is Hirotsugu Inokuma's Yankee Barows, who won the G3 Falcon Stakes over Kazumi Yoshida colourbearer Mondo Dell'Amore (World Ace {Jpn}) in March. The son of Epiphaneia is drawn in stall four under Mirai Iwata.

Trainer Hiroyuki Uemura said of Yankee Barows, “He had a break at the farm after his last race, with this next one being his target. In recent work, the ground was bad, but he managed to run well throughout that piece of training. There's no big change with him, and I think he showed some of his potential last time in the Falcon Stakes.”

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