Ascoli Piceno And Stellenbosch Clash In Victoria Mile

[Wandering Eyes]

The ultra-consistent Ascoli Piceno and frequent rival Stellenbosch will once again lock horns, this time in the G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo on Sunday. A qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, the race features an uphill battle to the finish.

Trained by Yoichi Kuroiwa, the daughter of Daiwa Major secured the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies over Stellenbosch at two, and was second to that foe in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) at three, so both have won at the top level over this distance. Ascoli Piceno will leave from stall 17 in the 18-horse field and will be ridden by Christophe Lemaire. She won the G2 1351 Turf Sprint in Riyadh in February.

Kuroiwa said, “This week on May 14, she had the same workout as she had a week earlier, six furlongs on the flat, chasing and passing her training partner. I had wondered how much she would improve from last week and she showed me that she had indeed improved quite a bit. Her wind is good, she's forward and, overall, I see no place where she's lacking. She is very agile and good at executing a course, even over shorter distances. I think I can leave the rest up to the jockey [Christophe Lemaire].”

Second in the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), Stellenbosch has also finished out of the top three only once. However, after a strong third in the G1 Hong Kong Vase, the daughter of Epiphaneia turned in a puzzling 13th-place finish in the G1 Osaka Hai in April. Set to be ridden by Keita Tosaki, the 4-year-old filly will break from gate two.

Trainer Sakae Kunieda said of the Katsumi Yoshida runner, “This week, she had the same training partner in fast work as last week. But this time, I had her start from behind the other horse. I think she moved well. She was a bit keen, but she did catch up and pass the other horse in the end. Her footwork was sharp, her balance and rhythm all looked very good.

“She breaks well but doesn't have early speed, so with the pace likely strong from the start, she'll probably be racing from behind. If she gets a good trip, I think we have a chance.”

Several fillies and mares are coming off last-out wins, including G2 Hanshin Himba Stakes victress Safira (Heart's Cry), who beat Argine (Lord Kanaloa) on April 12. They are booked in stalls four and three, respectively. Kizuna's Queen's Walk landed the G2 Kinko Sho at Chukyo in March, while Wide Latour (California Chrome) defeated Sing That Song (Duramente) in the G3 Aichi Hai. The G3 Fukushima Himba Stakes went to Admire Matsuri (Kitasan Black), and she will be cutting back to 1600 metres for this contest, as will Shirankedo (Declaration Of War), who stamped her name on the G3 Nakayama Himba Stakes in March.

The post Ascoli Piceno And Stellenbosch Clash In Victoria Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article