By Heather Anderson
Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) put her stamp on the G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo on Sunday, a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The 2020 Japanese Champion Sprinter/Miler was winning her fifth Group 1 race when drawing off to win by four lengths over the good to firm ground.
Bet down to 30 cents on the dollar, Gran Alegria perched in midfield as Christie (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) set a demanding tempo. Beginning to make inroads toward the front inside the final 600 metres, the Sunday Racing colourbearer burst to the head of affairs at the 150-metre mark and quickly distanced herself by an astonishing four lengths. Rambling Alley (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was second, a neck ahead of Magic Castle (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was a like margin to the good of Dirndl (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}).
“She was very strong as we had all expected,” commented jockey Christophe Lemaire, who won his 38th JRA Group 1 race and his 1,400th overall victory in Japan. “She's not a very good starter so we settled in mid-division, but she raced in good rhythm. After I took her to the outside entering the lane, she showed a remarkable response and geared up on her own. She showed that she's at a different level than her competitors and will probably win more Group 1 titles going forward.”
A winner of the 2019 G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas, Gran Alegria ran second in her 2020 bow, the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen last March, but then rattled off three Group 1s on the bounce-the June 7 Yasuda Kinen, the Oct. 4 G1 Sprinters S. and the G1 Mile Championship. Named the 2020 Japanese Champion Sprinter/Miler, the now 5-year-old mare ran fourth in the G1 Osaka Hai on Apr. 4.
Pedigree Notes
One of 48 Group 1 winners for her late supersire, Gran Alegria also has the second highest tally of top-level victories of Deep Impact progeny with five behind just Gentildonna (Jpn) (7). To date, the former Shadai Stallion Station supremo has sired 175 black-type winners 142 of them at the group level. In addition to Gran Alegria, he is also responsible for Japanese listed winner and group-placed Arusha (Jpn), who is also out of a Tapit mare. Tapit's daughters have produced five Grade/Group 1 winners among 43 black-type winners.
One of two winners from two foals to race for her dam, Gran Alegria is the star offspring of the late Listed Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf victress Tapitsfly (Tapit), who would go on to win both the GI Longines Just a Game S. and GI First Lady S. as a 5-year-old. Knocked down to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.85 million at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, Tapitsfly's first foal is Gran Alegria after being barren in 2015.
Saturday, Tokyo, Japan
VICTORIA MILE-G1, ¥204,960,000, Tokyo, 5-16, 4yo/up, f, 1600mT, 1:31.00, fm.
1–GRAN ALEGRIA (JPN), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Tapitsfly (MGISW-US, $1,495,503), by Tapit
2nd Dam: Flying Marlin, by Marlin
3rd Dam: Morning Dove, by Fortunate Prospect
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Kazuo Fujisawa;
J-Christophe Lemaire. ¥108,820,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo
Filly-Jpn, Ch. Sprinter-Jpn, Ch. Miler-Jpn, 12-8-1-1. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Rambling Alley (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Blooming Alley (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S.
2nd Dam: Princess Olivia, by Lycius
3rd Dam: Dance Image (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥43,092,000.
3–Magic Castle (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Deep Impact(Jpn)
1st Dam: So Magic (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S.
2nd Dam: Xua (Ire), by Fairy King
3rd Dam: Bold Starlet (GB), by Precocious (GB)
O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥26,546,000.
Margins: 4, NK, NK. Odds: 0.30, 74.20, 13.70.
Also Ran: Dirndl (Jpn), Shigeru Pink Dia (Jpn), Resistencia (Jpn), Danon Fantasy (Jpn), Des Ailes (Jpn), Maltese Diosa (Jpn), Christie (Jpn), Sound Chiara (Jpn), Red Belle Deesse (Jpn), Ria Amelia (Jpn), Terzetto (Jpn), Smile Kana (Jpn), Affranchir (Jpn), Pourville (Jpn), Iberis (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
