By Heather Anderson
The G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) was not without its challenges for last month's G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas heroine Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) as she was trying a distance beyond a mile for the first time, but ultimately the 2400 metres held no fears, as she strolled home a sixth-length winner in 2:23.10 in Tokyo.
Sunday Racing's imperious dame became the 17th filly–following her paternal half-sister Stars On Earth (Jpn) in 2022–to win the first two legs of the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown. It was the largest winning margin in the Oaks since 1975.
Bet down to 2-5 favouritism, the Mitsumasa Nakauchida trainee strode out to a dramaless beginning to sit in midfield as Light Quantum (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) clicked off fractions of :22.80 and :47.70 and 1:00 flat while stalked by Kiminonawa Maria (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) and Ravel (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}). The strong pace saw the field well spaced out, and, the 2-year-old star had a fair amount of distance to make up as noses pointed toward home. Predictably, the pacesetter came under pressure from the stalkers with 600 metres left to run, and pilot Yuga Kawada was poised aboard an enthusiastic Liberty Island as the leading trio began to come back to the field.
Swung out into the six path to obtain a clear run, Liberty Island loomed up into contention at the quarter pole as Ravel took up the running on the front end, and finally Kawada asked his filly for her bid after remaining motionless for the previous 2000 metres. Generous when asked, Liberty Island collared Ravel at the furlong grounds and dashed away to a stylish victory. Harper (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and Dura (Jpn) both closed well to take second and third, by six lengths, and a neck, respectively. Group winner Ravel hung on gamely in fourth, another three-quarters of a length back.
“Having run the Oka Sho and being transported here to Tokyo for another big race, the filly was quite tense coming into this race, so I had to make an effort to reserve her energy and calm her down before the race,” said jockey Yuga Kawada, who was winning his 23rd top-level race. “She settled well once in the gate, allowing us to make a safe start, and we were able to race in good rhythm while I still had the task of keeping her under control up to the critical stages. I knew we were already in a position to finish clear of the other horses once taking the lead, but I wanted her to finish off the race strongly to the wire so I kept driving her to the wire which led to a big margin.”
A winner of a Niigata newcomer affair over a mile last July, Liberty Island suffered her only defeat at the hooves of Sunday's fourth-place finisher Ravel (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G3 Artemis S. going that trip in Tokyo in October. Kept in training through December, she swept the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies by 2 1/2 lengths, and was named the 2022 Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Filly. The Northern Racing-bred bay made her 3-year-old bow a winning one in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) in early April, and the Yushun Himba was her first start beyond a mile.
Pedigree Notes
With every season that passes, the loss of dual Classic-winning sire Duramente to the Japanese industry and wider bloodstock world becomes more apparent. Liberty Island is one of five Group 1 winners for the 2015 Japanese Champion 3-Year-Old Colt. His stakes winners number 14, 10 of them at group level. Besides Liberty Island, Stars On Earth and Titleholder (Jpn) have also claimed Classic laurels in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The second foal out of Australian Champion 2-Year-Old Filly and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}), Liberty Island's year-older half brother Romneya (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) is a winner, and her dam produced a colt by Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) in 2021 and a filly by Kizuna (Jpn) last year. A winner of the G1 Inglis Sires and G1 Spring Champion S., she was covered by Japanese Triple Crown Winner Contrail (Jpn) last spring.
A half-sister to Group 3 winner Miravalle (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), Yankee Rose traces her damline to 1981 G1 Yorkshire Oaks winner and G1 Irish Oaks runner-up Condessa (Ire), by the Luthier (Fr) horse Condorcet (Fr).
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
YUSHUN HIMBA (JAPANESE OAKS)-G1, ¥325,180,000, Tokyo, 5-21, 3yo, f, 2400mT, 2:23.10, fm.
1–LIBERTY ISLAND (JPN), 121, f, 3, by Duramente (Jpn)
1st Dam: Yankee Rose (Aus), by All American (Aus)
2nd Dam: Condesaar (Aus), by Xaar (GB)
3rd Dam: Condescendance, by El Gran Senor
O-Sunday Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Mitsumasa
Nakauchida; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥177,426,000. Lifetime Record:
Ch. 2yo Filly-Jpn, 5-4-1-0, ¥429,472,000. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Harper (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Heart's Cry (Jpn)–Seresta (Arg), by
Jump Start. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (¥86,000,000 Wlg '20
JRHAJUL). O-M's Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥67,830,000.
3–Dura (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Duramente (Jpn)–Isis (Jpn), by King Halo
(Jpn). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Cypress Holdings;
B-Grande Farm (Jpn); ¥41,918,000.
Margins: 6, NK, 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 7.80, 102.40.
Also Ran: Ravel (Jpn), Shinryokuka (Jpn), Hip Hop Soul (Jpn), Kona Coast (Jpn), So Dazzling (Jpn), Doe Eyes (Jpn), Remige (Jpn), Golden Hind (Jpn), Perifania (Jpn), Emu (Jpn), Mikki Gorgeous (Jpn), Kita Wing (Jpn), England Eyes (GB), Light Quantum (Jpn), Kiminonawa Maria (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video.
【🇯🇵 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1), Tokyo, 2400m, 3yo F, approx US$ 2.48m】
Winner: Liberty Island(JPN)
J: Yuga Kawada
T: Mitsumasa Nakauchida
Sire: Duramente
Dam: Yankee Rose#オークス は、#リバティアイランド が優勝！！ pic.twitter.com/WTG85J6S2r— JRA World Racing (@JRA_WorldRacing) May 21, 2023
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