There’s not much going right for Champagne color through the first half of the NHK Mile Cup (G1) May 7 at Tokyo Racecourse, but stiffness The pony more than made up for that in the final bouts, rolling against opponents for a head-to-head win.
umbrella smartly edged ahead of the winner in the final yards before going ahead and Obamaburumai third. carove speedThe film is a warm favorite on a dreary rainy day, being a defeated fifth.
NHK Mile was established during a 1996 reorganization to provide a middle distance alternative for 3-year-olds unable to thrive in the Japanese Classics. It has served as a springboard for previous winners King Kamehameha , God Condor, And Kurofune. Admire Mars won in 2019 and went on to win the Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1) in December of the same season.
Fans who defied the rain didn’t give Champagne Color much of a chance to join that elite company, leaving him out by a 22-1 margin north. And the foal, bred by its owner, Yoichi Aoyama and trained by Tsuyoshi Tanaka, must turn to Plan B to get the job done.
The next last man out of the gate, he ran near the end of the field 17 horses into a long bend. Going up the hill, horse rider Hiroyuki Uchida put Champagne Color in the blank and found another device. He is in contention at 200 metres, leading at 100 metres, and holds a rather desperate position at the end of the distance.
That’s not how Tanaka and Uchida worked out the game plan.
“The plan,” said Uchida, “was to keep him between fifth and sixth in terms of speed. But the competition to get him forward was fierce and the road was soggy, so I didn’t. force him to move forward.
“He came off the last lap smoothly and reacted extremely well. While waiting for the right moment and watching the other runners, I just drove him back to the line hoping to finish first. first.”
Looking back, bettors can notice both Champagne Color’s previous wins have come at Toyko Racecourse and are a mile away, including a win at Begonia Sho last November. His stock fell after finishing sixth at Nakayama on his debut when he was 3 years old when 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) proved overwhelming, but he recovered. recovered with a good third place in the new one-mile race. Zealand Trophy (G2) in the final preparation for the group 1 challenge.
Uchida attributes both the distance and the composition of Tokyo to the success of Champagne Color.
“This is his third win in Tokyo,” said the equestrian. “He enjoys the wide track and we look forward to seeing him grow through every race he runs this season.”
Umbrail, one of four runners in the race, also attributed her relationship to optimism. She’s on the side Lord Kanaloa get out Falbrav mare L’Archettoa full sister to phone, winner of the 2018 Mile Championship (G1). Umbrail finished second at the New Zealand Trophy last month.
New Zealand Cup Winner, Eeyanreported ninth in the NHK Mile after saving land in the middle of the transparent pack.
