The 36th running of The Mile Championship comes with a cheque of JPY110 million this year. Indy Champ headlines this installment of the race for which Danon Shark holds the track record.
We list each of the runners and their profiles for more information:
Indy Champ: This year’s Gr.1 Yasuda Kinen winner got back into the swing of things last time when he finished third in the Mainichi Okan at Tokyo in October. The Stay Gold colt has pleased his trainer, Hidetaka Otonashi, who recently said, “When he ran last time, he might have been a little heavy, as we allowed for some possible weight loss in transporting him to the track.
Al-Ain: This year’s Gr.1 Osaka Hai winner might have found things tough in the recent Tenno Sho (Autumn), where he was unable to post a good result, but he could easily bounce back from that defeat and put in a run similar to what he did in last year’s Mile Championship, when he finished third.
Mozu Ascot: The 5yo American bred by Frankel is trained by Yoshito Yahagi, and is looking to recapture some of his old sparkles after finishing second in his last race, the Grade 2 Mainichi Broadcast Swan Stakes. He won the Yasuda Kinen in 2018 but was the beaten favorite in last year’s Mile Championship.
Leyenda: Hailing from the all-powerful stable of trainer Kazuo Fujisawa, the 4yo colt by King Kamehameha has managed to win or finish second six times from his 10-race career, and finished second in his latest race, the Grade 3 Fuji Stakes in October.
Primo Scene: A mile is arguably the 4-year-old filly’s best distance and after a disappointing run last time when favorite in the Grade 2 Ireland Trophy Fuchu Himba Stakes over 1,800 meters at Tokyo, she’s looking to get back on track here.
My Style: A horse that usually goes over a mile, this will be his first Grade 1 since 2017, but trainer Mitsugu Kon thinks that things might just be coming right for the 5yo.
Race Info:
Distance: 1600 meters, (About 8 furlongs / 1 mile), Surface: Turf, Track: Right-handed, Qualification: 3-y-o & Up, Thoroughbreds, Weight: 3-y-o 56 kg / 4-y-o & up 57 kg, Purse: ¥ 190,000,000 (as of 2014), 1st: ¥ 100,000,000
Credit: Japan Racing Association