NEWS
Queen Spumante scores Japanese Group 1 stunner
Posted: Sunday, November 15, 2009 3:42 PM
by Mike Curry
Front-running Queen Spumante posted a 1 1/2-length victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (Jpn-G1) at 77.10-to-1 odds on Sunday at Kyoto Racecourse.
A five-year-old mare by Jungle Rocket, Queen Spumante won the Minami Hokkaido Stakes in August at Sapporo Racecourse and entered the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup off a ninth-place finish in the Kyoto Daishoten (Jpn-G2) on October 11 at Kyoto.
Queen Spumante went right to the lead under Hiroyasu Tanaka in the 2,200-meter (10.94-furlong) race for fillies and mares with T M Precure tracking from second. Queen Spumante and T M Precure opened up a sizeable advantage on the rest of the 18-horse field and remained well clear into the homestretch as Queen Spumante edged away to a convincing win, prevailing in 2:13.60 on firm turf for her first career group stakes win.
Trained by Shigeyuki Kojima for owner Green Farm, Queen Spumante improved to six wins in 21 career starts. Bred by Shadai Farm, she is out of the winning Sakura Yutako O mare Sembon Zakura.
Champion Buena Vista uncoiled her explosive finishing speed in the stretch, but she had too much ground to make up and finished a neck behind runner-up T M Precure.
French-based challenger Shalanaya, winner of the Qatar Petroleum Prix de l’Opera (Fr-G1), was reserved in seventh early and closed willingly for fourth without ever threatening the winner.
“She ran a good race but it was also a tricky race—the two horses ran very far [in front]. She extended very well but it was too late,” said Shalanaya’s trainer, Mikel Delzangles.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
