Mile Championship (Group 1)

THE race favourite Jantar Mantar claimed his fourth Group 1 title in this year’s Mile Championship, in a race record time.

The son of Palace Malice was the best two-year-old colt of 2023 and scored another Group 1 victory in the NHK Mile Cup last year.

Favourite in a stellar field that included six Group 1 winners including British runner Docklands, Jantar Mantar and Yuga Kawada was quick out of the gate, sat in third while Toshin Macau set a rapid pace.

As the pace-setter weakened, the four-year-old colt snatched the lead 300m out and pulled away convincingly to a length and three-quarter victory.

“I’m glad we were able to prove that the colt is a true champion. With his outstanding talent and to the hard work of everyone involved, the colt has won all Group 1 mile events open for colts andhorses, which I think is absolutely incredible,” commented Yuga Kawada to JRA media after the race.

From stall 16, British raider Docklands was a bit slow away and struggled to keep up with the early pace, racing towards the rear. The Queen Anne Stakes winner circled wide into the straight but had too much ground to make up, finishing ninth.

“The race was okay. From our position in the field, we needed a stronger gallop. So, he ran on well, but he was too far back. The track was fine, ground was fine but the Japanese horses were too good today,” said trainer Henry Eustace.

Fil Dor wins Colonial Cup

THE former Gordon Elliott-trained Fil Dor was back in the winner’s enclosure last weekend, exactly a year after he had won a Thurles listed chase.

At Camden in South Carolina, Dan Nevin partnered the now Morningstar Farm-owned seven-year-old to a length and a quarter success over the two miles and five furlongs Colonial Cup.

The gelding had remained in the US after he had finished fifth behind Elliott’s Zanahiyr in the Grade 1 American Grand National Hurdle Stakes at Far Hill last month, with new trainer Richard Hendriks. Vae Patron took second for Leslie Young and Jamie Baragry with the 2023 Galway Hurdle winner Zarak The Brave in third.