Victoria Mile (Group 1)

THE 18th running of the Group 1 Victoria Mile marked the second of five consecutive weekends of Group 1 racing at Tokyo Racecourse. Run over a mile, it is one of just two Group 1 races on the Japanese racing calendar restricted to older fillies and mares.

While its history is relatively short, the Victoria Mile boasts an illustrious roll of honour including some of Japan’s greatest racehorses of the finer sex. This year’s list of competitors was no different.

Four individual Group 1 winners of seven Group 1 races were in contention for the €1,900,000 total prize pool.

Amid a mist of rain, a 16-runner field went to post on ground officially described as good to firm. As has become the norm in any race Sodashi takes part in, the snow-white filly is the centre of attention for both fans and racing media alike.

Breaking sharply from stall 16, defending Victoria Mile winner, Sodashi was hurried along by Damian Lane to contest the lead in the early running.

Songline from six was settled to race in midfield by Keita Tosaki. Entering Tokyo’s gruelling home straight, Sodashi, Stars On Earth and Songline entered a prolonged battle.

As the trio passed the final furlong marker, noise from the grandstand became frantic as Sodashi valiantly clung onto a narrow lead.

However, Songline, in hot pursuit, switched back to the inside and stayed-on relentlessly to relegate Sodashi to second in the shadow of the winning post.

Losing very little in defeat, four-year-old Stars On Earth finished in third. Less than a length separated the first three home. The heavily fancied Namur, struggled to recover from early interference and finished a never nearer seventh.

Songline is the second JRA-Group 1 win for trainer Toru Hiyashi and the 10th Group 1 success for jockey Keita Tosaki.

The Victoria Mile is a part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. The winner earned automatic entry to the Grade 1 2000m Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf scheduled for early November.

Connections have already expressed their interest in travelling to Santa Anita later in the year. However, it has been suggested that they may instead opt for the BC Turf Mile.

Songline had been an intended runner in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2022. Those plans were quickly aborted when she was found to be suffering from a respiratory infection in the build up to the race.

Bred by Northern Farm, Songline is a daughter of Kizuna (Deep Impact) and the first foal out of the four-time JRA dirt specialist, Luminous Parade (Symboli Kris S).

Songline broke through at the highest-level in the JRA with victory in the 2022 Group 1 Yasuda Kinen. The five-year-old mare is a six-time winner from her 14 starts, earning over €4.1 million.