The Victoria Mile (G1) May 16 at Tokyo Racecourse might as well be called the Deep Impact Mile as 10 of the 18 fillies and mare contenders were sired by that late kingpin of the Japanese breeding industry.
The race, inaugurated in 2006, is one of Japan's newest top-level events but already has produced stars such as Vodka in 2008, Apapane two years later, and Almond Eye in 2020.
This time around the Tokyo turf, attention will center on the likes of grade 1 winners Gran Alegria and Danon Fantasy and the consistent top-level competitor Resistencia.
Gran Alegria, a 5-year-old Deep Impact mare, reeled off three straight grade 1 scores to end her 2020 campaign but came home fourth in this year's first start, the Osaka Hai (G1) when confronted with 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) of heavy going at Hanshin Racecourse. Winner of the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1) in 2019, Gran Alegria has a lucky seven wins from 11 starts.
"She did pretty well last time and it was probably just the ground that defeated her, which was a pity," said Gran Alegria's assistant trainer, Daisuke Tsumagari.
Danon Fantasy, another 5-year-old daughter of Deep Impact, picked up her top-level score in the 2018 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) and has struggled recently. She comes to the Victoria Mile from a 12th-place finish March 28 in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) at 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs)—a race run on soft going at Chukyo Racecourse.
"The going didn't suit her last time," said Danon Fantasy's trainer, Mitsumasa Nakauchida. "She seems to be running well in training with her usual strength, and after last week's work, this week she feels just right."
Resistencia, a 4-year-old by Daiwa Major, won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies a year after Danon Fantasy and, like that rival, has been short on victories since. She finished second in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in her last start, a hopeful sign for trainer Takeshi Matsushita.
"She ran a good race last time when you consider the wide draw, the going, and the fact that it was a grade 1 over just 1,200 meters," Matsushita said.
The progressive types in the Victoria Mile include Des Ailes and Magic Castle, both 4-year-old fillies by Deep Impact. They finished 1-2 in a key prep for this race, the Sankeisports Hai Hanshin Himba Stakes (G2) April 10.
Des Ailes, 11th in the 2020 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1), steps back up to the top rung after two straight wins down the class ladder. Magic Castle finished fifth in the Yushun Himba and since has shown promise, particularly with a runner-up finish behind Daring Tact in the Shuka Sho (G1) last October.
The other main preliminary to the Victoria Mile, the grade 3 Fukushima Himba Stakes (G3), run this year at Niigata, was upset by Dirndl, who also returns for this event.
Yet another 4-year-old Deep Impact filly, Terzetto, enters the Victoria Mile riding a four-race winning streak and five wins from six starts. She gets the big class test as her last outing, the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy (G3), was her first graded stakes run.
"It won't be easy against the strong horses here," said Terzetto's trainer, Shoichiro Wada. "But she handles challenges well, and it will be interesting to see what she can do. She'll be going into the race in good condition."
The race is run left-handed down the backstretch, around the sweeping turn, and through the rising ground of the stretch run to the finish in front of the grandstand. A limited number of fans will be admitted to the racecourse with advance ticket purchase only.
