Race favorite Brede Weg claimed the 48th running of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup to capture her first graded title on Sunday, November 12 at Kyoto Racecourse.
Finishing second in her debut start (Niigata, 1,800 meters) as a 2-year-old in August 2022, the Lord Kanaloa filly broke her maiden in her second career start (Tokyo, 1,800 meters) in February and marked another win in the following one-win class race (Tokyo, 2,000 meters) in June.
While marking a runner-up effort in her first graded attempt, the Rose Stakes (G2, 1,800 meters), on September 17, her team avoided the Shuka Sho, the last leg of the Triple Tiara. Instead, she prepared for this race.
Brede Weg is the first 3-year-old filly to win the Queen Elizabeth II Cup since Mozu Katchan in 2017. She also became the Queen Elizabeth II Cup victor with the fewest career starts (five).
With this win, trainer Keisuke Miyata claimed his first Japan Racing Association G1 title (third JRA graded title). Jockey Christophe Lemaire marked his 48th JRA G1 win following victory in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) with Equinox on October 29. It is his third Queen Elizabeth II Cup title following his wins with Little Amapola in 2008 and Lucky Lilac in 2020.
Queen Elizabeth II Cup: How the Race Unfolded
Breaking from the innermost stall, Brede Weg hugged the rails in fifth, a little toward the front more than usual, and continued to take the inner route rounding the final corners. The 3-year-old bay broke loose from the pack passing the 200-meter pole to close in on the two frontrunners. She overtook the leader 100 meters out and easily pulled away with her strong late kick for a 3/4-length victory.
"I was a bit worried about the soft ground but it was no problem for her," Lemaire said. "We couldn't break well but were able to travel in good position behind Harper. She was calm, responded well throughout the race and pulled away strongly with her explosive kick."
Fifth pick Rouge Eveil (Kohei Matsuyama) broke smoothly from stall two and eased back to around sixth-seventh by the rails, eyeing Brede Weg in front. The Just a Way filly continued to run persistently on the heels of the winner until the wire for second place.
Third choice Harper (Yuga Kawada) traveled 3-4 lengths behind the front two pacesetters in third by the rails. Though overtaken by the top two finishers 200 meters out, the 3-year-old filly by Heart's Cry closed in on the runner-up in the last strides to cross the wire a neck behind in third.
Read the full article about the Queen Elizabeth II Cup on JRA News.
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Author: JRA News
