Japanese racing fans may have found their newest cult hero in three-year-old Sodashi after she bounded to victory in the $US2.1 million Japanese 1,000 Guineas, or “Oka Sho”, at Hanshin on Sunday.

The result made it five wins from five starts for the brilliant white filly, whose name means “pure” in Sanskrit, and kicked off her three-year-old season with a long-awaited victory in the first contest of Japan’s filly Triple Crown series.

Related articles

Under jockey Hayato Yoshida, Sodashi, who began the race as a short-priced favourite, scored another narrow triumph over rival Satono Reinas, just as she did in last year’s US$1.3 million Hanshin Juvenile Fillies Stakes. Fine Rouge followed close by in third.

Sodashi hit the front early in the 1,600m contest and was well-placed on the rail throughout. She was flat out with 200m to go and held off a late raid from Satono Reinas and Fine Rouge.

The filly’s growing appeal is set to skyrocket as she became the first white to claim a Grade One flat contest taking the win in a record time of 1:31.1.

Sired by the great white Japanese champion Kurofane and out of Buchiko, a popular coloured mare who herself had a reputation as a handful on the track, Sodashi is reported to be temperamental like her mother, which only adds to her intrigue for followers. She has undergone extensive training around starting gates with long-time jockey Yoshida previously reporting that she hates to be near the gates.

Sodashi’s trainer Naosuke Sugai said she requires more care than other horses in his stable.

“She can be overly sensitive, so we brought her back to the training centre early and gave her gate practice,” Sugai said earlier this week.

“The staff has been really good about caring for her and, being all white, it’s not easy. She gets a lot of attention every day,” he added.

Comments0Comments