Leading fillies Ascoli Piceno and Stellenbosch will renew a growing rivalry in the G1 Victoria Mile (1600m) at Tokyo Racecourse, Japan on Sunday (18 May).

Now four years old, the pair has done battle before at the highest level. As two-year-olds, Ascoli Piceno topped Stellenbosch by a neck to win the 2023 G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (1600m), then lost the G1 Oka Sho (1600m) to her four months later by three quarters length.

More suited to the shorter distance, Ascoli Piceno returns from a win in Riyadh in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint (1351m). Stellenbosch, the more versatile of the two in terms of distance range, was consistent in the 2024 filly Classics with a first, second and a third followed by a third in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m). The one big doubt surrounding Stellenbosch as a solid choice this Sunday comes from her baffling last-start performance in the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m) in April, where she finished 13th in a field of 15.

Both fillies looked excellent in their final workouts on Wednesday (14 May) at the Miho Training Center, north of Tokyo. Ascoli Piceno worked together with two others over the Miho woodchip course and clocked 1m 19.1s over 1200 metres.

Stellenbosch also had a solid workout with another horse on the woodchip track. This week she started from behind to catch and pass him. Last week she started ahead of the other and stayed out in front, with both workouts over the same distance.

“She did well in this workout last week so I repeated it again this week,” Stellenbosch’s trainer, 70-year-old Sakae Kunieda said on Wednesday after the work. “The jockey (Keita Tosaki) had her very well in hand. Her rhythm was good, her balance and posture were good. Her footwork was sharp and she ran straight.”

Bond Girl, Ravel and Safira are also among Sunday’s leading contenders.

The only big upset for the highly consistent Bond Girl came in last year’s G1 NHK Mile Cup (1600m), where she suffered interference. And the only other time she didn’t finish in the top three was in her most recent race, the G2 Hanshin Himba Stakes (1600m), where she disappointed as the favourite, finishing fifth.

Bond Girl breezed straight and easy up the hill course at Miho on Wednesday morning for a time of 53.7s over 800 metres. Trainer Takahisa Tezuka commented: “She was a bit tense over the first furlong, but it was an acceptable workout. She’s ready. Last race was a tough run and I see no problems with her condition now.”

Safira won the Hanshin Himba Stakes, landing her first graded stakes on her sixth try. The Heart’s Cry four-year-old filly was given an easy climb up the Ritto hill course on Wednesday in anticipation of the trip eastward, with the filly responding much more sharply than before her most recent race and looking in fine shape, well-muscled, with a good sheen to her coat.

Five-year-old Ravel is also attracting attention. Raced largely over 2000 metres, Ravel’s performances have been quite sporadic, with only three wins and a second from 15 starts. The second-place finish was at the top level and one specifically noteworthy win came in 2022 at Tokyo over 1600m in the G3 Artemis Stakes for two-year-old fillies.

Other contenders include Queen’s Walk, Argine, Mi Anhelo, Beyond The Valley, Admire Matsuri, Christmas Parade and Shirankedo.