Runners slated for this Sunday’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2200m) at Kyoto Racecourse were given their final fast work at Japan’s Ritto and Miho training centres on Wednesday.
The expected top picks for the 2200m turf event for fillies and mares are slated to be ridden by non-Japanese riders. The 43rd running of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup will most likely see Mirco Demuro on last year’s winner Mozu Katchan, Christophe Lemaire on the 3-year-old filly Normcore and Joao Moreira aboard Lys Gracieux.
The 4-year-old Mozu Katchan worked up a rain-soaked hill course at Ritto under an assistant trainer on Wednesday in tandem with a 2-year-old stable partner. She easily overtook the other horse over the final furlong of the woodchip course beating him to the top by 3 1/2 lengths and clocking 54.4 seconds over the 800m.
“I think it was a good piece of work and she moved well,” said trainer Ippo Sameshima. Mozu Katchan is going into the race without a prep after having to withdraw from her scheduled run in the Fuchu Himba Stakes and will be racing for the first time since mid-August when she finished a close third in the G2 Sapporo Kinen (2000m) behind the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) runner-up Sungrazer and 2016 Japanese Derby winner Makahiki.
“She won last year and the Kyoto 2200m outer course is her best course. Also, she won’t be bothered if the going is heavy,” Sameshima said, although rain is only in the forecast for Friday and a fast track is expected on the raceday.
The 3-year-old Normcore was given only a light workout on Wednesday. A stable rider breezed her alone over the Miho flat woodchip course, clocking 53.1 seconds over 800m with a final furlong of 12.9 seconds.
“I can’t say if she’s in the same shape as she was for her last race,” said trainer Kiyoshi Hagiwara, “but she looks good.” Hagiwara passed on the Shuka Sho after Normcore won the G3 Shion Stakes (2000m) last out on 8 September. The filly has only had five career starts but has made the top three spots in all of them and is making her first G1 bid.
Normcore is making the long trip westward for the first time and will be up against older horses for the first time as well. “There are a lot of unknowns, but I give her top marks for her last outing,” said Hagiwara.
Christophe Lemaire, who was watching Normcore work Wednesday, said, “She used to tend to only run at one pace, but she’s different now and I think she’s much stronger than she was in the spring. It’ll be tough as a 3-year-old to go up against older horses but without Almond Eye in the race I think she has a chance,” he said in reference to this year’s filly triple crown champion aimed for the G1 Japan Cup.
Joao Moreira took the reins of Lys Gracieux on Wednesday and breezed her up the hill course in 52 seconds over 800m with a 12.9-second final furlong. She chased an open-class 7-year-old up the hill, lined up with him with 2 furlongs to go, then shifted up a gear without urging to pull ahead.
The Heart’s Cry 4-year-old has yet to win a G1 race though she has run in seven of them and finished a frustrating second in four.
“She looks very nice and is in great condition,” said Moreira. “She was eager to run but not keen and she really felt good. I’m satisfied with her and looking forward to the race.”
Lys Gracieux ran a close second in the G2 Fuchu Himba Stakes (1800m) at Tokyo on 13 October after returning from four months off and improvement is expected.
