Snow Fairy wins in Japan
Snow Fairy joined the international jet set when she won the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup at Kyoto in Japan.
Going into the race her trainer, Ed Dunlop, admitted that there was an element of a roll of the dice in bringing his filly halfway across the world for a race six months after she had started her season. However, Dunlop has taken some calculated gambles this season with Snow Fairy and they have all paid off.
After Snow Fairy had won a Listed race at Goodwood in mid-May, Dunlop persuaded the filly’s owner-breeder, Cristina Patino, to part with most of the prize money to supplement Snow Fairy for the Oaks following month, at a cost of £20,000.
They reaped the full benefit of their boldness when she provided Ryan Moore with his first victory in a British Classic and connections did the same in July by paying €42,500 (about £36,700) for a similarly late entry for the Irish Oaks at the Curragh, which Snow Fairy won by eight lengths.
This time around the Dunlop elected not to run his stable star in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket last month and had the figures to back up his argument. Snow Fairy’s victories in two Classics equated to about than £420,000 for her labours at Epsom and the Curragh, whereas, with the JRA Japan Racing Association putting up special bonuses for their major races, there was a possible pot of £1.4million on the table if she won.
Breaking from stall six, Ryan Moore held Snow Fairy just off the pace in fourth position as she shadowed Apapane, the winner of the Japanese fillies’ Triple Crown, on her outside.
As the field of 17 rounded into the stretch, Apapane and the other the local runners tended to drift towards centre of the course. But Moore decided that the rail would help Snow Fairy and stayed on an inside track. Snow Fairy kept to the rail and, with Moore only showing her the whip, she took off with three furlongs to run and won by four lengths from Meisho Beluga, with Apapane in third.
“She was very good today - she put the race to bed in a couple strides,” Moore said. “We had a lovely spot, she jumped smoothly and she was in a nice position and she travelled very well.
“I was drawn beside [Apapane] and I thought she was the best filly, so we kept an eye on her. We got there sooner than I thought. It just opened up, a big gap - she just looked for help so she went to the rail to help her.”
Snow Fairy not only pocketed the 90million yen first-place prize money but also the special JRA bonus offered to her as Oaks winner which doubled that figure.
http://www.senore.com/Menorah-wins-Greatwood-Hurdle-a41005
http://www.senore.com/Gauvain-makes-up-for-lost-time-at-Cheltenham-a40998
http://www.senore.com/Ghizao-makes-headlines-in-Independent-Newspaper-Novices-Chase-a40992
Tags: