It wasn’t totally stunning but Stunning Rose certainly rose to the occasion while seeking a return to top form in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at Kyoto Racecourse Nov. 11.
The 5-year-old King Kamehameha mare went to the post as third-favorite but the discriminating Japanese fans weren’t exactly all in, making Stunning Rose nearly 10-1 versus the favorite, Regaleira, at 2-1.
The expectations were based on the record as Stunning Rose had not won, or even finished in the top three, in more than two years and had not raced since finishing sixth in the Queen Stakes (G3) July 28 at Sapporo Racecourse.
Despite that record, jockey Cristian Demuro rode Stunning Rose with total confidence and was rewarded with an authoritative effort that produced not only a victory but a stakes-record time.
Breaking cleanly, Stunning Rose slotted in behind the leading trio as the field passed the grandstand for the first time, negotiated the first right-handed turn and ran down the backstretch to the outer loop of the Kyoto turf course.
Demuro steered Stunning Rose well out toward the center of the course as she headed into the straight, quickly assumed a daylight lead and rolled home first by 2 lengths. Ravel was second, 3/4 length better than Wholeness.
Regaleira, a notoriously slow starter, got a decent break and raced competitively for jockey Christophe Lemaire. She advanced on the inside in the final few hundred meters but encountered traffic, bumped with rivals and stalled out to finish fifth in an otherwise decent effort. She was the only 3-year-old in the race.
Stunning Rose stopped the timer at 2:11.1 for 2,200 meters (about 1 3/8 miles) of good to firm going. That beat the 23-year-old stakes record but was well shy of the course mark of 2:09.07.
“I’m very happy to have won a grade 1 race, which I wanted to achieve here in Japan, especially after finishing second a few times,” said Demuro, who is riding in Japan on a short-term license.
“Today after the start, I chose to go behind the leader and the mare just showed a special turn of foot,” he added.
Demuro said before the race his tactics would depend on the start.
“It feels like she really wants to run,” he said. “She didn’t run badly in her last race and I think she can do better than that. She must have a good chance here, and I’ll decide on tactics once the draw comes out.”
Stunning Rose, out of the Kurofune mare Rosa Blanca, started her career without special notice, winning once in five starts as a 2-year-old. Things picked up sharply in 2022 as she won her first two starts, finished second in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks-G1) and won the Shuka Sho (G1) in October.
She took on older rivals in the 2022 QE II Cup but finished 14th while dealing with soft turf.
After two starts in 2023, she was sidelined with tendonitis. Returning in March of 2024, she was eighth in the Osaka Hai (G1) and ninth in the Victoria Mile (G1) before the Sapporo race.
Stunning Rose was bred by Northern Farm and carries the familiar silks of Sunday Racing.
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