Soul Rush shot to the lead at mid-stretch in the Mile Championship (G1) Nov. 17 at Kyoto Racecourse and ran on to win by 2 1/2 lengths as Europe’s top miler, Charyn , could manage only a fifth-place finish after missing the break.
The victory was the first at the top level for Soul Rush, a 6-year-old son of Rulership . Charyn, a 4-year-old Dark Angel colt, scored three group 1 wins in Europe earlier this season.
Also finishing in Soul Rush’s wake were the 2022 Mile Championship winner, Serifos , who reported sixth, and 2023 winner Namur , who faded badly in the late going and was distanced.
While Charyn’s jockey, Ryan Moore, had been looking for a good start, winning rider Taisei Danno, decided on the opposite course.
“I was initially thinking of positioning him further in front,” Danno said, “but racing among such strong contenders, sitting in an ideal position wasn’t so easy. However, with some of the key members within eyesight, I kept cool and waited for the moment.”
The moment came as the field spread out across the course turning for home. Soul Rush quickly accelerated through a gap and wasn’t challenged through the final 100 meters.
“In the end, I couldn’t hear any thundering hooves from behind. Only the roaring crowd,” Danno said.
Elton Barows got second in a tight grouping, followed by Win Marvel, race favorite Brede Weg, Charyn and Serifos. Soul Rush finished the 1,600 meters (about one mile) in 1:32.0 over good to firm turf.
Moore said Charyn ran well enough but couldn’t overcome the start.
“He ran a very good race but he was slow coming out of the gate so the first furlong cost him in the end. You get behind and wide around whole the field. After the start, he wasn’t able to secure a good position and afterwards, it was always going to be hard work for him,” Moore said.
“We have to accept the results although it is disappointing because we came here to win. But it has been a fantastic year for this horse to win three mile group 1 races in Europe and we wanted to finish with another win here.”
The Roger Varian trainee accounted for the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) in June, the Prix Jacques le Marois (G1) in August and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) on Champions Day at Ascot in October.
Soul Rush’s experience at the top of the class ladder was at odds with Charyn’s—six starts without a win. Persistence, however, finally paid off as he improved from fourth in the 2022 Mile Championship and second in the 2023 edition.
He also was ninth in the 2023 Yasuda Kinen (G1) and third this year, as well as fourth in the 2023 Hong Kong Mile (G1) at Sha Tin Racecourse.
Bred by Shimokobe Farm, Soul Rush is out of the Manhattan Cafe mare Eternal Bouquet. Manhattan Cafe is by Sunday Silence. Eternal Bouquet’s dam was Cat Ali, a daughter of Storm Cat.
Yasutoshi Ikee, who scored his 23rd grade 1 victory, trains for owner Tatsue Ishikawa.
Second-favorite Namur was the big disappointment. The 5-year-old Harbinger mare finished second in both the Dubai Turf (G1) in March at Meydan Racecourse and the Yasuda Kinen in June at Tokyo.
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