Straight Girl
Straight Girl | |
---|---|
JPY | |
Major wins | |
Owari Stakes (2013) Silk Road Stakes (2014) Victoria Mile (2015, 2016) Sprinters Stakes (2015) |
Straight Girl (Japanese: ストレイトガール, foaled 12 March 2009) is a Japanese
Background
Straight Girl is a bay mare with a large white
Her sire Fuji Kiseki became the first major winner sired by Sunday Silence when he won the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes in 1994. As a breeding stallion his other progeny included Kane Hekili, Sun Classique (Dubai Sheema Classic) and Isla Bonita (Satsuki Shō).[2] Straight Girl's dam Never Period showed some racing ability, winning three of her twelve starts.[3] She was descended from the imported British mare Lavatera, who was in turn a descendant of the influential broodmare Friar's Daughter.[4]
Racing career
2011 & 2012: two and three-year-old seasons
Straight Girl began her racing career with four races at Sapporo Racecourse in the late summer and autumn of 2011. After finishing unplaced on her debut on 21 August she recorded her first success in a maiden race over 1200 metres six days later. She was beaten in her next two races before moving to Hanshin Racecourse where she finished seventh in a minor event on 10 December.[5]
In 2012, Straight Girl finished unplaced in two starts at Kyoto Racecourse early in the year and then returned from a four-month break to win a minor event over 1200 metres at Hakodate Racecourse in June. She was beaten in her next two races before running second in a minor race at Sapporo on 1 September in what proved to be her final run of the year.[5]
2013: four-year-old season
After being off the track for nine months Straight Girl returned to the track and finished second to Yulefest in a minor race at Hakodate on 16 June. She then began to make rapid progress and won four races in succession, all over 1200 metres at Hakodate: she won a minor race on 23 June, the Sponichi Sho on 13 July, the Nikkan Spots Hai on 20 July and the UHB Sho on 11 August. She was then moved up in class for the Grade 3 Kenneland Cup on 25 August, but was narrowly beaten into second place by the five-year-old mare Forever Mark. On her final run of the year, she recorded her first major success when he won the Listed Owari Stakes over 1200 metres at Chukyo Racecourse on 8 December.[5]
2014: five-year-old season
In 2014, Straight Girl was ridden in all of her races by
After the summer break, Straight Girl returned in the Sprinters Stakes run that year at Niigata Racecourse on 5 October. She came home second to the 46/1 outsider Snow Dragon in a "blanket finish" which saw sixteen horses covered by less than four and a half lengths. On her final run of the year the mare was matched against international competition in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin Racecourse in December. Starting at odds of 16/1 she produced a strong late run to take third place behind the locally trained geldings Aerovelocity and Peniaphobia. The horses finishing behind included Gordon Lord Byron, Buffering, Sole Power, Snow Dragon and Lucky Nine.[7]
2015: six-year-old season
On her 2015 debut, Straight Girl started favourite for her second attempt at the Takamatsunomiya Kinen on 29 March but finished unplaced behind Aerovelocity. After this race Keita Tosaki took over as the mare's regular jockey and rode her in all of her remaining races. As in 2016, the mare then stepped up in trip to tackle the Victoria Mile and started at odds of 13.1/1 in a field of eighteen fillies and mares at Tokyo on 17 May. The 2014 Yushun Himba winner Nuovo Record started favourite while the other runners included Shonan Pandora, Meisho Mambo and Red Reveur (Hanshin Juvenile Fillies). Straight Girl was settled in fifth place as the 290/1 outsider Minaret set the pace from her fellow long-shot Kaiei Elegant. In the straight she made a sustained run on the outside, overtook the two outsiders in the final strides and won by a neck and one and three quarter lengths from Kaiei Elegant and Minaret.[8] After the race Kosaki said "She broke really well today. I thought that the pace would be somewhat fast and that she will stretch well if I can save her energy until the right moment. The frontrunners were holding off well in the straight but the mare showed a magnificent turn of foot. I rode her for the first time today but she was easy to ride and ran a strong race".[9]
After a summer break, Straight Girl returned in the Grade 2 Centaur Stakes over 1200 metres at Hanshin in September in which she finished fourth behind Active Minoru, Uliuli and Barbara, beaten less than half a length by the winner. The Sprinters Stakes returned to its usual venue at Nakayama on 4 October 2015 and Straight Girl was made the 3.4/1 favourite. Her fourteen opponents included Active Minoru, Uliuli, Copano Richard, Hakusan Moon (2014 Centaur Stakes), Mikki Isle (NHK Mile Cup), and Rich Tapestry (Santa Anita Sprint Championship). Straight Girl tracked the leaders before launching a strong run in the last 200 metres and won by three quarters of a length from Sakura Gospel.[10] Following the race Hideaki Fujiwara commented "I owe it to the owner who has been so understanding as to let me keep her in training towards this long-awaited goal, and the stable staff that had put in every effort to make this happen. She's such a special mare to be able to keep turning in such consistent results throughout her career and to win a sprint G1 at six years old", before suggesting that the mare would be retired from at the end of the year.[11] In December the mare made her second attempt to win the Hong Kong Sprint but was unable to reproduce her performance of 2014 and finished ninth behind Peniaphobia.
2016: seven-year-old season
Despite expectations that she would be retired to become a broodmare, Straight Girl returned to the track in 2016. She made little impact on her seasonal debut as she finished ninth behind Smart Layer in the Grade 2 Hanshin Himba Stakes over 1600 metres on 9 April. Five weeks after her run at Hanshin, the seven-year-old mare attempted to win a second Victoria Mile and started a 16.7/1 outsider.
Assessment and awards
In the 2015 JRA Awards, Straight Girl finished second behind Shonan Pandora in the voting for the JRA Award for Best Older Filly or Mare and second to Maurice in the poll to determine the JRA Award for Best Sprinter or Miler.[14] In the following year she finished third to Marialite in the Best Older Filly or Mare category.[15]
Breeding record
Straight Girl did not race after her second win in the Victoria Mile and was retired at the end of the season to become a broodmare. Her first foal, a colt sired by Frankel was born in 2018.
Pedigree
Sire Fuji Kiseki (JPN) 1992 |
Sunday Silence (USA) 1986 |
Halo | Hail to Reason
|
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Cosmah | |||
Wishing Well | Understanding | ||
Mountain Flower | |||
Millracer (USA) 1983 |
Le Fabuleaux | Wild Risk | |
Anguar | |||
Marston's Mill | In Reality | ||
Millicent | |||
Dam Never Period (JPN) 2002 |
Taiki Shuttle (USA) 1994 |
Devil's Bag | Halo |
Ballade | |||
Welsh Muffin | Caerleon | ||
Muffitys | |||
Future Happy (JPN) 1997 |
Danehill | Danzig | |
Razyana | |||
Taisei Kagura | Morning Frolic | ||
Milly Bird (Family: 16-a)[4] |
References
- ^ a b "Straight Girl pedigree". Equineline.
- ^ "Stallion Reports – Fuji Kiseki(JPN) – JBIS-Search". Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association.
- ^ "Never Period(JPN) – JBIS-Search". Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association.
- ^ a b "Miss Agnes – Family 16-a". Thoroughbred Bloodlines. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
- ^ a b c "Race Records:Lifetime Starts – Straight Girl(JPN) – JBIS-Search". Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association.
- ^ "Silk Road Stakes result". Racing Post. 2 February 2014.
- ^ "Hong Kong Sprint result". Racing Post. 14 December 2014.
- ^ "Victoria Mile result". Racing Post. 17 May 2015.
- ^ "Straight Girl Captures First G1 Title in Her Second Victoria Mile Challenge". Horse Racing in Japan. 17 May 2015.
- ^ "Sprinters Stakes result". Racing Post. 4 October 2015.
- ^ "2015.10.04 Six-Year-Old Straight Girl Wins Sprinters Stakes". Horse Racing in Japan. 4 October 2015.
- ^ "Victoria Mile result". Racing Post. 15 May 2016.
- ^ "7-Year-Old Straight Girl Defends Victoria Mile Title in Record Time". Horse Racing in Japan. 15 May 2016.
- ^ "2016.01.08 Winners of the 2015 JRA Awards announced". Horse Racing in Japan. 8 January 2016.
- ^ "Winners of the 2016 JRA Awards announced". Horse Racing in Japan. 11 January 2017.