Songline wins Yasuda Kinen, takes aim on Breeders’ Cup Mile

Songline was aimed by her connections for the Breeders’ Cup Mile after becoming the third horse to score a second straight Yasuda Kinen victory.

By winning the Grade 1, $2,482,226 race in Tokyo by 1 1/4 lengths Sunday, the 5-year-old mare earned her second automatic entry into a Breeders’ Cup race this fall at Santa Anita.

“Songline will be pointed at the Breeders’ Cup Mile next, as per syndicate manager Shunsuke Yoshida,” said a Tweet from Graham Pavey, a respected Australia racing journalist who is based in Japan.

Breaking from the widest post in the field of 18, Songline (6-1) camped three wide as far back as ninth place. Win Carnelian (53-1), who eventually faded to finish eighth, led the field with Jack d’Or on his tail all the way into the homestretch.

With the second fastest time through the last three furlongs, the defending winner steadily climbed uphill, powered home seizing the lead easily from Serifos in the last half-furlong. She pulled away in the final strides and won with a time of 1:31.4 going 10 yards shy of a mile on the good to firm turf.

“I was able to gallop her last week and felt that her form had improved, so I had every confidence in her today,” winning jockey Keita Tosaki said. “The position we found was ideal. She responded beautifully and demonstrated her strong turn of foot and speed today. To score two Grade 1 wins in a row is just incredible, and I feel she is still steadily progressing.”

Including her Victoria Mile triumph just three weeks ago, this was the Kizuna mare’s third Grade 1 win and her fifth overall. She is 7: 5-1-0 in mile races at Tokyo Racecourse. Trainer Toru Hayashi was a third-time Grade 1 winner in Japan. Tosaki added his 11th, including the 2011 Yasuda Kinen with Real Impact.

The Victoria Mile win also qualified Songline for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Kate Hunter, who works as the Japan liaison for the Breeders’ Cup, said on Twitter, “guessing Mile will be her choice.” That was before the post by Pavey that confirmed it.

Serifos (6-1), the 2022 Mile Championship (G1) winner, settled around fifth on the rails after a good break, launched a strong stretch drive after finding a narrow opening three-sixteenths of a mile out. The 4-year-old colt overtook Jack d’Or for the lead but soon was outrun by the winner on his outside before holding on to finish second.

Post-time favorite and 2022 runner-up Schnell Meister (3-1), under Christophe Lemaire, cruised up the backstretch unhurried racing third from last. The 5-year-old Germany-bred bay horse responded well with the fastest late speed and mowed down his tired rivals one by one. He failed catch the front but dug in to finish third a head behind Serifos while warding off fourth-place Gaia Force (18-1) by a neck.

Songline followed Yamanin Zephyr in 1992 and 1993 and Vodka in 2008 and 2009 as repeat winners of the Yasuda Kinen.