Apapane wins the Shuka Sho and takes the fillies' Triple Crown
PICTURE: Masakazu TakahashiJapanese fillies' TripleCrown for Apapane
Report: Japan, Sunday
Kyoto: Shuka Sho (Grade 1) 2,000 metres (1m2f), turf, 3yo fillies
APAPANE (Sakae Kunieda/Masayoshi Ebina) has completed the fillies' Triple Crown in Japan with a three-quarter-length victory in the Shuka Sho.
The fillies' St Leger, a 1m2f event at Kyoto, carries prize-money of over 174 million yen (£1.34m).
Apapane, who had already won the Oka Sho and the Yushun Himba, beat 17 rivals who were led home by Animate Bio.
Apapane, who had already won the Oka Sho and the Yushun Himba - albeit in a dead-heat with Saint Emilion - was carrying the famous Deep Impact colours of Kaneko Makoto as she beat 17 rivals who were led home by Animate Bio.
After racing in midfield, Apapane stayed wide for clear ground in the stretch before surging to the front to score as 13-10 favourite, clocking 1m58.4s for the 2,000 metres.
"I'm glad to have won the Triple Crown without incident," said jockey Masayoshi Ebina also claimed to have felt no pressure as he went to the gate shouldering Herculean expectations.
"She's really a great horse and I believed in her. I knew that if she got her chance to show what she can do, she would win."
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