Kizuna mare Songline hits the spring heights again with battling Victoria Mile success

Songline, who became the last year's spring mile champion when winning the Yasuda Kinen against some special male rivals including Schnell Meister, Salios and Serifos, revived on the same stage in the Victoria Mile on Sunday.

The five-year-old beat the second favourite and defending champion Sodashi by a head in the Tokyo Group 1, while the market leader Stars On Earth a further head back in third.

The Northern Farm-bred and Toru Hayashi-trained five-year-old Kizuna mare, out of Symboli Kris S's winning daughter Luminous Parade, was scoring for the sixth time on her 14th start.

Her other victories for owner Sunday Racing Co Ltd include the Group 2 2021 Fuji Stakes and the 2022 Group 3 1351 Turf Sprint at the King Abdulaziz racecourse in Riyadh,

She also ran in the 1351 Turf Sprint this year but managed only tenth, on what was her last start before Sunday’s victory.

The winning rider Keita Tosaki said: "A favourite was in front of me and she showed her form and stretched out. I was careful at the start and got a good start, but my position was further back than I expected. 

“I wanted to run outside on the track, but I ended up inside. I felt she ran well on the soft ground so I chose inside, trusting her in the straight.

“She is the Yasuda Kinen winner so I thought her ability was stunning. I am so happy to win with her and I expect her to do so again in the future."

Sodashi's rider Damian Lane said: "I got off to a good break from the outer stall and could ride an ideal race. Her response was so good in the straight, so I was confident to win. At the end, I could hold Stars On Earth outside of us but she was defeated by a strong horse coming on the inside. She gave her all. It's a pity that I couldn't get the result."

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