Rose stuns Triple Crown seeker Stars On Earth in Shuka Sho

Dual fillies' Classic winner Stars On Earth challenged for the Triple Crown in the Group 1 Shuka Sho at Hanshin on Sunday, but was denied by the third favourite Stunning Rose.

The winner raced after the leaders before hitting the front in the final furlong and holding her rivals at bay under Ryusei Sakai, winning by half a length over second favourite Namur.

For Stars On Earth, just a nose back in third, it was her first race since winning the Japanese Oaks and subsequent to the avulsion fractures which had been found in both front legs and bone fragment removal surgery.

Stunning Rose is by King Kamehameha, out of Kurofune's winning mare Rosa Blanca. This was her fifth win on her tenth career start, the other highlights being two Group 3 wins, while she had been runner-up in the Japanese Oaks to Stars On Earth.

For 25-year-old jockey Sakai, it was his first Group 1 win and he said: "The strongest feeling is happiness. I would like to thank the owner, trainer [Tomokazu] Takano, everyone involved in Stunning Rose, and [my teacher] trainer Yahagi.

"I was able to confirm her operability in the previous race, and she was calm also today, so I handled her not too far behind. At the first corner, I could settle behind Art House and I thought it was a good position.

Ryusei Sakai: first top-level winnerCredit: Masakazu Takahashi

"Her response was better than last time, so I thought she would show her best performance."

He added: "It was the best on the Group 1 stage that I saw in my dreams. She will do her best after gaining strength after this."

Stars On Earth's rider Christophe Lemaire said: "The first step from the gate was late, and the position was near rear. In the straight, she used her good stride, but I couldn't reach the front. She ran well and her condition was good."

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