Challenger to Daring Tact emerges as Ria Amelia shows her true colours at Chukyo

Third favourite Ria Amelia, trained by Mitsumasa Nakauchida and ridden by Yuga Kawada, ran out the two-length winner of the Grade 2 Kansai Telecasting Corp. Sho Rose Stakes at Chukyo on Sunday, the key trial race for the Grade 1 Shuka Sho.

Ria Amelia and Kawada raced in second before assuming command and opening up an unassailable lead in the final furlong of the mile and a quarter turf contest for three-year-old fillies.

Runner-up Musica, a big longshot, and third home Oh My Darling, who was also relatively unfancied, join Ria Amelia in automatically qualifying for the Shuka Sho at Kyoto on October 18, over the same trip and surface.

For Ria Amelia, a daughter of Deep Impact, this was a second stakes triumph. She is now set to take on the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) and Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner Daring Tact – who is expected to be the unbeaten fillies' triple crown winner – in the Shuka Sho.

Kawada said: "I'm very happy she showed her true colours, and she had shown up well in training after her summer rest. She's always had a lot of potential but I couldn't make use of it in the spring races. I'm sure she has the ability to challenge Daring Tact, and we'll do our best in the Shuka Sho."

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