G1 Mile Championship preview by our original AI
Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 12:33
Jun Blossom (Photo: Yuki Shimono)
There are two graded stakes scheduled for this weekend including the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto Racecourse. Here are three notable runners in the Mile Championship chosen by our original AI.
Jun Blossom has shown remarkable progress since securing his spot in open class with a victory in the 3-win class Minazuki Stakes three starts ago. He displayed a powerful late kick with a 32.5-second final three-furlong time to finish third in the G3 Sekiya Kinen. On his last start, he achieved his first graded stakes title in the G2 Fuji Stakes. In that race, he beat several G1-caliber competitors, including Serifos, Soul Rush, and Logi Leon, proving that he has the talent to compete at the G1 level.
Notably, the past two winners of the Mile Championship both won the Fuji Stakes as their prep race, which bodes well for Jun Blossom. His record over the mile distance includes three wins, two second-place finishes, and one third-place finish in nine starts. Even in his off performances, he has remained competitive, finishing fourth twice and fifth once, underscoring his strong affinity for this distance and raising hopes for a first G1 victory.
Namur, the defending Mile Championship queen, returns for a possible back-to-back winner. While she has not added another win to her resume since, although she has consistently placed among the top finishers in overseas G1 races, with a third in the Hong Kong Mile and a second in the Dubai Turf. In her last outing, she finished second by half a length to Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior in the Yasuda Kinen, further demonstrating her high level of ability.
Although she is returning from a layoff, Namur has previously proven she can run well fresh, as seen in her second-place finish in the G1 Shuka Sho in 2022 and her Fuji Stakes victory last year. As a closer, her performance may hinge on race dynamics, but if she finds a race flow similar to last year, she is certainly capable of a repeat.
Soul Rush had previously struggled to deliver in G1 races but made a breakthrough last year with a runner-up finish in the Mile Championship. This year, he continued to show improvement with a third in the Yasuda Kinen, demonstrating that he has become a more formidable force even at six years old. He followed up with a solid second-placed effort in the Fuji Stakes despite it being his first race back after a break, underscoring his competitiveness among Japan's top milers.
Soul Rush has an outstanding record over Kyoto's 1600m course, with one win, one second, and one third-place finish in three starts, all in G2 races or higher. His strong course affinity is beyond doubt, and after last year's close second, he is in an ideal position to contend for his first G1 win on this favoured turf.
Jun Blossom has shown remarkable progress since securing his spot in open class with a victory in the 3-win class Minazuki Stakes three starts ago. He displayed a powerful late kick with a 32.5-second final three-furlong time to finish third in the G3 Sekiya Kinen. On his last start, he achieved his first graded stakes title in the G2 Fuji Stakes. In that race, he beat several G1-caliber competitors, including Serifos, Soul Rush, and Logi Leon, proving that he has the talent to compete at the G1 level.
Notably, the past two winners of the Mile Championship both won the Fuji Stakes as their prep race, which bodes well for Jun Blossom. His record over the mile distance includes three wins, two second-place finishes, and one third-place finish in nine starts. Even in his off performances, he has remained competitive, finishing fourth twice and fifth once, underscoring his strong affinity for this distance and raising hopes for a first G1 victory.
Namur, the defending Mile Championship queen, returns for a possible back-to-back winner. While she has not added another win to her resume since, although she has consistently placed among the top finishers in overseas G1 races, with a third in the Hong Kong Mile and a second in the Dubai Turf. In her last outing, she finished second by half a length to Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior in the Yasuda Kinen, further demonstrating her high level of ability.
Although she is returning from a layoff, Namur has previously proven she can run well fresh, as seen in her second-place finish in the G1 Shuka Sho in 2022 and her Fuji Stakes victory last year. As a closer, her performance may hinge on race dynamics, but if she finds a race flow similar to last year, she is certainly capable of a repeat.
Soul Rush had previously struggled to deliver in G1 races but made a breakthrough last year with a runner-up finish in the Mile Championship. This year, he continued to show improvement with a third in the Yasuda Kinen, demonstrating that he has become a more formidable force even at six years old. He followed up with a solid second-placed effort in the Fuji Stakes despite it being his first race back after a break, underscoring his competitiveness among Japan's top milers.
Soul Rush has an outstanding record over Kyoto's 1600m course, with one win, one second, and one third-place finish in three starts, all in G2 races or higher. His strong course affinity is beyond doubt, and after last year's close second, he is in an ideal position to contend for his first G1 win on this favoured turf.