Regaleira circled most of her rivals with a late rush in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) Nov. 16 at Kyoto Racecourse and sprinted away to a 1 3/4-length victory, answering several questions along the way.
The 4-year-old Suave Richard filly scored her third grade 1 win, with one in each year of her racing career. She also avenged a fifth-place finish in the 2024 QE II Cup, answering any doubts she could handle the Kyoto turf, and put to rest any concerns about an earlier physical setback.
She also lowered the race record time for the 2,200 meters (about 1 3/8 miles) by 0.1 second to 2:11.0.
Jockey Keita Tosaki made sure there were no issues for Regaleira during the running. After starting cleanly from the No. 7 gate in a field of 16, Tosaki parked his filly well back of early leader Erika Express and far enough from the rail to avoid traffic and some well-used areas of the turf course.
Regaleira moved up willingly, approaching the end of the backstretch, she swung toward the middle of the expansive course and quickly swept by Paradis Reine, who had taken the point 200 meters out. Paradis Reine held second with Lilac, runner-up in the 2022 QE II, just edging Lynx Tip by a head for third.
Stellenbosch finished 10th, breaking jockey Christophe Lemaire's string of three consecutive grade 1 wins.
Although Regaleira went to the post as a solid favorite, there was some concern about her affinity for the Kyoto track as last year's fifth-place showing was her only previous effort there. Tosaki said he took some care about that.
"The condition of the inner track wasn't very good," he said, "so I made sure that we didn't get stuck there. She responded well at the stretch."
"I'm truly delighted to have won with Regaleira again," Tosaki added. "I'm both happy and relieved that we were able to live up to everyone's expectations as the race favorite. The stable staff told me how good her condition was, and I could feel it, too, when I rode her."
Bred by Northern Farm and carrying the silks of Sunday Racing, Regaleira started her career competing with males at the highest level. She won the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Nakayama to wind up her 2-year-old season but then came a cropper on the Triple Crown trail, finishing sixth in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) and fifth in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1).
After two more fifth-place showings, including the QE II, she returned to grade 1 glory with a victory in the Arima Kinen (G1) in December. A chip fracture in her right foreleg then kept her away from the races until June, when she finished 11th in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1). She bounced back from that to win the Sankei Sho All Comers (G2) at Nakayama Sept. 21.
With three wins from her last four starts and confirmation that she has no lingering issues from the chip issue, the QE II victory opens the door to many opportunities.
"I'm confident that she'll do even better from here," Tosaki said.
The race also was a bit of a statement from Paradis Reine, a 3-year-old filly by Kizuna, who finished fourth in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1) in May and third in the Shuka Sho (G1) Oct. 19.
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