2025 G1 Mile Championship
Kyoto’s G1 Mile Championship was established in 1984 and is the second of Japan’s two weight-for-age mile features after the G1 Yasuda Kinen in early June. It is the race that can crown a champion, but in the past two decades it has also evolved into a key lead-in to the Hong Kong International Races, staged a few weeks later. This year’s contest brings all of those elements into play and promises to be a true championship decider.
Venue: Kyoto
Distance: 1600m
Value: ¥390,600,000 (approx. US$2,604,000)
Jantar Mantar For The Mile Sweep?
Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd.’s Jantar Mantar has nailed a major at a mile in each of his three seasons to race, the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes at two, the G1 NHK Mile Cup at three and the G1 Yasuda Kinen this past June. The Yasuda Kinen and the Mile Championship are Japan’s two weight-for-age majors at a mile and Jantar Mantar is aiming to become the ninth horse to complete that double in the same year. The last to succeed was Gran Alegria five years ago while others to achieve the feat include the mighty Maurice, Daiwa Major and Taiki Shuttle.
Jantar Mantar heads in off a sound prep in the G2 Fuji Stakes, albeit a half-length defeat behind the popular grey Gaia Force who had finished a length and a half second in the Yasuda Kinen. That effort, with last year’s winner Soul Rush third in both those races, sets up a clash that will likely decide Japan’s champion miler title.
Can Docklands Make History?
Well, history itself suggests it will be tough. It was back in 2003 that foreign raiders first attempted to win the Mile Championship: Durandal kept the trophy on home soil though as the David Smaga-trained Special Kaldoun from France was ninth and Tout Seul, trained by Fulke Johnson Houghton in Britain, was 16th. Since then, seven more horses have made nine attempts at winning the late-season major, the most prolific challenger being the French mare Sahpresa who was third, fourth and then third in her last attempt in 2011.
Docklands would be only the second overseas runner since then, with another British challenger, Charyn, a creditable fifth a year ago. The Harry Eustace-trained five-year-old has evolved into a solid Group 1 contender and enjoyed his finest hour when winning the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot in June. The balance of his form puts him just below the very best, and the Mile Championship is a tough nut to crack, but his come-from-behind style could be suited to the race, which usually has a strong pace. Docklands’ experience as a world traveller won’t do him any harm either.
Next Stop Hong Kong?
Docklands is one of 10 Mile Championship contenders holding entries to the G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin in December, although Jantar Mantar is one of those 10 and connections are leaning towards keeping him at home. Still, the well-travelled filly Ascoli Piceno – a winner in Saudi Arabia last February – Gaia Force and last year’s Mile Championship hero Soul Rush are in the mix for the Sha Tin feature.
Soul Rush was a good second at Sha Tin last December, but Hat Trick in 2005 and Maurice in 2015 added the Hong Kong Mile to Mile Championship wins, so by that trend, maybe 2025 will be Japan’s year again.
Old Man Soul Rush Shoots Back-To-Back
Last year’s winner Soul Rush will become the second-oldest horse to win the Mile Championship if successful on Sunday at age seven, behind only Company who won the race as an eight-year-old in 2009. But winning back-to-back Mile Championships is not uncommon: six horses have achieved that two-win feat starting with the first winner, Nihon Pillow Winner who followed up in 1985. The latest back-to-back winner was the brilliant mare Gran Alegria in 2020 and 2021.
Silver State’s Overdue Group 1
When Water Navillera was beaten a nose into second in the G1 Oka Sho in April 2022, it seemed it would be a matter of just a short time before her young sire Silver State nailed a first Group 1 win. Silver State, a talented son of Deep Impact whose career of four wins from five starts was curtailed by injuries, had made a splash in his first season as a sire, placing second in that category in 2021 behind Drefong.
But here we are, three years and seven months on from the Oka Sho near-miss, and we’re all still waiting for that breakthrough. Lavanda and Lance Of Chaos will attempt to break the hoodoo for their sire in Sunday’s feature.
Last year’s G1 Shuka Sho fourth Lavanda heads in off a pair of wins – the latter being in the G2 Ireland Trophy for fillies and mares – while the G3-winning colt Lance Of Chaos, third in last year’s G1 Asahi Hai Futurity, goes to Kyoto after a solid third again, this time in the G2 Swan Stakes. ∎
