Horse To Follow: Embroidery
1st Of 6, 2YO Maiden
1800m (Turf), Niigata
Saturday July 27
Pedigree: Admire Mars × Rottenmeier (Kurofune)
Trainer: Kazutomo Mori
The summer meet at Niigata opened with a stunning performance that saw the two-year-old course record broken by 0.9 seconds.
Commencing in late July, the Niigata summer meet is famous for debuting excellent young horses every year. And this year proved no exception, as a potential star emerged from the very first race.
Despite being the only filly in the field of six, Embroidery was the overwhelming favourite with odds of 1.1. She lived up to, and perhaps even exceeded, that high evaluation.
Embroidery took the lead right from the start and set the pace. Even when the rivals began to close in on the straight, jockey Christophe Lemaire’s hands remained steady. With just a flick of the whip on her shoulder, Embroidery surged ahead, ultimately winning by seven lengths in what was a perfect wire-to-wire victory.
Moreover, she shattered the two-year-old track record by 0.9 seconds, finishing with a time of 1:45.5.
The Niigata summer opener marked Lemaire’s first day back riding from a vacation, and his victory on Embroidery his very first race back. There was however no sign of rust in the champion jockey’s race sense. When asked about it, he confidently responded, “It’s like riding a bicycle; you don’t forget the feeling.”
Embroidery is owned by Silk Racing, known for their famous light blue racing colors. Interestingly, the previous record-holder, Cantiamo, was also owned by Silk Racing. Cantiamo later finished third in the G3 Flower Cup. Incidentally, Silk Racing-owned champion and two-time JRA Horse of the Year Equinox also won his first race on the same Niigata 1800m course three years ago.
Although the record time of 1:45.5 was a significant improvement on the previous mark, it should be noted that the times were generally fast during this week’s meet. On the same day, a three-year-old maiden race clocked in at 1:45.4, and an open class race for three-year-old and up recorded a near-record time of 1:44.0, indicating overall fast conditions.
Furthermore, on the following Sunday, another two-year-old broke a record on the turf course. In a 1400m maiden race, Arlington Row, also owned by Silk Racing, scored in record time. While both appear exceptional two-year-olds, it’s natural to consider that the track conditions had some influence.
However, it wouldn’t be fair to dismiss this as mere luck. Embroidery had shown glimpses of her talent even in her Newcomer race, where she finished second under jockey Joao Moreira. Although she couldn’t catch the leading Million Rose, her finishing speed was impressive, and there can be no doubt about this filly’s ability.
Embroidery’s sire, Admire Mars, is a first-season sire this year. He already has four wins in the JRA, tying with Tower of London for the most wins among new sires. Admire Mars is also a shuttle stallion at Arrowfield Stud in Australia, where his stud fee this year is 22,000 AUD.
Embroidery’s dam, Rottenmeier, finished third in the G3 Queen Cup. Her third dam is Biwa Heidi, making Buena Vista, a six-time G1 winner, part of the family. Another relative, Edel Blume, finished second in this year’s G3 Mermaid Stakes.
Interestingly, many names in this family line are related to the novel ‘Heidi, Her Years of Wandering and Learning’ because of the third dam Biwa Heidi. Her second dam, Adelheid, is Heidi’s real name, and her dam, Rottenmeier, is Heidi’s tutor.
So, where did Embroidery’s name originate from? It seems likely that Rottenmeier’s hobby was embroidery.
Future Outlook: She might be a talent capable of aiming for the two-year-old ‘Champion Filly’ title.
WATCH RACE REPLAY
