Japanese Filly is Pure Perfection

Never short of champion racehorses or a colossal fan base, Japan appears to have a new favourite. All-white filly Sodashi, who is by Kurofune (French Deputy) out of the King Kamehameha mare Buchiko, fits her name – which means Pure – to a tee. Now the winner of Japan's Gr1 One Thousand Guineas equivalent, the Gr1 Oka Sho (1600m), on Sunday, the whiter than white 3YO filly is now the winner of her first five starts, and she is rapidly developing a cult following. Following in the hoofprints of some of the most famous females to grace the track in a country renowned for the global quality of its bloodstock, short-priced equal favourite Sodashi stands out for her markings, not her winning margins. Her slim weekend triumph in the first leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown had echoes of 2020's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies Stakes where, once again, arch-rival and joint favourite Satona Reinas (Deep Impact) was narrowly denied after a chequered passage that saw her finish with a wet sail. The result, with longer distances to come, sets up the perfect scenario for the remaining two legs.