Tommy Berry rode four winners over the weekend in Japan but missed out in his major assignment when unplaced in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin in Osaka.
The five-year-old mare Marialite captured her second G1 title in the Takarazuka Kinen to become the third of her sex to claim the spring all-star race and first since 2005.
Berry finished only 11th aboard Curren Mirrotic, a stayer he regarded as a Melbourne Cup prospect before this effort left thos intentions up in the air.Berry is now taking a break from riding to enjoy a family holiday before he returns to action in Sydney next month.
Marialite, yet another G1 star by champion sire Deep Impact, captured her first G1 title in last year’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2200m) and finished in the year-end G1 Arima Kinen (2500m).She kicked off this season with a third in the G2 Nikkei Sho in March and was runner-up in her previous start, in the G2 Meguro Kinen (2500m) on May 29.
This victory gave her trainer Takashi Kubota his second JRA G1 victory following the Queen Elizabeth II Cup while jockey Masayoshi Ebina landed his 26th JRA G1 title.Breaking sharply from an outside draw, the eighth favorite Marialite travelled wide in mid-division and edged her way forward to be widest on the home turn.
She surged to the in the last 100m overtaking Kitasan Black and the defending champion Lovely Day and held off a powerful late charge by Japan Derby winner Duramente for a neck victory.“She was in her best form. The soft going and the draw all worked well for her,” said Ebina.
“She responded well and ran a perfect race. I think that the patience of connections to wait for her to mature has led to this success.”Favourite Duramente broke slowly and settled toward the rear. Entering the homestretch the King Kamehameha colt swung wide then unleashed a late charge to record the fastest last three furlongs and nose out Kitasan Black for second.
The colt, however, slipped after the line and was later diagnosed to have lameness in his left foreleg ending plans for him to go to France for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October.Italian jockey Mirco Demuro said: "After the finishing line he slipped on the wet ground and seemed to injure his left fore."
Shunsuke Yoshida, representative of Duramente's owners Sunday Racing Co Ltd. "He injured his left-fore leg when he lost his balance after the race. He is being x-rayed - no Arc."
