G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup within Kamunyak’s reach - The Straits Times
Kamunyak (Yuga Kawada) getting the better of Jocelyn (Christophe Lemaire) in the Grade 2 Ireland Trophy (1,800m) at Tokyo on Oct 11.
KYOTO – Out of the fillies and mares fighting for top honours in the 326 million yen (S$2.63 million) Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Cup (2,200m) at Kyoto racecourse on Nov 15, the spotlight will be on three Grade 1 Yushun Himba winners.
Cervinia, Kamunyak and Juryoku Pierrot landed the 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions of the 2,400m feature – also known as the Japanese Oaks – respectively.
Among them, the Yasuo Tomomichi-trained Kamunyak streaked through and captured three graded races in the spring of 2025, including the Japanese Oaks at Tokyo on May 25.
Although the daughter of Black Tide fell from the dizzying heights in the Grade 1 Shuka Sho (2,000m) at Kyoto on Oct 19 when she finished third last, she has trained on since returning this April.
The four-year-old mare scored two seconds and one win in graded company, albeit all the races were shorter than 2,000m. Her victory came at her last start in the Grade 2 Ireland Trophy (1,800m) at Tokyo on Oct 11.
This will be Kamunyak’s first run over the longer 2,200m since the Oaks, but the extra ground works in her favour.
She is in good shape, although Tomomichi said the biggest hurdle could be getting her calmly to the gate.
“She has matured a lot mentally, so I’m hoping she’ll get over that hurdle,” he said.
Yuga Kawada, who bagged five in a row in Kyoto on Nov 7, will take the reins on Kamunyak. He has ridden in all but two of Kamunyak’s 10 starts, but has yet to win with her in a Grade 1 event.
Juryoku Pierrot might be first-up from her last-start success in the Japanese Oaks on May 24, but the three-year-old filly cannot be ignored.
Trained by Ryo Terashima, Juryoku Pierrot resumes on the back of three consecutive victories.
Her Oaks victory was history-making for her rider, Seina Imamura, who also became the first Japanese female jockey to land a Grade 1 race.
Although illness forced the daughter of Orfevre to skip the Grade 1 Shuka Sho (2,000m) on Oct 18, her late burst of speed will be a plus on the long homestretch at Kyoto racecourse, hence she is expected to rise to the challenge with her sights on a second Grade 1 victory.
Said Terashima: “Her tension level is still quite high, but in a good way, she’s on her game. I think the conditions this time will work well for her.”
Cervinia is another Japanese Oaks winner who has fell flat in her three starts in 2026, but the Tetsuya Kimura-trained Harbinger mare could still pose a threat should she run up to her best form in the 51st running of the QEII Cup.
The stunning five-year-old grey Aqua Vernal, who made her debut in the summer of 2023, last finished third in the Grade 2 Kyoto Daishoten (2,400m).
Although the trip might be on the shorter side for the Epiphaneia mare, she should still measure up in an all-female field.
Hirofumi Shii, who is still eyeing his first Grade 1 success as a trainer but won this race aboard Dance Partner in 1996, said a good tempo would benefit Aqua Vernal.
“I think she’s more than up to it. I’d like her to have a fast track.”
Other entries include Queen’s Walk – who will have new rider Cristian Demuro up – and Jocelyn, who finished second behind Kamunyak in the Ireland Trophy.
She will be ridden by Christophe Lemaire, who has combined for two seconds and a win on the Yuichi Shikato-trained mare.
All the three-year-olds will have the weight advantage of 54kg while those four and older will shoulder 56kg in the race. JRA
