Fashionista bows out in style with Ladies’ Classic victory

Street Sense mare Fashionista displayed her trademark determination to post the biggest success of her career on her final start in the NAR G1 Ladies’ Classic at Tokyo’s Oi Racecourse on Tuesday, 3 November.

The six-year-old, who captured the NAR G3 Sparkling Lady Cup for a second successive year on her previous outing for Takayuki Yasuda in July, was prominent throughout the nine-furlong dirt highlight and soon raced in second of the 15 runners.

She moved up to challenge for the lead with Madras Check in the home straight, as both horses produced a tremendous battle throughout the final furlong. Fashionista rallied bravely under Yuichi Kitamura to assert on the line for a head success, with the first two pulling three lengths clear of Marche Lorraine in third.

Harry Sweeney, President of Godolphin in Japan, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Fashionista has won the Jpn1 Ladies’ Classic. She has been an incredibly consistent racehorse and indeed has either won or finished second in 16 of her 22 career starts. She has danced every single dance and it is entirely fitting that she should end her racetrack career with a win at the highest level.

“We kept her in training as a six-year-old believing that she had one big race win in her and we are relieved to have been proven right. Fashionista finished third in this race in both 2018 and 2019 so we knew that she would go close. She has enormous courage and fight and won following a long home-stretch duel.”