Wholeness completes Listed Niigata Himba Stakes in front

Wholeness added some important Listed Black Type to her progressive profile with a comfortable victory in the Niigata Himba Stakes at Niigata, Japan, on Sunday, 20 October. 

Runner-up in the G3 Mermaid Stakes on her previous start in June, the Hideaki Fujiwara-trained four-year-old soon settled in a clear sixth as Iyasaka led a strung-out field. Wholeness still had some 12 lengths to make up on the leader down the back before taking closer order approaching the final three furlongs. 

Koji Nishizuka angled Wholeness out to challenge at the top of the straight and she stayed on powerfully passing the furlong pole. After taking up the running from Eridanus half a furlong out, the Lope de Vega filly asserted close home to score by a length. 

Harry Sweeney, President of Godolphin in Japan, said: “We had been eying the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup as a late year target for Wholeness since early summer. However, as she had only run five times, albeit winning three and placing in the other two, she needed significantly more racetrack earnings if she was to qualify for a starting berth in Kyoto in three weeks’ time. Therefore, we decided to skip the winners of three conditions class and go for a Listed race instead to maximise her earning potential and her chances of qualifying. Thankfully, the plan worked out and she now has a very good chance of making the cut for what will be her first attempt at a G1 level.

“Today was her first outing for four months after a long break in our Okayama satellite training facility. She is a big rangy mare and, while she didn’t look particularly burly in the paddock beforehand, she nevertheless weighed in 14kg heavier than her last outing and incredibly is now competing at 40kg heavier than her debut win. In truth, she was probably a bit under cooked for today and will likely improve for the outing.”