Queen Spumante sparkles in 77-1 upset of QEII

Queen Spumante was earning her first graded victory (Copyright of the Japan Racing Association [JRA]) Once more proving the old adage that pace makes the race, Green Farm's QUEEN SPUMANTE (Jungle Pocket) benefited from a heady front-running ride from 23-year-old Hiroyasu Tanaka to spring a 77-1 stunner in Sunday's $2,141,000 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (Jpn-G1). The French-based Shalanaya (Lomitas [GB]) wound up fourth, continuing the woes of internationals in the Kyoto showpiece. Queen Spumante and 91-1 longshot T M Precure (Paradise Creek) hooked up early, and after a solid first quarter, they managed to slow down and stride along at a steady tempo. Despite the moderate pace, the top two opened up a double-digit lead on the rest of the field, and they were gone beyond recall by the time they reached the Kyoto stretch. Queen Spumante pulled away from T M Precure by 1 1/2 lengths and completed the about 1 3/8 miles in 2:13 3/5 on the firm turf to earn her first graded victory.

Tanaka, only in his fourth year as a jockey, wept with joy at his first Grade

1 coup. Trainer Shigeyuki Kojima was engineering a Grade 1 upset at Kyoto for

the second straight year. Last fall, he saddled Black Emblem (War Emblem) to a

surprising 28-1 score in the Shuka Sho (Jpn-G1).

T M Precure, who had lost her way since reigning as Japan's champion

two-year-old filly of 2005, barely salvaged second by a neck from the

hard-charging 8-5 favorite, Buena Vista (Special Week). Reserved near the tail

of the 18-horse field in the opening stages, Buena Vista improved her position

approaching the final turn and was the only horse to burst clear of the pack.

The dual classic heroine rattled home through the stretch and devoured the

deficit with every stride, but the wire came too soon for her.

Another 3 1/2 lengths back came Shalanaya in fourth, followed by Meisho

Beluga (French Deputy), Broad Street (Agnes Tachyon), defending champion Little

Amapola (Agnes Tachyon), Wedding Fujiko (Fuji Kiseki), Kawakami Princess (King

Halo), Nishino Blue Moon (Tanino Gimlet), Celebrita (Black Hawk), Mood Indigo

(Dance in the Dark), Germinal (Agnes Tachyon), Mikrokosmos (Neo Universe),

Sanrei Jasper (Misuzu Chardon), Bravo Daisy (Kurofune), Rain Dance (Dance in the

Dark) and Piena Venus (Fuji Kiseki).

Shalanaya's trainer, Mikel Delzangles, realized that the race scenario worked

against his lightly-raced pupil.

"She ran a good race, but it was also a tricky race -- the two horses ran

very far (in front)," Delzangles said. "She extended very well but it was too

late. She handled the track well, although she is not used to run on a track

with such a short length (stretch), which might have been a little problem for

her, but not too bad.

"(Jockey) Christophe Lemaire said that he was very happy by the way she

finished the race, but he said that they went a bit too slow for her -- too slow

for the pack. It's a pity that she didn't follow the two horses."

The five-year-old Queen Spumante more than doubled her bankroll to roughly

$1.92 million from her 21-6-1-4 line. Well beaten in higher company as a

sophomore, including a 12th-place finish in the 2007 Shuka Sho, the chestnut did

not make another stakes attempt until this August, when she posted a

wire-to-wire victory over males in the Minami Hokkaido S. at Sapporo. Queen

Spumante stepped up in class for the Kyoto Daishoten (Jpn-G2) last time out, but

faded to ninth behind the classy Oken Bruce Lee (Jungle Pocket).

Bred by Shadai Farm in Japan, Queen Spumante is out of the winning Sembon

Zakura (Sakura Yutaka O). She comes from the family of multiple Grade 1 heroine

Mrs. Warren (Hail to Reason), who captured the 1976 Matron S. (G1), Spinaway S.

(G1) and Schuylerville S. (G2), and placed in such major events as the Acorn S.

(G1), Mother Goose S. (G1), Frizette S. (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G2).