First Grade 1 winner and third stakes winner for Gold Ship

The Big Red Farm-bred Uberleben (3 f ex Meine Theresia by Roses In May) won her first stakes race when claiming Sunday’s Yushun Himba (Gr 1, 2400m) at Tokyo, becoming the first Grade 1 winner and third stakes winner overall for Gold Ship (Stay Gold). 

Trained by Takahisa Tezuka, Uberleben finished third on her final start as a juvenile last year in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (Gr 1, 1600m) and occupied that same position in her first two starts in 2020 in the Flower Cup (Gr 3, 1800m) at Nakayama on March 20 and then in the Sports Sho Flora Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) on April 25. 

Breaking well from barrier nine under Mirco Demuro, the filly was settled midfield and raced wide. Moved up slightly before the home turn, Demuro steered further to the outside entering the straight, and then asked Uberleben to launch her bid. She steadily gained on the leaders and pulled away in the closing stages, holding off Akaitorino Musume (Deep Impact) on her inside and Hagino Pilina (Kizuna) digging in from the outside to prevail by a length. 

“She suffered from colic in February and has shown a slow but steady recovery,” said Demuro. 

“She broke smoothly today and it did worry me a bit that we were dead last in the backstretch but she responded well when the pace accelerated from the third corner and showed her tenacity in steadily advancing in the straight. 

“She was strong pulling away and holding off the others. The added distance wasn’t a problem for her at all. I’m thrilled, it’s always wonderful to win a Grade 1 race.” 

Uberleben is one of five winners, from as many runners and the only stakes winner, out of the winning mare Meine Theresia (Roses In May). Her fourth dam produced multiple Grade 2 winner Double Reef (Last Tycoon), Riesling Slipper Trial (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Star Of Nouvelle (Star Watch) and Group 3 winner Rainbow Styling (Zabeel). 

Based at Big Red Farm, Gold Ship’s oldest progeny are now four and his first two stakes winners were Black Hole and Win Mighty, while he has also sired stakes placegetters Machaon d’Or and Satono Gold. 

Gold Ship’s fee is advertised as On Application.