Coming in off a dismal effort in the Oka Sho Japanese One Thousand Guineas (Jpn-I), last month, lightly regarded Meisho Mambo emphatically rebounded to win the Yushun Himba (Jpn-I, Japanese Oaks) at Tokyo Racecourse May 19.
Under a ground-saving trip from mid-division, the Suzuka Mambo filly rallied down the center of the track to take command at the 300-meter mark and held on to win by 1 1/4 lengths from late-running Ever Blossom.
Ridden by Koshiro Take, younger brother of star jockey Yutake Take, Meisho Mambo covered 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) in 2:25.20 at odds of 28-1.
In search of a third consecutive win, 3-1 favorite Denim and Ruby closed resolutely but belatedly to finish third, two lengths behind Ever Blossom.
Oka Sho winner Ayusan weaved her way through opponents in the straight but could get no closer than fourth, another 1 1/4 lengths back.
Meisho Mambo captured the Hochi Hai Fillies Revue (Jpn-II) March 10 at Hanshin for her first stakes win but subsequently finished 10th in the Oka Sho April 7 at Hanshin. With the Oaks victory her record improves to four wins and a second from seven career starts.
Meisho Mambo, who is out of the Grass Wonder mare Meisho Momoka, became the first group I winner for Akihiro Iida, who has trained for 25 years and conditions the bay filly for owner-breeder Yoshio Matsumoto.
She is from the third crop of 2005 Tenno Sho (Spring) (Jpn-I) winner Suzuka Mambo and is her sire's first top-level winner. The 12-year-old son of Sunday Silence stands at Arrow Stud in Hokkaido.
