It has finally happened. Absolutely refusing to be beaten after being passed in the closing meters of the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (JPN-G1), Sodashi surged back to gain the victory by the narrowest of noses. In doing so, she became the first white Thoroughbred to win a Group 1 race in Japan---or anywhere else for that matter. She may also have become the first white Thoroughbred to gain a championship in a major racing nation, for aside from her win in Japan's most prestigious event for 2-year-old fillies, she had previously been unbeaten in three races including two Group 3 events.
Sodashi's bloodlines were discussed in some detail in "Mares on Monday: The White Ladies of Japan" (November 2, 2020). Her dam Buchiko (whose white coat is splashed with striking dark brown or chestnut spots) has since produced a yearling full sister to Sodashi, also white, and this filly's racing debut will doubtless be eagerly anticipated by the fans who have made Sodashi Japan's newest racing idol.
In traditional Japanese culture, seeing a white horse at the beginning of the year is considered a harbinger of good luck. In a year that most people around the world would consider to have been anything but lucky, perhaps Sodashi's courageous victory can be seen as a sign that good things can still happen and that the year can close out with a hope of better things to come.
Sodashi's bloodlines were discussed in some detail in "Mares on Monday: The White Ladies of Japan" (November 2, 2020). Her dam Buchiko (whose white coat is splashed with striking dark brown or chestnut spots) has since produced a yearling full sister to Sodashi, also white, and this filly's racing debut will doubtless be eagerly anticipated by the fans who have made Sodashi Japan's newest racing idol.
In traditional Japanese culture, seeing a white horse at the beginning of the year is considered a harbinger of good luck. In a year that most people around the world would consider to have been anything but lucky, perhaps Sodashi's courageous victory can be seen as a sign that good things can still happen and that the year can close out with a hope of better things to come.
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