Monroe Walk Remains Undefeated and Breaks the Kyoto Track Record in the Shuka Sho
The daughter of Kizuna secured her fifth victory in as many starts by capturing the final G1 leg of the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown. She prevailed by a neck over Garavogue, setting a new course record of 1m56s10/100 for the 2000 meters on turf
KYOTO, Japan (Special for Turf Diario).— Monroe Walk remains undefeated, and she has just proven that her talent seems to know no bounds. The daughter of Kizuna crowned herself this Sunday in the Shuka Sho (G1-2000 m, turf), the final leg of the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown, with a spectacular victory over Garavogue (Lord Kanaloa) while establishing a new course record at Kyoto Racecourse.
With Keita Tosaki in the irons, the M's Racing representative maintained her perfect record—now five wins in as many starts—after holding off a determined rival by a neck in a duel that lasted until the final yards. Her time of 1m56s10/100 over a good turf course confirmed the extraordinary speed of a race run at a demanding tempo from the start.
The primary pace engine was T M I Run (Mikki Isle), an outsider who made a bold bid to establish a early lead and set scorching fractions. Monroe Walk, meanwhile, settled into fourth and fifth position, traveling comfortably while the front-runners expended their energy.
As T M I Run began to tire, Garavogue, runner-up in the Oka Sho (G1), seized the lead turning into the home stretch. On the outside, Monroe Walk launched her challenge, steadily eating up ground until drawing on terms. The two fillies engaged in a fierce battle, with the favorite showing a slight tendency to drift off her line before re-engaging to secure the decisive advantage.
1 1/4 lengths back in third came Dream Core (Kizuna), who entered the race following a second-place finish in the Yushun Himba (G1), the Japanese Oaks.
A champion on the rise
The victory carried special weight as it marked Monroe Walk's first attempt at the highest level and her debut over 2000 meters.
Until now, the filly trained by Hiroyuki Uemura had built her career through a successful debut at Niigata in August 2025, followed by two victories at Hakodate and a triumph in the Rose Stakes (G2) at Hanshin on September 13.
Her latest performance had confirmed her quality, even though her trainer revealed she was not yet at peak physical condition at the time.
“She had lost conditioning after the trip back from Hokkaido, and we worked hard to get her back on track before the Rose Stakes. She was not at 100 percent, but she put together a race that showed us she had even more talent than we imagined,” Uemura explained.
Her progress continued over the following weeks and reached its finest expression at Kyoto.
Tosaki acknowledged that his main concern centered on the filly's temperament.
“She got a little nervous inside the gates, but then she settled into a very comfortable rhythm. Even though we were tracking other horses, the trip was smooth and we traveled without any issues,” he noted.
The jockey also explained his decision to launch his bid early given the presence of dangerous closers coming from behind: “We knew there were strong fillies waiting to rally, so we made our move a bit sooner. She responded magnificently. Winning a G1 and staying undefeated proves how good she is. She has a brilliant future ahead,” he declared.
The fourth undefeated winner of the Shuka Sho
Monroe Walk went off as the heavy favorite in a race that lacked the winners of the first two legs of the Triple Crown.
Star Anise (Drefong), winner of the Oka Sho, was redirected to the Sprinters Stakes (G1), where she finished fourth, while Juryoku Pierrot (Orfevre), winner of the Yushun Himba, suffered a setback in her preparation due to a mild colic episode.
The absence of both opened the door for a new star, though Monroe Walk's performance left little doubt about her credentials.
With her victory, she became the fourth undefeated winner of the Shuka Sho, a feat not accomplished since 2020, when Daring Tact (Epiphaneia) completed her historical sweep of the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown.
Bred by Northern Racing, Monroe Walk is a daughter of Kizuna out of Amphitrite (Sebring), and races in the colors of Masahiko Sugino (M's Racing).
Her victory also highlighted the dominant influence of Kizuna within this crop: four of the top six finishers—Monroe Walk, Dream Core, Enne, and La Belle Scene—are daughters of the stallion.
Garavogue, for her part, boasts an equally distinguished pedigree. She is by Lord Kanaloa out of Lexie Lou, winner of the Woodbine Oaks and the Queen's Plate in 2014, a season in which she was named Canadian Horse of the Year.
However, the spotlight belonged entirely to Monroe Walk. Five races, five wins, a maiden G1 title, and a course record constitute a resume hard to surpass for a filly who has officially entered the elite ranks of Japanese racing.
The 2026 Fillies' Triple Crown concluded without a consensus champion across all three legs, but the Shuka Shorevealed a rising, undefeated talent with all the tools required to become one of the premier stars of Japanese turf.
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