Fourth choice To the Victory held on in a thrilling neck-and-neck finish Sunday to edge second pick Rosebud at the wire to capture the Queen Elizabeth Cup for fillies and mares.
To the Victory, who was second at the Dubai World Cup in March this year, chased down race favorite T.M. Ocean over the final furlong along with Tico Tico Tac and Lady Pastel, and managed to hold off a fabulous bid by Rosebud before taking the victory by a nose in a record 2 minutes, 11.2 seconds over the 2,200-meter turf course at Kyoto Racecourse.
"I feel responsible for her not winning more of these Grade One races," said jockey Yutaka Take. The 5-year-old mare had failed to finish first in her six previous G1 bids.
"To be honest, I thought it would be difficult for her to win the race, but I was able to have a good race with a horse that is near retirement," added Take.
Tico Tico Tac finished in third place while Lady Pastel beat out T.M. Ocean by a nose for a fourth-place finish.