Australian bred mares have made a great impression in Japan and 2018 Group I MRC Thousand Guineas winner Amphitrite is the latest to produce a Group I winner in that country with 3YO Monroe Walk capturing the Group I Shuka Sho (2000m) at Kyoto on Sunday.
Trained by Hiroyuki Uemura and ridden by Keita Tosaki, the Kizuna filly charged late to win by a neck in a big field of 17 runners and stopped the clock at 1:56.10 seconds equalling the course record.
G1 2000m 3yo Fillies Shuka Sho: Won by the much hyped MONROE WALK (Kizuna x Amphitrite (AUS) (Sebring)) under Keita Tosaki Just beat a brave GRAVAVOUGE (Lord Kanaloa) with DREAM CORE (Kizuna) running on for 3rd 1.56.1 for the 10F, equals the Course Record MONROE WALK now a perfect 5 for 5 Dam AMPHITRITE (AUS) won the 1000 Guineas in Australia #JRA https://t.co/lKXlCF0kU6
— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) October 18, 2026
Her regular partner Keita Tosaki seems more to come from the undefeated filly, who has won all five starts to date.
"Having gained a grade 1 victory unbeaten shows how good a filly she is and I am looking forward to a bright future for this talented filly," he said.
Owned by M’s Racing and bred by Northern Farm, Monroe Walk cost ¥68.2 million at the 2023 Northern Farm Mixed Sale and is the second winner in Japan for Sebring mare Amphitrite, who won the Group I MRC Thousand Guineas in 2018 before being purchased privately to go to stud in Japan.
A modest $50,000 Magic Millions Adelaide purchase for Flying Start Syndications, she was a saleyard gift winning over $750,000 and then giving her owners an even bigger pay day when she was sold as a broodmare prospect.
Amphitrite has four half-sisters at stud in Australia and her dam Ocean Dream is still producing and has foaled this spring producing a colt by Tassort.
She has a 2YO filly by Paulele that sold at Magic Millions this year in the Kenmore Lodge draft for $120,000 to Matt Hoysted Racing.
Amphitrite had a yearling filly by Contrail sell at the JRHA Yearling Sale this year for 56,000,000yen (A$494,000) to Red Magic Co Ltd.
She also has an unraced two year-old colt by Lord Kanaloa called Vasto Mare and produced a filly this year by Equinox.
Monroe Walk becomes the sixth Group I winner for Kizuna and is the fourth for Golden Slipper winner Sebring as a broodmare sire.
