Ascoli Piceno (horse)

Ascoli Piceno (Japanese: アスコリピチェーノ, Foaled February 24, 2021) is an active Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse.^[1][2] She won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2023, and the Victoria Mile in 2025.

Ascoli Piceno アスコリピチェーノ
2023 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies
Sire	Daiwa Major[1]
Grandsire	Sunday Silence[1]
Dam	Ascolti[1]
Damsire	Danehill Dancer[1]
Sex	Filly[1]
Foaled	(2021-02-24) February 24, 2021 (age 4)[1]
Country	Japan[1]
Color	Dark Bay[1]
Breeder	Northern Farm[1]
Owner	Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.[2]
Trainer	Yoichi Kuroiwa[2]
Record	9:6-2-0[2]
Earnings	588,306,500 JPY[3][note 1] JPN: 396,995,000 JPY AUS: 30,000 AUD KSA: 1,200,000 USD
Major wins
Niigata Nisai Stakes (2023) Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (2023) Keisei Hai Autumn Handicap (2024) 1351 Turf Sprint (2025) Victoria Mile (2025)
Awards
JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly (2023)[6]
Last updated on May 18, 2025

She was named after Ascoli Piceno, a city in Italy.^[3] She was awarded the JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly for 2023.^[6]

Racing career

2023: two-year-old season

Ascoli Piceno debuted at the Tokyo Racecourse on June 24, 2023, in a two-year-old newcomer race on turf at the distance of 1,400m. She was ridden by Christophe Lemaire, who let her settle at the back of the pack, then took the lead on the final straight, winning by two-and-a-half lengths.^[7] Two months later, on August 27, she raced in the Niigata Nisai Stakes for her first graded stakes race challenge. Ridden by Hiroshi Kitamura, she settled in the middle of the pack. On the final straight, she chased down the runaway horse Shonan Manuela and won by a length, successfully achieving her first graded stakes win.^[8]

For the last race of her two-year-old season, she was signed-up for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies held at Hanshin Racecourse on December 10. This was her first grade-one stakes race. Ridden by Hiroshi Kitamura again, she settled in midfield. Entering the final straight, after passing a group of horses, she overtook Corazon Beat in the final furlong and held off the fast-finishing Stellenbosch, winning the race by a neck. She achieved her first grade-one stakes victory while breaking the race record.^[9]

Racing statistics

Below data is based on data available on JBIS Search,^[10] and NetKeiba.^[11]

Date	Track	Race	Grade	Distance (Condition)	Entry	HN	Odds (Favored)	Finish	Time	Margins	Jockey	Winner (Runner-up)
2023 – two-year-old season
Jun 24	Tokyo	2yo Newcomer		1,400 m (Firm)	16	5	1.7 (1)	1st	1:22.8	-0.4	Christophe Lemaire	(Red Senor)
Aug 27	Niigata	Niigata 2yo S	3	1,600 m (Firm)	12	12	3.7 (1)	1st	1:33.8	-0.2	Hiroshi Kitamura	(Shonan Manuela)
Dec 10	Hanshin	Hanshin JF	1	1,600 m (Firm)	18	7	5.9 (3)	1st	1:32.6[a]	0.0	Hiroshi Kitamura	(Stellenbosch)
2024 – three-year-old season
Apr 7	Hanshin	Oka Sho	1	1,600 m (Firm)	18	9	3.5 (1)	2nd	1:32.3	0.1	Hiroshi Kitamura	Stellenbosch
May 5	Tokyo	NHK Mile Cup	1	1,600 m (Firm)	18	14	2.9 (1)	2nd	1:32.8	0.4	Christophe Lemaire	Jantar Mantar
Sep 8	Nakayama	Keisei Hai AH	3	1,600 m (Firm)	16	10	1.5 (1)	1st	1:30.8	0.2	Christophe Lemaire	(Time to Heaven)
Nov 2	Rosehill	Golden Eagle		1,500 m (Good)	20	19	3.10 (1)	12th	--	--	João Moreira	Lake Forest
2025 – four-year-old season
Feb 22	King Abdulaziz	1351 Turf Sprint	2	1,351 m (Firm)	13	3	--	1st	1:17.879	0.019	Christophe Lemaire	(Win Marvel)
May 18	Tokyo	Victoria Mile	1	1,600 m (Firm)	18	17	2.5 (1)	1st	1:32.1	0.0	Christophe Lemaire	(Queen's Walk)

Legend:
  Turf

Notes:

1. Set a stakes record for the event

Pedigree

Pedigree of Ascoli Piceno (JPN), dark bay filly, 2021^[12]

Sire Daiwa Major ch. 2001	Sunday Silence (USA) br. 1986	Halo	Hail To Reason
			Cosmah
		Wishing Well	Understanding
			Mountain Flower
	Scarlet Bouquet ch. 1988	Northern Taste (CAN)	Northern Dancer
			Lady Victoria
		Scarlet Ink (USA)	Crimson Satan
			Consentida
Dam Ascolti dk. b. 2011	Danehill Dancer (IRE) b. 1993	Danehill (USA)	Danzig (horse)
			Razyana
		Mira Adonde (USA)	Sharpen Up (GB)
			Lettre d'Amour
	Listen (IRE) b. 2005	Sadler's Wells (USA)	Northern Dancer (CAN)
			Fairy Bridge
		Brigid (USA)	Irish River (FR)
			Luv Luvin' (Family: 9-b)[13]

• Her grand dam from the damside won the Fillies' Mile in 2007.
• Her dam's sister Touching Speech won the Rose Stakes in 2015.
• Other close relatives include Henrythenavigator, who won four group-one races including the 2008 2000 Guineas Stakes; Magician, winner of the 2013 Irish 2,000 Guineas and Breeders' Cup Turf; and Fashionista, winner of the 2020 JBC Ladies' Classic.