New leading man: Damian Lane set to co-star in ‘box office’ Sodashi’s 2023 premier
Japan’s ‘White Wonder’ makes her five-year-old debut in Sunday's Victoria Mile at Tokyo and her trainer hopes for a new maturity that would take the iconic mare to a higher level under her new rider, the in-form Australian Damian Lane.

It is time Sodashi matured into a Hollywood-style leading lady. That is the line from her charismatic trainer Naosuke Sugai this week as the ‘white wonder’ prepares for her return to action in the G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo on Sunday, when she will be ridden for the first time by man of the moment Damian Lane.
The mare’s career so far has been a bit Britney Spears, turning Taylor Swift, but at age five, Sugai wants to see her mature into a star that dominates her races like Meryl Streep commands the big screen.
“Although she was said to be an idol when she was two and three years old, she was not an actress at that age. Now, I hope she can run like she has gone from being an idol to becoming an actress,” Sugai told the press at Ritto Training Center four days out from the Victoria Mile.
“This horse has a lot of fans,” he continued. “Hopefully she will get through the race safely and if she can achieve a good result, all the better.”
It should have been easy to spot a rare all-white thoroughbred at Ritto Wednesday morning, especially one wearing a Group 1-denoting purple saddle cloth with three stars for each elite race won. But then the JRA training centre is a big place, and during the hours of morning trackwork it is a hive of non-stop motion, of horses and people.
Horses pass through the expansive sand yard, past the small trainers’ stand, towards the tunnel beneath the five concentric tracks, which links to an inner holding area where they circle in a mass, awaiting their turn to stretch out on the track of choice. Take your pick: the innermost turf for steeplechasers; then working outwards to a 1600m dirt oval; the 1800m woodchip; a 1950m turf circuit; and a 2038m Polytrack.