November 15, 2025 / Last updated: November 15, 2025
On November 15, 2025, at Tokyo Racecourse, Costanova made a furious charge to finish 2nd despite a catastrophic start, thanks to a masterful ride by jockey C. Lemaire and an astonishing late kick. The performance simultaneously revealed both G1-level talent and a serious issue with the starting gate, becoming a hot topic among racing fans. Overcoming this gate problem will be the key to future success.
Key Points of This Article
- Costanova began the race with a major delay, described as “comically bad.”
- From a seemingly hopeless position, jockey C. Lemaire’s calm ride and the horse’s incredible late speed secured a 2nd place finish.
- While proving its high potential, the race also highlighted a severe and persistent problem with the starting gate.
- The long straight of Tokyo Racecourse likely played a role, raising questions about its performance on other tracks.
A “Comically Bad” and Desperate Start
As the race began, Costanova was left far behind at the gate, prompting immediate reactions from fans like “Costa-owata” (Costanova is finished) and “It’s over.” The start was so poor it was described as a “comically bad delay,” leaving the horse with a significant deficit that made many fans give up on victory.
Since the horse was already known for its gate issues, comments such as “This is what this horse does” and “The gate problem is worse than the last race” were seen, suggesting the issue is deteriorating rather than improving.
Lemaire’s Skill and Costanova’s Astonishing Finish
However, the race took a dramatic turn from that hopeless position. Jockey Lemaire calmly guided the horse through the pack, and on the final stretch, unleashed an incredible charge. Surging from the outside, Costanova stretched its legs and joined the battle for second place right at the finish line.
This performance drew numerous comments of shock and praise from fans:
“To come from that bad start to fight for 2nd is incredible.”
“Its running ability is the real deal.”
“With a kick like that, it’s practically a win.”
“Carrying 59kg and still doing that? What a monster.”
“It got there on pure talent alone, lol.”
Furthermore, Lemaire’s skill in recovering from the disastrous start and guiding the horse to second place also received high praise: “Lemaire is amazing. Any other jockey would have been out of the running,” “Classic Lemaire, to bring it back to fight for 2nd from there,” and “Getting 2nd place was all Lemaire’s skill.”
Future Challenges: The Gate and Being a “Tokyo Specialist”
Ultimately securing second place, Costanova once again proved its immense talent. However, comments from fans like “Strong, but the gate is a lottery” and “This is why it’s so hard to bet on this kind of horse” highlight that overcoming its gate issues is essential for consistent performance.
Additionally, remarks such as “It’s a Tokyo-only horse with a terrible temperament, lol” and “You shouldn’t bet on ‘Nova anywhere but Tokyo” suggest a strong belief that the horse only managed to catch up because of the long straight at the Fuchu course. This perceived course dependency is seen as another challenge.
Despite being rated as having G1-level ability, its starts are far too unreliable. For fans, Costanova is becoming a horse they can’t take their eyes off, due to its combination of incredible strength and thrilling unpredictability.
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