Ascoli Piceno (horse)

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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7]