Japan Horse Racing Tips-Umanity.jp

After five consecutive weeks of Grade 1 racing in Tokyo recently, there has been a slight lull in the top-class action here in Japan, but this coming Sunday (June 26) it returns in the form of the Takarazuka Kinen, to be run at Hanshin Racecourse over 2,200 meters on the inner turf track. It is one of the two so-called ‘All-Star’ races in a year, where racing fans get to vote for the horses they want to see competing against each other. It is a race for 3-year-olds and up, and there is a maximum field size of 18. There are 20 horses nominated for this week’s Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen.

The race was first run in 1960, when the distance was 1,800 meters, but in 1966 it was extended to the 2,200 meters the race is run over today. It was open to foreign trained horses in 1997, and the last overseas challenger was Werther from Hong Kong in 2018. There will be no runners from abroad this time.

This year will see the 63rd running of the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen, and as with other recent big races, it’s shaping up to be a truly competitive field. Race favorites have found it tough to win in the past ten years, with just three of them returning to the winner’s enclosure. The race has, however, favored 5-year-olds, who have won seven times in the past decade. The last three years, a filly or mare has won, taking their overall tally of wins in the race to six.

Weights are set at 58kg for 4-year-olds and up, with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares, and any 3-year-old taking on the race gets to run with 53kg, an attractive weight advantage. Record time for the race was set by Earnestly in 2011, winning in a time of 2 minutes 10.1 seconds. This year’s winner’s check is JPY200 million (just under USD2 million). The winner of this year’s Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen also receives an automatic entry to Australia’s Cox Plate (won by Lys Gracieux in 2019) and the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland in November.

The big race will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Hanshin, with a post time locally of 15:40. Final declarations and the barrier draw will come out later in the week.

Here is a look at some of the runners expected to feature in the race:

Titleholder: This year’s Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) winner looks perfectly at home at Hanshin, running away with his latest win by seven lengths, and the 4-year-old colt by Duramente came out on top of the fans’ poll, demonstrating the respect he commands. Trainer Toru Kurita said: “On his return to the training center on June 1, he looked well and refreshed, and probably better all round than he did when he returned before the Tenno Sho. He has been moving well in his recent training.” The trainer’s two Grade 1 victories have come with Titleholder, and jockey Kazuo Yokoyama, who has ridden him in his last three races, is set to take the ride again.

Efforia: With six wins from eight starts, last year’s Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and Grade 1 Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) winner was looking to continue his success into 2022, but only managed to finish ninth in this April’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai over 2,000 meters at Hanshin, his worst result ever. However, trainer Yuichi Shikato thought that things went against him in that race. “He had the long transportation to the track last time, together with the accident at the gate and the flow of the race itself wasn’t helpful, so things didn’t really go his way,” the trainer said. “He came back to the stable from Northern Farm Tenei on June 2, and looks a lot tighter than he did before his break. This season is also better for him, and he’s shown enough in his work so far.” Jockey Takeshi Yokoyama has ridden the Epiphaneia colt in all his races so far, and will partner him again on Sunday.

Deep Bond: The 5-year-old by Kizuna remains very competitive, as could be seen from his effort right up to the end last time in the Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring), where he managed to finish second to Titleholder. He has always finished in the first two at Hanshin, so a big run can be expected this time too. Trainer Ryuji Okubo said: “He was beaten into second last time, and the riderless horse didn’t help things in the run. He still ran well and finished ahead of T O Royal in the end. After giving him a rest, we have had this race as his next target.”

Daring Tact: Having had her first run in over a year in last month’s Grade 1 Victoria Mile, the 5-year-old mare still managed to put in a creditable run to finish sixth. “She was coming back after her long layoff last time, and it was a tough mile race,” trainer Haruki Sugiyama commented. “There had been quite a lot of rain before the race, and she drew the inside gate which wasn’t to her advantage. She still ran well, putting in a final three-furlong time of just over 33 seconds. I thought it was a good run, considering everything, and her legs were fine after the race.” Jockey Kohei Matsuyama is bidding for his sixth career JRA Grade 1 win, with three of them achieved already on Daring Tact.

Authority: After a successful campaign in Saudi Arabia and Dubai earlier this year, where the 5-year-old won and finished third in his respective races (the latter in the Grade 1 Dubai Sheema Classic), he’s now set for his next challenge in this Sunday’s big race. Assistant trainer Yu Ota said: “He has been racing well this year, so it’s been good to use him constantly. He is looking just a little heavy at the moment, so I hope he’ll adjust to things in his fast work from now. We will just have to see how he does racing right-handed in this next race.” Jockey Christophe Lemaire gets on well with him and takes the ride again on Sunday.

Potager: Causing a bit of an upset last time when he won the Grade 1 Osaka Hai over 2,000 meters at Hanshin in April, the 5-year-old by Deep Impact has now won three times at Hanshin from his six career victories overall. Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi has a lot of skill when it comes to having a horse just right for a big race. He recently commented on Potager: “There wasn’t much time between his races in the spring, but he kept his condition well. He ran on from the back of the field in the Kinko Sho, but in the Osaka Hai, he demonstrated how he could run from a more forward position and get a good result. It was decided then to give him a break and bring him back for this race.” The trainer is seeking his 17th JRA Grade 1 victory, and he’s already scored twice at the top level this year.

Panthalassa: From the all-conquering stable of trainer Yoshito Yahagi, Panthalassa’s tough front-running style has won him two races already this year, namely the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen over 1,800 meters in February, and the Grade 1 Dubai Turf over 1,800 meters in March. He will have to see out an extra 400 meters this time, but the 5-year-old looks capable of a big run this time too. Assistant trainer Yusaku Oka said: “He seems well enough after his overseas trip, and his return to the stable after a stay at the farm. His work on the uphill training track recently has been smooth, and things should be fine with him as we work him more.”

Stay Foolish: From the same stable as Panthalassa, the 7-year-old by Stay Gold is showing that age is not an issue, nor long distance travel, with his two wins earlier this year in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Forcing the pace in one of them, and being well forward in the other, he proved impossible to stop in both races over long distances. “He returned from the Yamamoto Training Center to the stable on June 9, and everything seems fine with him,” assistant trainer Yusaku Oka said. “He ran well in Saudi and Dubai over the long trips, but this time it’ll be shorter, so we’ll just have to see how he adjusts to the distance.”

Arrivo: The 4-year-old colt by Duramente has been showing improvement, and he now has five wins from his eleven career races to date. His most recent third place finish in the Grade 1 Osaka Hai in April was arguably his best ever race. Trainer Haruki Sugiyama said: “He had won some handicap races away from the big tracks, but I was a little uncertain about how he might perform last time, given the gradient at Hanshin, but he ran well, and there wasn’t much in it between him and the winner. He was tired after that race, but he recovered quickly and we could consider this next race for him.” This year’s Derby winning jockey, Yutaka Take, is set for the ride on Arrivo.

On June 18, the final day of five at Royal Ascot, Grenadier Guards, Japan’s second runner to the entire event this year, was unable to get as close to the front as Shahryar had earlier in the week in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

Grenadier Guards, a 4-year-old son of Frankel, was also Japan’s second entrant ever (the first was 17 years ago) in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes, a Grade 1 competition over 1,200 meters of turf on the Ascot straight course.

Away at 4:20 p.m. (local time) Saturday afternoon, Grenadier Guards, partnered with Cristian Demuro, had given trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida moments of hope with a furlong to go, but then sank back to finish 19th among the field of 24 runners.

Two 4-year-olds, the Great Britain-bred colt Naval Crown and the Irish-bred gelding Creative Force ruled the day, with a one-two finish for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, who bagged his fourth win in this year’s Royal Ascot.

Naval Crown, breaking from the No. 20 gate, raced prominently on the near side of the righthanded track, while stablemate Creative Force, who departed from the No. 1 gate, quickly moved to the center, and with 2 furlongs to go made good headway and took the lead just past the furlong mark.

In a thrilling finish, however, he was headed in the final strides by stablemate Naval Crown, a longshot and, like Grenadier Guards, a relative newcomer to sprints. Japan’s challenger also raced in the center, but toward the rear. Urged on by Demuro about 2 furlongs out, he responded well, only to weaken inside the final furlong.

Grenadier Guards, who had accompanied Shahryar to England and had been housed with him at the stables of Roger Varian since May 31, was racing under 59.5 kg, his heaviest assigned weight to date by 2.5 kg.

The top two finishers are both by Dubawi, with winner Naval Crown clocking 1 minute 12.17 seconds under James Doyle, and runnerup Creative Force following him over the line a neck later under William Buick. Three-quarters of a length behind them were two in a deadheat for third -- Australia’s Artorius under Jamie Spencer and the U.S.-trained filly Campanelle, with Irad Ortiz Jr. up.

The ground and the distance were the main factors cited in Grenadier Guard’s disappointing showing. “The ground on the inside was a lot tougher than I’d imagined it would be,” said Demuro. “And it seemed like it was a lot more difficult to run on. It was soft and not suited to this horse.”

Grenadier Guards ran under the No. 10 but had been assigned the No. 4 gate and ran in the inside group of 15. “The outside ground may have made for an easier trip,” Demuro said. “He wasn’t in bad shape, but I do think the 1,200 meters was a bit busy for him.”

Watching the race, Nakauchida’s hopes had risen, only to be dashed. “For a moment there when he was moving up, I thought ‘Oh!’ but the ground he’d quickly gained was just as quickly lost in the end. It was unfortunate but only because I’d had my expectations up.”

Nakauchida’s sentiments echoed the rider’s. “I do think a big factor was the distance and 6 furlongs looks to have been too busy for him. Also, the ground wasn’t to his liking. He prefers a much harder track. Though the ground was officially “good to firm,” it was still relatively soft compared to Japan. “In Japan,” Nakauchida said, “it would have been considered ‘slightly heavy.’

“Nonetheless, this time, we took on the challenge knowing there were a lot of things that could only be known by giving it a try. It’s been a good experience.”

It was the first overseas excursion for the Northern Farm-bred Grenadier Guards, who races under the Sunday Racing colors. It was the fifth Grade 1 bid for the bay colt, who claimed the 2020 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1, 1,600, Hanshin). He was coming off a 12th-place in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1, 1,200, Chukyo), which had been his first test over 6 furlongs.

The Platinum Jubilee Stakes dates back to 1868 and the race name changes to commemorate the queen’s reign. In 2005 the race was held at York Racecourse due to construction at Ascot, and the race was called the Golden Jubilee Stakes. That year saw Japan’s only previous runner, the Hideyuki Mori-trained Keeneland Swan, finish 10th under Andreas Suborics.

Shahryar, Japan’s first of two participants in this year’s Royal Ascot, made a bid to land the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on June 15. Though the 2021 Japanese Derby winner was unable to secure a placing, his fourth-place finish did best Japan’s prior three attempts in the Grade 1 turf event.

The 1,990-meter race that carries JPY92 million winner’s prize is held at Ascot Racecourse, and took place on the second day of the five-day, 35-race gala that is Royal Ascot.

Shahryar, who was returning to the turf nearly three months from his win of the Grade 1 Dubai Sheema Classic over 2,410 meters at Meydan, was Japan’s 11th horse to Royal Ascot since the first in 2000, when Agnes World took on the Grade 1 King’s Stand Stakes. His second-place finish still stands as Japan’s best overall result in the seven races contested thus far.

Wednesday afternoon saw clear skies with the going fast for the start of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, the day’s third race. Shahryar looked a bit feisty in the pre-parade ring, but loaded quietly and broke well under jockey Cristian Demuro.

Lord North, who loaded last wearing a blindfold, lost considerable ground when the gate opened but Frankie Dettori struggled for nearly three seconds to get the headgear off. State of Rest went straight to the lead, with Shahryar close behind, looking good and travelling perhaps a bit too eagerly just outside the leader on the right-handed track.

Into the stretch, however, Shahryar was already showing signs of tiring and was soon passed by favorite Bay Bridge under jockey Ryan Moore. The eventual runner-up was unable to get ahead of State of Rest, who finished a length in front.
Shahryar had battled bravely up the stiff climb from two furlongs out, but was unable to hold off Grand Glory, who finished in third place 2 1/4 lengths behind Bay Bridge. Shahryar, determined to the end, was over the line a head later.

“I had anticipated that the pace would be slow, so the jockey and I discussed it and we considered taking the lead,” trainer Hideaki Fujiwara commented after the race. “I think he looked good under way, but wouldn’t respond in the final stage. It may have been due to the Ascot hill and that may take some getting used to.”

Fujiwara added, “We took this on as a challenge this time and of course hoped to win, but we also wanted to see what kind of performance he would give.”

After work on the 11th, Demuro had cited the colt’s good balance and how he thought that would help him over the course’s undulations, but it proved not to suffice.

“This horse felt really good up to the final turn,” the jockey said. “In the stretch, however, even though he switched leads, he didn’t quicken as much as I thought he would. In the end, he had his head up and seemed to be feeling the strain.”

Fujiwara gave a moment to recognize all those involved in Shahryar’s excursion. “I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the people who supported us,” he said. “The owner, my staff who worked so hard to get the horse ready, the Roger Varian stable, where we were looked after, and all the fans who gave Shahryar their support. Thank you very much.”

Fourth favorite Songline bounced back from her latest Victoria Mile (G1, 1,600m) fifth-place finish to land her first G1 victory in this year’s Yasuda Kinen. Finishing a nose second to Schnell Meister in last year’s NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1,600m), the Kizuna filly turned the tables this time holding off the German-bred colt by a neck. Following the 2021 Fuji Stakes (G2, 1,600m) and this year’s 1351 Turf Sprint (G3), this marks the filly’s third grade-race title. Winning trainer Toru Hayashi, who opened his yard in 2018, celebrates his fifth grade-race victory and first JRA-G1 title while jockey Kenichi Ikezoe has now 27 G1 wins—his latest was with Gran Alegria in the 2020 Yasuda Kinen.
After breaking sharply from stall 13, Songline was settled behind Salios and in front of Schnell Meister in mid-pack as the field cruised down the backstretch in a leisurely pace. Making headway while shifting to the outside before the last corner, the Kizuna filly unleashed a good and tenacious stretch drive, finally catching Salios in the last half furlong and held off Schnell Meister, who dug in with great force from behind, to clear the wire first.

“I’m just relieved and happy that I was able to live up to the team’s expectations. It was a tight schedule for the filly but the staff at the stables prepared her remarkably. She broke well and I decided to settle her behind Salios who rushed up in front of us. Trying not to make the same mistake as last time, we made an early bid before the last corner and she responded well and stretched all the way for a strong finish,” commented Kenichi Ikezoe.

Second pick and G1 winner Schnell Meister broke well but was settled in mid-division under jockey Christophe Lemaire after a bit keen in the backstretch. Boxed in after rounding for home, the son of Kingman struggled to find room climbing the hill and finally shot out between horses to overtake Salios at the same time Songline did on the other side but was a neck short in second.

Eighth favorite Salios, under Damian Lane, took a wide trip around seventh just in front of the eventual winner, responded well to rally for the lead but weakened in the last 100 meters and gave way to Songline and then the fast-closing Schnell Meister in the last strides for third.

Race favorite Elusive Panther trailed near the rear before hitting the straight in a wide move and quickened in the last 200 meters while clocking the fastest late kick but had too much ground to make up and finished eighth.

Other Horses:
4th: (15) Serifos—sat near eventual winner, showed effort but failed to close in on leaders
5th: (7) Fine Rouge—ran forwardly around 5th, ran willingly while no match for top finishers
6th: (4) Danon the Kid—stalked leader in 2nd, took lead 300m out, weakened in last 100m
7th: (10) Air Lolonois—positioned near rear, angled out, showed fastest late drive but belatedly
9th: (18) Naran Huleg—unhurried around 15th, passed tiring rivals at stretch
10th: (3) Lotus Land—raced around 9th, struggled to find clear path at early stretch, even paced
11th: (16) Resistencia—rallied for lead but eased back to 5-6th, ran gamely until 100m out
12th: (5) Ho O Amazon—set pace, showed tenacity on rails until 200m marker, weakened thereafter
13th: (14) Soul Rush—traveled around 13th, showed response but met traffic 200m out, lost momentum
14th: (12) Diatonic—tracked leaders around 3rd while keen to go, outrun in last 200m
15th: (2) Vin de Garde—saved ground around 7th, lacked needed kick
16th: (6) Karate—took economic trip around 10th, showed little at stretch
17th: (1) Cafe Pharoah—chased leaders around 3rd, faded after 200m pole
18th: (11) Catedral—was off a bit slow, trailed in rear, no factor