Japan Horse Racing Tips-Umanity.jp|QUEEN STAKES(G3) is held this weekend

This coming Sunday (June 27) rounds out the Grade 1 action for the first half of the year in Japan, and after some great racing at Tokyo in May and early June, Hanshin Racecourse will be the venue for this week’s Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen. One of two races in the year where horses are elected by votes from the fans, this year’s top choice for the early summer race goes to Chrono Genesis, who attracted just over 137,000 votes.

The first Takarazuka Kinen was run in 1960, when the distance was 1,800 meters, but in 1966 it was first run over 2,200 meters, which remains the distance today. It’s a race for 3-year-olds and up, but the former have only been able to enter the race since 2001, and no 3-year-old has ever won the race. It became an international contest in 1997, and the last runner from overseas was Werther from Hong Kong in 2018, who put in a bold showing to take second place. There will be no runners from abroad this year, but the winner gets the chance to travel to the Breeders’ Cup Longines Turf at Del Mar in November, as well as an automatic entry to the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, a race won by Lys Gracieux in 2019.

There have been 15 nominations for the big race this week, including five fillies and mares who get to claim the 2kg allowance. A number of the runners are coming off runs in the Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3,200 meters at Hanshin in May, and also the Grade 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin over 2,000 meters in April. Just two first favorites have won the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen in the past ten years (the latest was Gold Ship in 2014), and 5-year-olds have had the best record during the same time period, winning six times. Record time for the race still belongs to Earnestly, who won in a time of 2 minutes 10.1 seconds back in 2011. This year’s winner’s check is JPY150 million (about USD1.5 million).

Final declarations and the barrier draw will be available later in the week, and the 62nd running of the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Hanshin, with a post time here in Japan of 15:40.

Here’s a look at some of the runners expected to play a part in the race:

Chrono Genesis: Last year’s winner by six lengths is back for another try, and is bidding to become just the second horse in the history of the race to win in consecutive years (Gold Ship was the other one to do so, winning in 2013 and 2014). She is also looking to become just the sixth filly or mare to win since the race was established in 1960. Only unplaced once in 14 starts, which have included 7 wins, there’s a lot going for her again here, and her trainer Takashi Saito is pleased with her preparations so far. “She got bumped quite badly last time in the Dubai Sheema Classic and it was an unlucky race for her, but she still ran well. Having returned and completed quarantine at Miki Horseland Park, she then went to Northern Farm Shigaraki to settle back in on her return. She came back to the stable on June 2, and in her first piece of work after that, she seemed a little heavy, but soon got switched on in her usual way of doing things,” said the trainer. In the absence of the injured Yuichi Kitamura, leading jockey Christophe Lemaire will ride Chrono Genesis for the first time in the race, and after his first contact with the horse in training on the woodchip course at Ritto recently, he commented: “She seems in great shape, and it’s important that she runs in a relaxed way, which she seems to do off a normal pace.”

Lei Papale: The unbeaten 4-year-old filly by Deep Impact remains very much on an upward curve, as could be seen from her latest Grade 1 win in the Osaka Hai over 2,000 meters at Hanshin in April, to give her three victories at the Hanshin track from her total of six altogether. She would certainly be one of the main threats to Chrono Genesis. Trainer Tomokazu Takano said, “There was some concern with the ground last time, but she went straight to the front and ran very cleverly to go on and win well. I put a lot of that down to the jockey’s efforts. After that, the horse had a break at Northern Farm Shigaraki, and she has recovered from her last race quite quickly and looks to be in good condition.” Her regular jockey Yuga Kawada will once again be in the saddle.

Aristoteles: The Northern Farm bred 4-year-old colt is yet to win a Grade 1 race, but is knocking on the door, and ran a respectable race last time to finish fourth to World Premiere in the Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3,200 meters at Hanshin in early May. It also has to be remembered how close he came to beating Contrail in last year’s Grade 1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger). Assistant trainer Kenichi Shono said: “He found a good position in the race last time and ran well enough with a good rhythm. He’s had a rest at the farm, but since his return to the stable on May 25, he’s looking refreshed, and we’ll get him tuned up as the race approaches.” Four-time winner of the Takarazuka Kinen, Yutaka Take has been booked for the ride on the son of Epiphaneia.

Curren Bouquetd'or: Coming off a third-place finish in the Tenno Sho (Spring), the 5-year-old mare was once again out of luck as she put in another big run trying to gain her first Grade 1 success. Among the seven second place finishes in her career, she can count the 2019 Grade 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and 2019 Grade 1 Japan Cup among them. Trainer Sakae Kunieda still has plenty of faith in her and hopes that this Sunday could be her day. “Last time she pressed on at the end to try and win the race, but just got caught and had to settle for third. It was her first time over 3,200 meters, and she did pull a bit. The shorter distance will suit, and she showed she can handle the Hanshin track in that last run,” said the trainer.

Mozu Bello: For a horse that sold at a very reasonable price at the 2017 Hokkaido Select Sale, the 5-year-old by Deep Brillante has repaid his owners, Capital System Co. Ltd., handsomely, with prize money close to a twentyfold return on his purchase price. He’s a tough character, and although his outright win percentage might not be the best, he’s capable of producing runs similar to his last race, when he finished second to Lei Papale in the Grade 1 Osaka Hai back in April. Trainer Naoyuki Morita commented: “He’s had his break at the farm, and there’s no change with him after coming back to the stable. He’s worked well uphill at his own pace since returning. We’ll give him a stronger workout closer to the race.”

Kiseki: Another horse that luck doesn’t grace often enough, the now 7-year-old Kiseki is looking for his first win since his victory in the 2017 Grade 1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), although he has finished second five times since then, including the 2019 and 2020 Takarazuka Kinen races. He last ran a gallant fourth in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hong Kong in April. His new trainer, Yasuyuki Tsujino, is getting the horse ready for his fourth try at this week’s big race. “In Hong Kong last time, breaking a little slower than some of the others, he settled on the inside and was ridden patiently. He rallied well at the end to beat Exultant, which was impressive. On his return to Japan, he’s recovered quickly and is showing his usual tough spirit,” said the trainer.

Form and effort were not enough for France Go de Ina from Japan, who came in last out of eight in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 5, at Belmont Park in New York.

Betting favorite Essential Quality won the final race of the American Triple Crown over Hot Rod Charlie by a length and a quarter after a duel down the homestretch. The Brad Cox-trained colt cut a time of 2 minutes, 27.11 seconds over 2,400 meters. It was the first Triple Crown victory for Cox.

A pure dirt runner through his six career starts, France Go de Ina, trained by Hideyuki Mori, was coming off seventh place in the Preakness on May 15 at Pimlico, the second leg of the series. He was only the second Japan-based horse to run in the race after Lani in 2016.

For Saturday, there was a change in hands from Joel Rosario to Ricardo Santana, Jr., who pushed France Go de Ina - who went off at odds of 27-1 - from the start of the 153rd Belmont Stakes to keep up with Hot Rod Charlie and Rock Your World.

That which France Go de Ina managed to do until the far turn, where he appeared to lose steam as Luis Saez made his move to nudge Essential Quality towards the front. A crack from Santana’s whip made little difference as the eventual winner and Hot Rod Charlie turned it into a match race. Third-place Rombauer, winner of the Preakness, lagged more than 11 lengths behind.

By the time the rest of the field turned for home, France Go de Ina was well out of the picture. Santana then eased him in.

Both Santana and Mori had been confident about the France Go de Ina’s fitness but it appears the added distance of 500 meters doomed him.

“The horse was in fine condition and hustled from the gate but it looked like he just wore out in the end. As the jockey said, I’m getting the feeling 1,600 meters is the limit,” Mori said.

“He doesn’t like being covered in sand so we had him go from the beginning. But in hindsight it drove up the pace, making it a very tough race for him. He was OK afterwards though. No problems from what I saw.”

Added Santana, “He was in really good form and we got off to a good start. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a difficult race for him with others we had to chase. But he ran as hard as he could. Personally, I think he’s better off around a mile.”

France Go de Ina’s next start remains to be seen. He arrived in the United States on May 5, quarantined in Los Angeles and arrived at Pimlico three days later. Before flying stateside from Japan, he raced in the UAE Derby on March 27 - his first graded race - in which he was sixth out of 14.

France Go de Ina, by Unbridled’s Song’s son Will Take Charge out of Dreamy Blues, was purchased at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale for $100,000.

He races under the colors of Yuji Inaida.

Eighth Favorite Danon Kingly crushed defending champion Gran Alegria’s high hopes of a consecutive Yasuda Kinen title in a close finish at the wire to score his first and much awaited grade one victory. The son of Deep Impact kicked off his career with three back-to-back wins, in which one was the Kyodo News Hai (G3), before turning in a third in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, G1, 2,000m) and a second in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400m) in 2019. Although adding two graded titles thereafter—the Mainichi Okan (G2, 1,800m) that year and the Nakayama Kinen (G2, 1,800m) the following season—third in the Osaka Hai (2,000m) last year was his best finish in all of the other G1 challenges that followed and the dark bay was given a long break after running a disappointing 12th in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1, 2,000m) last November. Trainer Kiyoshi Hagiwara has notched his fourth JRA-G1 victory—his latest was with Normcore in the 2019 Victoria Mile. Jockey Yuga Kawada now has three Yasuda Kinen trophies on his shelf—the first two were with Maurice (2015) and Satono Aladdin (2017)—he now has a total of 18 JRA-G1 wins while his latest was the Osaka Hai on board Lei Papale.

Breaking from stall 11, five-year-old Danon Kingly traveled two-wide in mid-pack a couple of lengths in front of the favorite while Daiwa Cagney led the field in front. Still near the rear at the final bend, the son of Deep Impact took a center-lane path and unleashed a determined stretch run climbing the Tokyo course hill to finally draw even with Indy Champ and Schnell Meister at the front along with Gran Alegria who also came looming up from the inside 100 meters out. While Indy Champ and Schnell Meister weakened after a brief rally in the final strides, Danon Kingly narrowly held off the strong challenge from the defending champion by a head margin.

‟He felt a bit tense first entering the track but he had good rhythm during the trip and had plenty of horse left. He responded just as I hoped turning the last corner and ran well after that. Although he hasn’t been able to put in the best results in the past, he has definitely demonstrated his true strength today and I’m happy to have been a part of it in my first time in the saddle,” commented Yuga Kawada.

On target to notch her second Yasuda Kinen title, clear favorite Gran Alegria was reserved fourth from the rear and found herself trapped behind a wall of horses in the straight. The only mare contender finally weaved through horses with the fastest stretch speed to reach contention in the last half furlong and dug in fiercely but was too late and succumbed to second.

Three-year-old and fourth pick Schnell Meister took a wide trip down the backstretch sitting outside 2019 Yasuda Kinen champion Indy Champ while gradually making headway up to fifth before hitting the top of the stretch. With the eventual winner on his outside and runner-up behind him, this year’s NHK Mile Cup winner ran strongly to reach the front 100 meters out and joined a brief rally with three older foes but lacked the final kick and was a 1/2-length from the runner-up in third.

Other Horses:
4th: (8) Indy Champ—settled around 5th, advanced smoothly to take command 200m out, weakened in last 100m
5th: (9) Taurus Gemini—stalked leader in 2nd, showed tenacity after overtaken by top 4 finishers in last 200m
6th: (10) Cadenas—trailed near rear, entered lane in last, showed belated charge
7th: (6) Danon Premium—chased leaders around 3rd along rails, ran gamely until 100m out
8th: (1) Salios—hugged rails around 9th inside eventual winner, met traffic 200m out, accelerated thereafter
9th: (2) Gibeon—saved ground around 5th, showed effort until 200m out, weakened
10th: (12) Cadence Call—sat 3-wide around 9th outside heavy favorite, lacked needed kick
11th: (3) Daiwa Cagney—set pace, sustained lead until 200m pole, fell back thereafter
12th: (14) Catedral—traveled 3-wide around 12th, even paced after turning home
13th: (4) Karate—took economic trip around 12th, showed little at stretch
14th: (7) Lauda Sion—tracked leaders around 3rd, checked 200m out and faded

This coming Sunday, June 6, the Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen wraps up six straight Sundays of top-level racing before a two-week break until the Takarazuka Kinen, the Japan Racing Association’s Grade 1 finale for the year’s first half. The Yasuda Kinen is a 1,600-meter turf competition open to 3-year-olds and up staged at Tokyo Racecourse.

The Yasuda Kinen attracts the best milers, not only from Japan but also from overseas. The 71st running of the race, however, will be an all-Japan event with 15 nominees ranging in age from 3 to 7, among them six Grade 1 winners and two previous Yasuda Kinen champions. Two females will also be in the mix, one of them five-time G1 champion Gran Alegria and winner of the Victoria Mile on May 16.

Gran Alegria, who won the Yasuda Kinen last year, is on target to go to the gate as the race favorite and, with the stellar performances females have given in the race’s last three runnings, her outlook is bright. Of the total eight fillies and mare participating in 2018, 2019 and 2020, only two have not made the top three spots. Last year, third-place finisher Indy Champ prevented the girls from making it a clean sweep, as Gran Alegria, Almond Eye and Normcore made it home in first, second and fourth.

The Yasuda Kinen carries a purse of nearly JPY282 million, with JPY130 million going to the winner. The race record of 1 minute 30.9 seconds was set by Indy Champ in 2019. 4-year-olds and up carry 58 kg, 3-year-olds carry 54 kg, and females are given a 2kg allowance. The Yasuda Kinen is the 11th race on the Sunday card at Tokyo. Post time is 3:40 p.m.

Here’s a look at the expected popular picks:

Gran Alegria: A 5-year-old daughter of Deep Impact, Gran Alegria has shown brightly throughout her career. Nine of her 12 career starts have been Grade 1 events, five of them at Tokyo. She has won mile-long G1 races for four times - the 2019 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), the 2020 Yasuda Kinen and Mile Championship and this year’s Victoria Mile, which she won by 4 lengths under 55 kg. This time she’ll carry 56 kg, but she did it last year beating Almond Eye by 2 1/2 lengths. The weight shouldn’t be a problem, but the tight rotation (her tightest ever) does give cause for concern. Last year she took on the Yasuda Kinen fresh, having had more than two months off since the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. Almond Eye, whom she beat, was coming off a win of the Victoria Mile, as Gran Alegria is this year. Gran Alegria’s trainer, the Miho-based Kazuo Fujisawa, is looking to notch his fourth win of the Yasuda Kinen. Jockey Christophe Lemaire, who has won the race once before, in 2018 aboard Mozu Ascot, is pegged for the ride,

Salios: Also based at Miho is the 4-year-old colt Salios, being given only his second race of the year and after posting 5-5 in his last two starts, the Mile Championship last fall, and the Osaka Hai in early April. Trainer Noriyuki Hori debuted Salios over the mile and the son of Heart’s Cry scored three wins straight, all over the distance and including the Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity States. Continuing on the Classic path, he finished second in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) to Contrail. Back at the mile in November, Salios met Gran Alegria for the first time, in the Mile Championship. He missed the break, raced from the rear, and finished fifth 0.4 seconds off winner Gran Alegria. In the Osaka Hai, jockey Kohei Matsuyama did a good job of keeping the colt close to the pace, but was beaten to fifth place by 6 lengths off the winner. This time, with a return to the Tokyo mile, over which Salios has won twice, and Matsuyama set to ride again, the winner’s circle may be within grasp. Salios will, however, be racing under 58 kg, his heaviest to date by 1 kg, and 3 kg more than he has won under yet. Trainer Hori ties Kazuo Fujisawa with three wins of the Yasuda Kinen.

Schnell Meister: The only 3-year-old in the field, the Kingman-sired Schnell Meister will go up against older horses for the first time in his still-young career. Only his fifth start, the Yasuda Kinen is a big step up after the NHK Mile Cup, which he won by a nose under jockey Christophe Lemaire. Here, Schnell Meister will definitely have the weight advantage, a full 3 kg less than he ran under in the NHK Mile Cup and the lightest since his debut. Though Schnell Meister made second in the 2,000-meter Grade 2 Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen, his three wins have all been in the 1,500-1,600 range. Trainer Takahisa Tezuka, based at Miho, says his colt spent some time at the farm after his G1 win. “He’s mentally mature and shows no signs of fatigue or wear and tear. This is his second time at Tokyo. I expect to see improvement. Even with his weight advantage, there’s a very strong contender, so I’m hoping he’ll rise to the challenge.” The last time a 3-year-old won the Yasuda Kinen was with Real Impact in 2011.

Indy Champ: Indy Champ is a 6-year-old by Stay Gold, who excelled at distance, but Indy Champ’s dam was a successful sprinter and their son has proven highly consistent over anything from 1,200-1,800 meters, with seven of his eight wins coming over the mile. He won the 2019 Yasuda Kinen and finished in third place 3 lengths behind Gran Alegria here last year. He’s fresh, with only two other starts this year, his last a third in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. Most importantly, Indy Champ is an extremely reliable horse that has missed the top three spots only five times in his 20 starts thus far. He has missed the board only once. “Gran Alegria is strong, but this horse is proven at the mile,” says the Ritto-based trainer Hidetaka Otonashi. “He’s in good shape and with one final workout this week, he’ll be ready to go.” Six of Otonashi’s 13 Grade 1 wins have been over the mile.

Lauda Sion: A 4-year-old colt by Real Impact, Lauda Sion has been raced predominately over 1,200-1,400 meters and nine of his 12 starts have seen him make the top three spots. His four starts at the mile have brought him 8-1-2-15, including a win of last year’s NHK Mile Cup and a second in the Grade 2 Fuji Stakes at Tokyo last October. He is 1-1-2-1 at Tokyo and just won the Grade 2 Spring Cup over 1,400 meters on May 15 under jockey Mirco Demuro. The 58 kg he’ll be saddled with will be his heaviest weight ever. Demuro is expected up again and, just off his second win of the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), he’ll be gunning for his first Yasuda Kinen victory. “The jockey really knows him and did a great job. The turns aren’t tight and that makes racing easier for him at Tokyo,” trainer Takashi Saito commented.

Others to watch are:

Cadence Call ran second in the 2019 NHK Mile Cup, then slumped through the rest of the year, with his best finish a fifth place in eight starts. This year, he’s back with a vengeance, scoring 1-2-1 in his three starts, all at the graded-stakes level, two at the mile. Looking good in trackwork is Danon Premium, taking on his first race since returning from Hong Kong. He has posted an unusually poor 16-13 in his past two Yasuda starts, but in 2019 suffered serious interference, and last year he was just back from a brutal run down over a sloppy track. He has three wins over the mile, one in a Grade 3 at Tokyo. Danon Kingly finished seventh here last year 0.8 seconds behind the winner, but the 5-year-old son of Deep Impact has won three of his six Tokyo starts, including the Grade 2 Mainichi Okan and the Grade 3 Kyodo News Hai (Tokinominoru Kinen), both over 1,800 meters. Catedral, another son of Heart’s Cry, is 2-2 this year, both over the mile, one of them at Tokyo. Chronically late at the break, he finished in third a nose behind Cadence Call and ahead of Gran Alegria in the 2019 NHK Mile Cup. He’s not to be overlooked if he gets away smoothly.