Japan Horse Racing Tips-Umanity.jp|SATSUKI SHO(G1) is held this weekend

The Oka Sho, which is the first of the five JRA Classics held during the year, determines the champion three-year-old filly possessing the fastest speed running over 1,600 meters and serves as an opportunity to scout potential broodmare talents. The Japanese equivalent to the One Thousand Guineas originated in England, the Oka Sho was first held at Nakayama Racecourse in Chiba, run over 1,800 meters and under the name “Nakayama Yonsai Himba Tokubetsu”, then changed its distance and venue under the new name, “Oka Sho” (Oka, meaning cherry flower which is in full bloom at this time of the season). With the entire graded races opening its doors to foreign-trained horses in 2010, the three-year-old Classics including this race entered a new phase with international G1 status. While speed is a much required ability to win this race, the extension of the homestretch as well as a deeper turf surface and an uphill stretch at Hanshin after the track renovation in 1991 has added “stamina” as an added qualification—a newly added outside turf track further extended the homestretch in 2006. The Oka Sho, together with the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m) and the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m), is also widely considered as the fillies’ version of the “Triple Crown”, a title which has been claimed by six fillies in the past including Almond Eye (JPN, by Lord Kanaloa) who concluded her stellar career with her ninth G1 triumph in the Japan Cup (G1, 2,400m) and Daring Tact (JPN, by Epiphaneia) who became the first undefeated filly to complete the sweep last year. 2020 Best Two-Year-Old Filly Sodashi and Satono Reinas, who finished first and second, respectively, in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1, 1,600m, Dec.13), commenced the current season with this race. Those who earned their tickets to run the first leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown in three trials were: from the Tulip Sho (G2, 1,600m; Mar.6), Elizabeth Tower and Meikei Yell (dead-heat 1st), and Stutti (3rd); from the Anemone Stakes (Listed, 1,600m, Mar.14), Ginestra (2nd); and from the Fillies’ Revue (G2, 1,400m, Mar.14), Shigeru Pink Ruby (1st), Yoka Yoka (2nd) and Minnie Isle (3rd). The field also included Fine Rouge, winner of the Fairy Stakes (G3, 1,600m, Jan.11), Akaitorino Musume and Art de Vivre, the top two finishers of the Queen Cup (G3, 1,600m, Feb.13) in that order, and Ho O Ixelles, victor of the Flower Cup (G3, 1,800m, Mar.20).

2020 JRA Award Best Two-Year-Old Filly Sodashi claimed the first jewel of the fillies’ Triple Crown, the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) with intimidating speed at 1:31.1, breaking the track record set by Black Moon in 2017. The undefeated daughter of Kurofune, who has extended her winning streak to five, is the first white horse in JRA history ever to claim a classics title while she becomes the first Best Two-Year-Old Filly in 11 years to win the Oka Sho. This is the first JRA-G1 title for both trainer
Naosuke Sugai and jockey Hayato Yoshida since their triumph with the filly in last year’s Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. While Sugai now boasts 13 JRA-G1 wins and Yoshida has now three, Yoshida also celebrates capturing his first classic title.Sent off a close second favorite, Sodashi broke sharply but settled patiently on the rails behind the pace briefly set by Stutti and then Meikei Yell who soon took over the lead. After entering the straight still in third, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies victor had no trouble pinning the two in front and easily powered clear 300 meters out, holding off the fierce challenges from Satono Reinas and Fine Rouge for a neck victory.“It’s a great feeling. There was a lot of pressure with many doubting how strong a white filly could be, so I’m thrilled we were able to prove them wrong. I was a bit worried that the fast track would be a disadvantage, but she responded beautifully and ran well holding off the others closing in on us which I saw and made me drive her to the wire. Her potential is limitless and I look forward to her future starts,” jockey Hayato Yoshida commented after the race. Race favorite Satono Reinas was off slow after breaking from the farthest outside stall and sat near the rear unable to improve position in tight quarters. As the field straightened away, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies runner-up finally found room shifting to the outside before the furlong marker and with an explosive turn of foot, closed furiously with the fastest stretch speed in threatening the winner but was a neck too late at the wire and was second.Eighth pick and Fairy Stakes winner Fine Rouge closely stalked Sodashi running the rails and chasing her into the stretch, and accelerated powerfully but was caught by the fast-closing Satono Reinas in the final strides to finish a half-length behind the runner-up in third.Other Horses: 4th: (5) Akaitorino Musume—sat outside winner around 3rd, chased front two runners in last 100m but overtaken by Satono Reinas before wire 5th: (10) Art de Vivre—raced around 8th, switched to outside, showed effort but no match for top finishers 6th: (7) Kukuna—trailed in far rear, showed 2nd fastest late kick but belatedly 7th: (6) Stutti—set pace early until first 700m, led again at early stretch, outrun in last 200m 8th: (9) Enthusiasm—traveled around 11th, driven and sustained bid but unable to threaten 9th: (17) Ho O Ixelles—positioned 3-wide around 15th, angled out, passed tired rivals10th: (14) Minnie Isle—settled around 13th, showed effort until 100m marker 11th: (11) Ginestra—tracked leader in 2nd or 3rd, gradually fell back after final corner 12th: (1) Stripe—saved ground around 15th, lacked needed kick at stretch 13th: (13) Elizabeth Tower—raced 4-wide around 8th, checked by rival at early stretch, even paced 14th: (3) Blue Bird—took economic trip around 13th, failed to respond along rails 15th: (16) Songline—traveled 4-wide around 11th, never fired at stretch 16th: (15) Shigeru Pink Ruby—prominent early around 3rd, fell back after final corner 17th: (12) Yoka Yoka—sat 3-wide around 3rd, tired at top of stretch 18th: (8) Meikei Yell—was off a bit slow, advanced to lead, faded after 300m marker

This week, following a win of the Osaka Hai by a female for the second year in a row, the girls are once again in the spotlight. This time, however, they make up the entire field.
The top-level action remains at Hanshin for the 81st running of the fillies’ 3-year-old classic Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) on Sunday, April 11. The Grade 1 event is the first race in Japan’s filly triple crown and, at 1,600 meters, is the shortest of the three races (followed by the 2,400-meter Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) next month and the 2,000-meter Shuka Sho in October).
24 of Japan’s top fillies have been nominated to the Oka Sho gate and 18 will make the cut. The winner’s prize is JPY105 million.
The final field should boast three of the top four finishers in the Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies last December and no matter what the racing action, the Oka Sho will look like it’s straight from a fairytale, thanks to an appearance by the unbeaten stunning white filly Sodashi. She’ll likely be the race favorite and will be meeting Juvenile Fillies runnerup Satono Reinas and fourth-place finisher Meikei Yell once again, as they try to turn the tables on her.
The Oka Sho is not one to favor the favorite. The race No. 1 choice has only won twice in the last 10 runnings and has only made the Top 3 five times. That said, double-digit picks have never won the race in the last decade and have only made the Top 3 twice in the same period.
All runners carry 55 kg. The Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) is the 11th race on Hanshin’s Sunday card of 12. Post time is 3:40 p.m. Gran Alegria set the current race record of 1:32.7 in 2019.
Following is a look at the expected top picks.

Sodashi - Sodashi is not only the field standout in looks, her record is a stellar 4 for 4, with two of those starts over 1,600 meters. She has a Grade 1 in her cap along with two Grade 3 victories, was awarded the JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly of 2020, is the first white horse to win a JRA top-level competition, and will be the first white horse to run in a Japan classic race. In addition, the daughter of Kurofune could become only the eighth filly in the history of the Oka Sho to bag the race unbeaten. Sodashi hasn’t raced in four months, not since the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, and a winner of that race hasn’t won the Oka Sho since Apapane in 2010. After returning to Ritto, Sodashi has trained primarily up the hill course, and on March 31 clocking 52.4 seconds over the four furlongs, with a final furlong in 11.8 seconds. “She can be overly sensitive, so we brought her back to the training center early and gave her gate practice and a hard workout last week,” said trainer Naosuke Sugai. “This week, I just plan to breeze her.” Expected to be in the saddle on Sunday is jockey Hayato Yoshida, currently No. 5 in the jockey standings and gunning for his first win of the Oka Sho.

Satono Reinas - Following Sodashi over the line in second in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies was Satono Reinas. She lost by a mere nose and that despite being slow out of the gate. But her speed in the final stage topped that of Sodashi’s and she was able to make up the lost ground. Though she debuted a month earlier than Sodashi, the Deep Impact-sired Satono Reinas has had only three starts, all over the mile, and from them a record of 1-1-2. Based at the Miho stable of trainer Sakae Kunieda, Satono Reinas worked on March 31 over the woodchip flat course under current leading jockey Christophe Lemaire. She looked powerful, clocking 64.4 seconds over five furlongs with Lemaire urging her on only a bit just before the finish. Satono Reinas is also unraced since the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, as Kunieda says he wanted to give her a rest. “She’d earned enough so I decided to give her some time off with an eye to this race,” Kunieda said. “She hasn’t changed that much physically from her last race, but she’s much more relaxed now and has matured mentally.” Nonetheless, the long trip from Miho to Hanshin was never a worry. Last time, Satono Reinas recorded no significant change in weight and remained calm throughout.

Meikei Yell - Meikei Yell suffered her first and only loss of her five-race career in her fourth start and first mile, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Drawn wide and missing the break, she was forced to race from much farther back than her usual fourth position. Able to make up ground, however, she finished only 0.2 seconds behind Sodashi in fourth place. Sired by Mikki Isle, who usually led the field in his races and captured two Grade 1s wire to wire, Meikei Yell took on the Grade 2 Tulip Sho at Hanshin on March 6 and finished in a dead heat with Elizabeth Tower. The biggest concern with Meikei Yell is her reluctance to settle. In the Tulip Sho, she traveled in fourth position but jumped into the lead early from the final turn. “She did a good job letting off some steam with that last start and that made her easier to prepare this time,” says trainer Hidenori Take. “I have no concerns about her physical condition, but key will be getting her to run more balanced.” With regular rider Yutaka Take sidelined with injuries, pegged for the ride is jockey Norihiro Yokoyama, who has 27 G1 wins to his name but has yet to notch the Oka Sho. “If Norihiro Yokoyama is able to bring out her best, we’ll just have to see how it goes,” says trainer Take.

Akaitorino Musume - Daughter to 2005 Triple Crown winner Deep Impact and 2010 filly triple crown champion Apapane, Akaitorino Musume has some big shoes to fill. Like Satono Reinas, she’s from the stable of Sakae Kunieda, and though chronically slow from the gate, has nevertheless notched three wins from four starts, with only one finish off the board. All of her outings have been over the mile and last out mid-February she topped Art de Vivre by a neck in winning the Grade 3 Queen Cup at Tokyo. Slow from the gate, she was still able to travel farther forward than usual in midfield and took the lead about halfway down the stretch. With three starts at Tokyo and one at Niigata, Akaitorino Musume will be racing to the right for the first time. It will also be her first time to haul from her Miho base to western Japan. “Even though she traveled farther forward than before in her last race and moved earlier, I watched it without worry,” says Kunieda. “After that I kept her at the training center, so there hasn’t been any gain in weight. I think she’s matured both physically and mentally and I’m looking forward to seeing how she’ll do to the right and with the long trip to the track.” Jockey Takeshi Yokoyama is expected to have the ride Sunday.



Others to watch are Fine Rouge and Elizabeth Tower. Fine Rouge has been given one furlong longer in each of her three starts and jumped from her maiden win to victory in the Grade 3 Fairy Stakes at Nakayama in mid-January. Since, she has remained at Miho. Her versatility in racing styles and keen racing sense should stand her well.
Elizabeth Tower has had three starts, all over the mile and topped the Grade 2 Tulip Sho at Hanshin last out on March 6. She will most likely be piloted by Osaka Hai winning jockey Yuga Kawada.
In only the second start of her career, Art de Vivre finished second to Akaitorino Musume in the Grade 3 Queen Cup. Based at Ritto, Art de Vivre won her debut racing to the right over the Kyoto mile.
The Maurice-sired Shigeru Pink Ruby shares her dam Moonlight Bay with 2019 Oka Sho runnerup Shigeru Pink Dia and captured the Grade 2 Fillies Revue at Hanshin on March 14. It was her second win from three starts, both wins coming over seven furlongs. “This time will be one furlong longer, but I’m hoping her excellent maneuverability will stand her well,” says Ritto trainer Kunihiko Watanabe.

Fourth favorite Lei Papale demonstrated her strength and extended her winning streak to six since her three-year-old debut in January while capturing her first G1 title in her first attempt at the highest level against a strong field that included multiple G1 winners. She is only the third in JRA history to claim a G1 title for older horses (four-year-old and up) unbeaten, after Fine Motion (2002 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup) and Chrysoberyl (2019 Champions Cup). Trainer Tomokazu Takano picked up his third career JRA-G1 title, his latest being the 2015 Japan Cup with Shonan Pandora, while jockey Yuga Kawada whose latest G1 win was just last week in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen with Danon Smash scored his 17th JRA-G1 title with the win.

Lei Papale was a fraction slow out of the gate outside race favorite Contrail but used her speed to quickly move forward and assume command. Cruising effortlessly on the rain-soddened track and timed 59.8 seconds over the first half of the 2,000-meter distance, the lightly built filly shifted out from the rail for better footing and continued to flee away from her foes, finding another gear in the last 100 meters to pull away to a dominating four-length victory.

“I had always believed in her outstanding talent since her debut but of course it was a tough ask this time against a top class after registering out first grade-race victory (in December). She felt good during the post parade and she was able to jump into her rhythm throughout the race without being pressed. I was able to shift her out without interfering the horses coming from behind for her stretch run as there was still plenty room between her and the rest of the field at the top of the stretch. And to still have the strength to find another gear over the turf condition today—she is an exceptional filly to keep her speed right to the end. Now that she’s a G1 winner, expectations will suddenly be quite high from now on, but I hope to be able bring out her best in each race,” commented Yuga Kawada.

Mozu Bello sat off the pace, fourth from last just off the rails and with the race favorite in view. The sixth favorite gradually made headway and followed Contrail who advanced along the outside, joining Gran Alegria in chasing the leader approaching the final corner. Turning wide for a clear stretch run, the son of Deep Brillante demonstrated an impressive turn of speed to outrun both Contrail and Gran Alegria while unable to threaten the winner.

Heavy favorite Contrail was positioned in mid-field, around ninth, from a smooth break with eyes on Gran Alegria who traveled in fifth position in front behind a good pace set by the eventual winner. The 2020 Triple Crown winner made headway with 800 meters to go and closed in on the leader into the homestretch alongside Gran Alegria but both the Contrail and champion miler/sprinter struggled to find their best speed over the heavy turf and failed to keep up with the fleeing winner. While the Deep Impact colt managed to hang on to third place by a neck margin, the 2020 champion three-year-old was beaten by the late charging Mozu Bello in the final stages.
Other Horses:
4th: (12) Gran Alegria—sat in 5th, advanced with Contrail after 3rd corner, sustained bid and passed Salios but soon overtaken by Mozu Bello and Contrail
5th: (2) Salios—saved ground around 3rd, chased leader along rails until 100m marker, weakened thereafter
6th: (10) Cadenas—hugged rails in 12th, showed 3rd fastest late kick, belatedly
7th: (3) Ardently—raced in 8th, boxed in turning final corner, passed tired rivals
8th: (4) Bravas—settled in 11th, found little room at final corner, showed brief effort
9th: (13) Admire Virgo—traveled 3-wide in 7th, failed to respond and reach contention
10th: (5) Persian Knight—checked at break, trailed in far rear, circled wide, never fired
11th: (9) Crescendo Love—took economic trip in 6th, showed little at stretch
12th: (6) Wagnerian—tracked leaders in 3rd or 4th, outrun after 3rd corner although driven
13th: (11) Happy Grin—stalked leader in second, faded after 3rd corner

The spring Grade 1 season here in Japan is now well under way, and this week’s top-level action will be at Hanshin Racecourse in the west of the country, where the Grade 1 Osaka Hai will be run on Sunday (April 4). The race is for 4-year-olds and up, and is run over 2,000 meters on the inner turf course. All runners carry 57kg, with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares.
The race was first run in 1957, when it was a handicap and run over 1,800 meters. The distance was changed to 2,000 meters in 1972, and it became a Grade 2 in 1984. It was opened to runners from overseas in 2003. This year marks the 65th running of the race, which was previously known as the Sankei Osaka Hai, but became simply the Osaka Hai in 2017, the year in which it also became a Grade 1. Big name winners in recent years have included Orfevre (2013), Kizuna (2014), and Kitasan Black (2017), to name just a few.
There have been 15 nominations for this year’s Osaka Hai, including last year’s Triple Crown winner Contrail. There are no fewer than seven horses by Deep Impact among the entries. Over the last ten years, first or second favorites have taken out the race seven times, proving the market leaders have been well worth following. The last first favorite to win was Suave Richard in 2018. Also in the last ten years, 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds have won five times apiece, sharing the spoils equally between them. Record time for the race is held by Hiruno d’Amour, who won in a time of 1 minute 57.8 seconds back in 2011. This year’s winner’s check is JPY135 million, and the big race is Race 11 on the Sunday card at Hanshin, with a post time locally of 15:40. The final field and barrier draw will be announced later in the week.
Here’s a look at some of the runners expected to take on this year’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai:

Contrail: The much-awaited reappearance of the now 4-year-old colt will be this Sunday, and the horse that lost his unbeaten record to Almond Eye in last year’s Japan Cup will be a warm order to start his 2021 campaign with a win here. He won on his debut at Hanshin over 1,800 meters, his only start at the track. All eyes will be on him on Sunday, but the vibes from the stable are nothing but good. “After the Japan Cup, he had a rest at Daisen Hills. He came back to the stable at Ritto on March 6, and he looks in great shape, currently weighing about 490kg. He seems more mature now, and he put in a fast piece of work with jockey Yuichi Fukunaga on March 17. We’ll be making sure his workload is just right from now,” commented assistant trainer Shigeki Miyauchi.

Gran Alegria: Another of last year’s star performers, the daughter of Deep Impact returns here on another mission to take on the distance of 2,000 meters for the first time. She has three wins from four starts at Hanshin, and the stable is preparing her for another big run in the Osaka Hai. “She had a great year last year with her three Grade 1 victories and a very close second on top of those. She had a break at Northern Farm Tenei before returning to the stable on March 3. As we prepare her in training for the trip of 2,000 meters for the first time, she seems relaxed and is eating well,” commented assistant trainer Daisuke Tsumagari.

Salios: The 4-year-old colt by Heart’s Cry finished second to Contrail in last year’s Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and has finished first and fifth in just two races since. The horse is having his first run this year, and trainer Noriyuki Hori is sharpening him up for a big run this time too. “He came back to the stable on February 27, a week earlier than his usual pattern, as he’s a horse that needs to adjust to his environment. When he came back from Northern Farm Shigaraki, he weighed 562kg, and now gradually he’s getting into condition and currently weighs 550kg. His appetite is good and he looks well in his coat,” said the trainer. Jockey Kohei Matsuyama, who’s made an impressive start to 2021, will take the ride on Salios for the first time.

Admire Virgo: It’ll be the first Grade 1 for Admire Virgo, a horse that only began his career as a 3-year-old, but has four wins from just six career starts, and is looking to bounce back from his worst ever finish last time when tenth in the Grade 2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai over 2,200 meters at Chukyo in January. Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi commented: “He’s fresh from a stay at the farm, and has been working well with stablemate You Can Smile on the woodchip course recently. Last time he got into a good position in the race, but couldn’t finish things off at the end. I put that down to the state of the ground and the 2,200 meters being a bit far for him.”

Lei Papale: Yet another runner by Deep Impact, the 4-year-old filly is becoming more eye-catching as she has now extended her winning streak to five races after her win at the end of last year in the Grade 3 Challenge Cup at Hanshin over 2,000 meters. Trainer Tomokazu Takano is looking forward to the next challenge with her. “It was her first try at graded level last time, as well as the distance of 2,000 meters with four corners in the race, but she passed that test well, and this became the logical next step for her. We’ve decided to go straight to this race, not choosing to give her a run beforehand,” said the trainer.

Gibeon: The 6-year-old really toughed it out last time to record an all the way win on yielding ground in the Grade 2 Kinko Sho at Chukyo over 2,000 meters in March, causing a 227/1 upset at the same time and a shock defeat of last year’s star filly, Daring Tact. It was Gibeon’s first win from his last twelve races, and it will be interesting to see what he can do this time after his surprise win. “He got to the front last time and ran well with a good rhythm, and just when it looked difficult for him, he managed to pull out a bit more and go on to win. He deserves to take his chance among the strong horses,” commented assistant trainer Nobuyuki Tashiro.

Wagnerian: The 2018 Derby winner is back for another try at the race in which he finished 3rd in 2019 and 5th in 2020. Now a 6-year-old, Wagnerian has just had 14 career starts and is coming off a fifth place finish in the Grade 2 Kyoto Kinen over 2,200 meters in February. He’s another representative for trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, who is riding high in the trainers’ table this year. “He just needed that last race, and since then he’s had a short break at the farm. He recently worked solo with his race jockey Hayato Yoshida, who is riding him for the first time,” stated the trainer.

Cadenas: The 7-year-old’s best finish among his seven Grade 1 races was last year’s Osaka Hai, when he finished fourth. In his two races this year, he’s been unplaced both times, but last time in the Grade 3 Kokura Daishoten in February, he wasn’t that far off the winner. “He returned from the farm on March 13th and has been moving well in his work uphill recently. He’s coming along fine, and his rotation will be the same as last year’s. He put in a strong performance in last year’s race and he’s well suited to the Hanshin track,“ said assistant trainer Masaaki Shibata.