Grand Silk

Grand Silk: The Northern Racing bred Grand Silk has never finished outside of the first three and will be bidding to give top jockey Keita Tosaki only his fourth Grade 1 victory in JRA races. The Stay Gold colt has been ridden by Tosaki in four of his five starts, and is coming off a second place finish in the Grade 2 New Zealand Trophy over a mile at Nakayama in April. He reared in the stalls that day, came out last, and stayed there until the final corner when he showed a tremendous turn of foot to deny all but Yamakatsu Ace. His trainer, Hirofumi Toda, is well aware of what he achieved that day, commenting recently, “He missed the start badly in his last race, but his closing finish was fantastic. He’s had experience at Tokyo, so I’m looking forward to a big run.” Grand Silk was second on his debut over 1800 meters at Tokyo. The colt carries the colours of Silk Racing Co. Ltd.

Avenir Marcher

Avenir Marcher: A bay colt by Deep Impact who finished 1st, 2nd and 2nd in his three races as a 2-year-old, one of those seconds being in the Niigata Nisai Stakes. His one win came on his debut in June last year when he won over 1800 meters at Tokyo. The key to getting things right with this horse is his footwork, as seen in his last race when he finished fifth to the highly regarded Real Steel in the Kyodo News Service Hai in February, and couldn’t quite find his best rhythm in the home straight on that occasion. Trainer Kazuo Fujisawa is aware of the task he faces. “Since a week ago, he’s pleased me in his work. Compared to his races two and three starts ago, his last run was slightly disappointing, but he’s certainly a colt with ability, and I think the Tokyo mile will suit him fine,” he said recently. Avenir Marcher will be ridden by Hiroshi Kitamura, who got such a big run out of Fame Game in last week’s Tenno Sho (Spring).

Clarity Sky

Clarity Sky:  One of the highest prize money winners in the line-up, Clarity Sky is coming off a great run in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) where he finished fifth to Duramente, and led in the race up until the final corner, giving every hope he could do the same this time over a mile, and run himself into the winner’s enclosure. This colt by Kurofune would definitely like firm ground. Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi is perfectly happy with his charge, and commented recently, “He’s come out of the Satsuki Sho in great shape. It was down to the jockey’s judgement last time to lead, and I think we could learn something from that. He won the Icho Stakes over 1600 meters at Tokyo last year, and that was a good race to win.” Jockey Norihiro Yokoyama will be in the saddle, and he’s looking to follow up with another Grade 1 win after Gold Ship’s barnstorming run last Sunday. Clarity Sky is two wins from a seven race career.

Musee Sultan

Musee Sultan: This lightly raced colt by King Kamehameha is two wins from three starts, and both his wins were over 1600 meters at Niigata, including the Niigata Nisai Stakes. After seven months off through injury, he returned to action in the Grade 2 Fuji TV Sho Spring Stakes at Nakayama in March, his only race as a 3-year-old. He finished seventh to Kitasan Black, only beaten by a little over three lengths, and he made up ground well when it mattered in his comeback race. On April 23, he put in a six furlong piece of work at the Miho training center in a time of 86.5 seconds, with a final furlong time of 12.4 seconds. He’s had this race as his target since skipping the Satsuki Sho, and the combination of trainer Satoshi Oehara and jockey Yoshitomi Shibata looks a daunting one indeed.

Albiano

Albiano: Leading the fillies’ challenge is the American bred Albiano, who’s run away with all three of her races so far, just leaving a cloud of smoke in her trail. She’s recorded victories over 1400, 1600 and 1800 meters, all on firm ground. Her latest win came in the Grade 3 Flower Cup at Nakayama in March, where she was sent off an obvious favorite. Trainer Tetsuya Kimura thinks highly of his stable star. “She was given a break after the Flower Cup and came back into training on the 23rd of last month. She is plus 10 kilos and I think this is a positive. Obviously she’ll be among the colts, but I think she’s capable, and you only have to look at the way she’s won her races so far,” the trainer recently stated. The Harlan’s Holiday filly will race in the colours of Kazumi Yoshida, and will be ridden by Yuichi Shibayama on a weight of 55kgs.

Yamakatsu Ace

Yamakatsu Ace: The Grade 2 New Zealand Trophy winner deserves respect after his gutsy win in the race over 1600 meters at Nakayama in April. A colt with plenty of racing experience, (9 races to date and ¥82.3 million in prize money) this chestnut colt by King Kamehameha is, however, untried on anything other than good or firm ground, and will also be experiencing the Tokyo track for the first time. Bred at Okada Bokujo, Yamakatsu Ace has reportedly been putting in some good pieces of work at the Ritto training center recently, under the watchful eye of his trainer, Kaneo Ikezoe. Kenichi Ikezoe will be the jockey aboard.

Arma Waioli

Arma Waioli: Trainer Katsuichi Nishiura originally had four horses nominated for this race, but has finally settled for Arma Waioli and Fumino Moon as his stable representatives, and pretty good chances they look to have too. Arma Waioli is by Matsurida Gogh, and had five runs as a 2-year-old, and has had two starts in his 3-year-old career. The highlight of his 2-year-old career was finishing second in the Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes at the end of last year to Danon Platina. His most recent runs have seen him finish second in the Grade 3 Arlington Cup in February, and third in the Grade 2 New Zealand Trophy in April, both runs over a mile. He finished off strongly in the latter, and it looks to be one of the key races going into the NHK Mile. This well bred colt was born at the Koizumi Bokujo in February 2012, and runs in the colours of Koutomic Racing.

Fumino Moon

Fumino Moon: Also from the Katsuichi Nishiura stable, this colt by Admire Moon is three wins from six starts, and has won going clockwise and anti-clockwise. His latest win came in the Marguerite Stakes at Hanshin in April. He won on his debut over 1600 meters at Kyoto, and his two other wins have been over 1400 meters. He’s versatile enough and acts on both firm and heavy tracks. Trainer Nishiura said of his colt’s recent piece of work: “One week ago we worked him uphill in a four furlong gallop in heavy conditions and his time was in the 52 seconds range. If he finds his own rhythm of racing, that’s when he gets results.”

Young Man Power

Young Man Power: A colt by Snitzel bred at Northern Farm, Young Man Power has just had the four starts, but has recorded two wins, both over 1600 meters at right handed tracks. This will be his first race at Tokyo. He was eighth on his latest start in the Grade 2 New Zealand Trophy behind Yamakatsu Ace, and having drawn a wide gate, didn’t get the best of runs, particularly just before the last corner, where he lost some ground before running on gamely down the straight.

Nishino Rush

Nishino Rush:  Jockey Hironobu Tanabe’s ride in the NHK Mile has started favorite in all but one of his races, and is three wins from a five race career, with two of his wins at Tokyo. As a 2-year-old he finished third twice in Grade 2 and Grade 3 races, and his one run as a 3-year-old brought victory in the Open Class Crocus Stakes over 1400 meters at Tokyo in January. He’s been given a break since then. Hironobu Tanabe will be looking for just his second ever Grade 1 victory, after breaking his duck on Copano Rickey in the February Stakes of 2014, aboard this colt by Sakura Bakushin O.

The two other fillies potentially in the line-up are Tenderly Voice and Cool Hotarubi.