Major Emblem

Major Emblem: A chestnut filly by Daiwa Major, she is four wins from five starts, and finished second on the other occasion. She is the winner of last year’s Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, and has already amassed prize money in the region of 130 million yen. She won her last race, the Grade 3 Daily Hai Queen Cup, by five lengths. Her regular jockey, Christophe Lemaire, is full of admiration for her, and recently, her trainer Yasuhito Tamura said, “She won the Juvenile Fillies and then the Queen Cup at the beginning of the year. After that, we decided on a rotation that would lead her to the Oka Sho. We don’t want to over use her in case she becomes unwound. She’s a very capable 3-year-old and she’s really changed in this last month. After her last race, it gave us some leeway, and she came back from Northern Farm Tenei (training farm) better than ever. She’s grown a lot, and I’d say she’ll be around 510 kg going into the race. She worked well two weeks ago and her time for five furlongs on the woodchip course was around 66 seconds.” Major Emblem was bred at Northern Farm and runs in the colours of Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.

Sinhalite

Sinhalite: A filly by Deep Impact, Sinhalite is unbeaten in three races, two of them over a mile. Her latest win was in the Grade 3 Tulip Sho over course and distance at Hanshin. Jockey Kenichi Ikezoe has ridden her every time and is expected to take the ride again. Her trainer is Sei Ishizaka, who sent out Gentildonna to win the race in 2012. Ishizaka said, “She’s not the type you need to work a lot, and that’s the case going into the Oka Sho. Had she lost the Kobai Stakes, things might have been different, but she won and increased her prize money tally, which was a big thing. If she was going to take time to recover, I thought about going directly to the Oka Sho, but it was no problem to run in the Tulip Sho. Her times are good and she’s a filly with potential. She’s relaxed and her appetite is good, and I’m confident she can run a big race.” Sinhalite is owned by U Carrot Farm and was bred at Northern Racing.

Solveig

Solveig: A chestnut filly by Daiwa Major, she won on her debut on a yielding track, and her most recent race saw her win the Grade 2 Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue over 1,400 meters at Hanshin in March, and she has only unplaced once in her other three starts. It’s looking as if jockey Masayoshi Ebina has been lined up to take the ride for the first time. Solveig was bred at Shadai Farm and already boasts prize money of 64 million yen. Her trainer, Ippo Sameshima, said, “In her last race, she drew gate No. 2 on a firm track. She took up a good position and really ran well to go on and win the race. It was a good experience for her. It’ll be her first time at the mile, but the way things have gone she’ll have every chance. It’s good if she doesn’t lose any weight. She’s usually relaxed, and a week after her last race, her condition was back and there was no damage done.”

Candy Barows

Candy Barows: A small filly who surprises with her guts and determination, Candy Barows finished ninth in last year's Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, but bounced back with a third in her latest race, the Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue, when she tried to make all the running. She is trained by Yoshito Yahagi, currently Japan's leading trainer who also tasted success recently in Dubai with Real Steel. Candy Barows always gives it her best shot, even though the Hanshin rise up to the line and thickness of the turf are concerns for her.

Jeweler: It’s three starts, one win and two seconds for Jeweler, a bay filly by Victoire Pisa. She won on her debut over 1,800 meters, and in her latest start she finished second to Sinhalite, when being brought with a good late run down the straight at Hanshin. She carries the colours of owner Yoichi Aoyama, and will most likely be ridden by Mirco Demuro, a jockey enjoying so much big race success in Japan. Trainer Kenichi Fujioka said, “It was a good run last time after returning from the training farm. She’d lost weight and was able to go close at the end. With a run like that, it shows she has ability and can be controlled. After the race, she was relaxed and we’re pleased with her going into the Oka Sho. I believe she can win a Grade 1. With what we now know, it makes it easier, and in her current good condition I want to get revenge for her last defeat.”

At the Seaside: Bred at Shadai Farm, and racing in the Teruya Yoshida colours, At the Seaside boasts two wins from four starts, and finished second in her latest race, the Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue. She was also fifth in last year’s Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Jockey Yuichi Fukunaga looks set to take the ride, and the Oka Sho provided him with his first ever Grade 1 victory back in 1999 on Primo Ordine. Assistant trainer Keiichi Asami said, “She came back refreshed from the training farm. After that, the Fillies’ Revue result was good, but at the same time slightly disappointing. Her races after a spell haven’t been bad. She needs care when training, and we’ve just given her another break at the farm. We’re hoping she can show us what she’s capable of.”

Lavender Valley: A bay filly by Deep Impact, she won on her debut over a mile at Tokyo as a 2-year-old. All of her three races have been over a mile, and on her latest start she finished third in the Grade 3 Tulip Sho. Jockey Keita Tosaki has partnered her in every race to date, and would be expected to don the famous Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd. colours in the Oka Sho. Assistant trainer Nobuyuki Tashiro said, “It was the first time for her to go right handed in the Tulip Sho. Her final three furlong time around the 33 seconds mark got her the result. It was just her third start, but she shows racing sense and is improving. Her 20 kg weight increase is proof of her developing. She showed no signs of fatigue after, has a good appetite, and you have to believe she can put in another big run.”

Red Avancer: Yet another Deep Impact sired filly, she’s likely to be the mount of Yutaka Take come race day. Take has won the Oka Sho five times, and is fresh off a great win on Lani in Dubai. From five starts, Red Avancer has won twice and finished second twice, and all her runs have been over a mile. She’s trained by Hidetaka Otonashi and runs in the Tokyo Horse Racing Co. Ltd. colours.

G Plumeria: An American bred filly by Street Sense, she won on her debut over 1,500 meters in Sapporo, and her last two runs have been on dirt, the latest a win at Hanshin over 1,400 meters in March. It remains to be seen how the Katsumi Minai trained filly can do switching back to turf.