2016 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1) - Preview

Sinhalite

Cecchino

Angel Face

At the Seaside

Admire Lead

After two top flight mile races at Tokyo Racecourse, the Grade 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) – the third Classic race of the year at the same Tokyo venue – will be run on Sunday, May 22. It will be the 77th running of the race, which was first run in 1938 and won by a filly named Asteri Mor. There have been 24 fillies nominated for this year’s race, and it looks like another week where a full field of 18 will line up for the showpiece, run over 2,400 meters. The start will be in the home straight in front of the stands, which can be a little daunting for the 3-year-olds, and covers just over a circuit of the Tokyo track. The race record is held by the great Gentildonna, who flew home in 2012 to win by a margin of five lengths in a time of 2 minutes, 23.6 seconds.

Only 13 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) winners in history have gone on to win the Oaks, and with Jeweler out through injury, that number is not going to change this year. These figures are proof that trying to see out the extra 800 meters in distance is no mean feat, and bearing in mind nearly all the fillies are taking on the Oaks distance for the first time, it makes predicting the outcome a tough task indeed. In the last 10 years, only two first favorites have won, the latest being Apapane in 2010.

Lead up races to this year’s Oaks include the Grade 2 Sankei Sports Sho Flora Stakes, the Open Class Sweetpea Stakes, and the Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas). All fillies will carry a set weight of 55kgs, and the prize to the winner is ¥100 million. The race will be Race 11 on the card with a post time of 15:40 local time.

Here’s a look at some of the runners expected to head the market:

Sinhalite: The Deep Impact filly out of Singhalese can really be considered one of the top contenders after losing so narrowly to Jeweler in the Oka Sho. That has been the only time she’s lost in 4 career starts, and the Northern Racing bred filly has already earned around ¥106 million in prize money. It will be her first time to race at Tokyo and to go left-handed, but her connections have no fear. In a recent piece of work at the Ritto Training Center, she clocked a 4 furlong time of 53.8 seconds, with 3 furlongs in 39.2 seconds, and a final furlong time of 12.3 seconds. Her big race jockey, Kenichi Ikezoe, said, “She completed the last furlong strongly. Her reaction’s good, and she’s relaxed as well. Everything’s satisfactory in her training.”

As for the step up in distance, assistant trainer Kaname Ogino said, “I don’t think she’ll have a problem with the trip. It’s the same for all horses. She’s a full sister to Adam’s Peak, who won over 2000 meters, so I’m thinking she can handle the 2,400 meters.”  Ikezoe has come so close to winning recent Grade 1 races – finishing second in two consecutive Grade 1s this spring in the Tenno Sho (Spring) and NHK Mile, and a third last week in the Victoria Mile. Surely, he’s hoping he can nail this one.

Cecchino: This chestnut filly by King Kamehameha has a similar profile to Sinhalite when it comes to races run and won. She’s three wins from four starts, and won comfortably last time when taking out the Grade 2 Sankei Sports Sho Flora Stakes over 2,000 meters at Tokyo in April. The reaction from her jockey that day, Christophe Lemaire, was, “Perfect. She won well.” She runs in the Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. colours and was bred at Northern Farm. She’s trained by Kazuo Fujisawa, who is enjoying a good year so far, and has trained some of Cecchino’s mother’s progeny. He commented recently on Cecchino, saying, “Her last run was over 2,000 meters, now we’re going up to 2,400 meters, but I don’t think she needs much hard training for this. With the condition she’s in, I’m pleased with the way things are going.”

Jealousy: There’s plenty to like about this Harbinger filly who won the Open Class Sweetpea Stakes in fine fashion over 1,800 meters at Tokyo in early May. Her rider, Norihiro Yokoyama, was impressed by that performance. “It didn’t matter about the slow pace, as she ran to her best and could race smoothly. It was a good win, and she’s the type that doesn’t need to be produced quickly. She just plugs away and that’s going to be her style.” A look back at that win shows what a great ride the jockey gave her. From her three runs at Tokyo, she has won twice. She is trained by Takanori Kikuzawa, and is owned and bred by Hideko Kondo.

Rottenmeier: Australian jockey Tommy Berry will step up for the ride on Rottenmeier, a filly by Kurofune who has two wins and a third from just three starts. Her latest win came in the Wasurenagusa Sho over 2,000 meters at Hanshin in April, following a rotation that was taken by last year’s Oaks winner, Mikki Queen. This will be the first Grade 1 race for her young trainer, Manabu Ikezoe (younger brother of jockey Kenichi Ikezoe), who is upbeat about the upcoming challenge. “She has a good appetite, and there’s a good tension about her. She transported well over to Tokyo for the Queen Cup and her condition is improving. I think she’s capable of running well in any sort of race, and I’m hoping for the best for her and the jockey,” Ikezoe said.

Angel Face: A dark bay filly by King Kamehameha, she’s always managed to finish in the first three in four starts, and has two wins to her name. Most recently, she led all the way to win the Grade 3 Flower Cup over 1,800 meters at Nakayama in March. All her races have been over 1,800 meters, and this will be her first time at Tokyo on Sunday.  She is trained by Hideaki Fujiwara, straight off Grade 1 success in the Victoria Mile, and runs in the colours of the Lord Horse Club ownership. Assistant trainer, Nobuyuki Tashiro commented: “She’s had the Oaks as her target all along. She’s not one to really do so much in training, but she’s very well. Everything was a first for her last time, with the long trip to Nakayama and the race there having to negotiate four corners, but she came through it all so well.”

At the Seaside: The Shadai Farm bred At the Seaside grabbed third place in the Oka Sho, and was fifth in last year’s Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. She has two wins from five starts, and although she’s never gone beyond a mile, nor raced at Tokyo, her jockey Yuichi Fukunaga thinks these are not things to worry about. “She started well last time, got a good position, and ran on well down the straight to take third in a Classic race. I think she can run well in any kind of race given what we’ve seen so far,” said the jockey, who has won the Oaks three times. At the Seaside is by King Kamehameha, and is trained by Hidekazu Asami.

Admire Lead: This filly by Stay Gold won on her debut as a 2-year-old over a mile at the left-handed Chukyo Racecourse, and has one other win in her six career starts. She was last seen putting in a good finish in the Oka Sho to take fifth. Although she’s another having her first race at Tokyo, as well as no experience further than a mile, her trainer Naosuke Sugai is prepared to take on the race with her. “She has ability, and more than worrying about the distance, it’s important that the race goes smoothly for her,” he said.

Red Avancer: No Classic race would be complete without top Japanese jockey Yutaka Take, and Red Avancer looks to be his probable ride in the Oaks. The dark bay filly by Deep Impact has been ridden by Take in her last three runs, and is coming off a seventh place finish in the Oka Sho. All her races have been over 1,600 meters and she has only raced right-handed. Red Avancer is owned by the Tokyo Horse Racing Co. Ltd., and is trained by Hidetaka Otonashi, one of the leading trainers this year.