2016 Takarazuka Kinen (G1) - Preview

Kitasan Black

Duramente

Lovely Day

Ambitious

Toho Jackal

Cheval Grand

Satono Noblesse

Curren Mirotic (black cap)

The half-year finale to Grade 1 racing action in Japan takes place this coming Sunday, June 26 at JRA Hanshin Racecourse, midway between Osaka and Kobe. The 57th running of the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen has attracted 18 nominations for the 2,200 meter turf race, and recent winners have included greats such as Goldship (2013 and 2014) and Orfevre (2012). The race is for 3-year-olds and up, but no 3-year-olds have been nominated this time around, somewhat of a surprise given the lightweight of 53kgs they are allotted in the race. Four year-olds and over carry 58kgs, with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares. Touching Speech and Marialite are the two nominations representing the latter. Two notable absentees from the list are Mikki Queen and Shonan Pandora, the former being rested for an autumn campaign, while last year’s Japan Cup winner is sidelined through injury.

The race is one of the two so called ‘All Star’ races on the JRA racing calendar, where fans get to vote for which horses they’d like to see race against each other. The first Takarazuka Kinen was run in 1960 and was won by a horse called Homare Hiro. The race became an international Grade 1 in 1997, and is now a part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge, whereby winners of the Takarazuka Kinen gain automatic entry to the Breeders’ Cup, which takes place later this year at Santa Anita.

There is total prize money on offer this Sunday of ¥325 million, with ¥150 million going to the winner. In the past decade, five winners have been 4-year-olds, while 5-year-olds have won three times. As for the first favorites, only three have won in that same period. The race record is held by Earnestly, who sets the time of 2 minutes, 10.1 seconds as the one to beat. He achieved this in 2011 as a 6-year-old.

Step races to this year’s race have included the Grade 3 Naruo Kinen, Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring), and the Grade 2 Sankei Osaka Hai. The Takarazuka Kinen will be Race 11 on the card on Sunday, with a post time of 15:40 local time.

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

Kitasan Black: The 4-year-old colt by Deep Impact’s full brother, Black Tide, is fast becoming something of a legend due to a number of factors. As the fans’ top pick in the ballot, he’s coming off a great win in the Tenno Sho (Spring), where he led pretty much all the way, and fought back gamely at the end to just get the better of Curren Mirotic.  His charismatic owner and legendary Japanese traditional ballad singer, Saburo Kitajima, has been known to burst into sing after a big race win, and fans should be prepared for another rendition of the song “Matsuri (or “Festival”) should Kitasan Black pass the post first this time as well. Jockey Yutaka Take has struck up a great partnership with the horse so far, and the globetrotting rider will be looking for his fifth win in the Takarazuka Kinen with Kitasan Black. An assistant trainer with trainer Hisashi Shimizu said, “He’s been working well, his responses are good, and he’s relaxed with it. A number of horses in the field are coming back to the distance of 2,200 meters, but if things go smoothly for him the results should come. We’re looking forward to taking on the winner of two Classic races last year (Duramente).” For a horse that never ran as a 2-year-old, his prize money tally of ¥536 million is impressive indeed.

Duramente: The winner of last year’s Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and then the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Duramente had to miss out on a Triple Crown bid through injury. The 4-year-old by King Kamehameha has had eight starts and has never finished out of the first two. He’s won five times and has started favorite in six of his races. He won the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen over 1,800 meters in February, before heading off to Dubai, where he finished second after losing a shoe, which surely contributed to his defeat. This will be his first race at the Hanshin track, as well as at the distance. Assistant trainer Atsunori Hashimoto commented: “After his trip to Dubai, naturally it took a bit out of him. It was just too bad that he lost a shoe and wasn’t able to run to his best. But he’s come back to himself well and we now have this race in mind.  We’ll be upping his training load and have him back in best condition.”

Lovely Day: Winner of the race last year, this 6-year-old is owned and bred by Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd. He has nine wins (including two Grade 1s) from 29 starts, and has two fourth-place finishes in races this year, the latest in the Grade 1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup over 2,000 meters in Hong Kong in April. His trainer, Yasutoshi Ikee, also won the Takarazuka Kinen with Orfevre and Dream Journey in 2012 and 2009, respectively. He said of Lovely Day, “He came back from Hong Kong and recovered from the trip well. Everything’s been satisfactory so far, and hopefully he’ll be in the same condition as last year when he won. I’d certainly like the ground to be the same as last year. I’m honored that he’s gotten the fans’ votes. He didn’t take in the Naruo Kinen this year, so his rotation’s been different, but he should be spot on again for the race here.” Lovely Day came second in the fans’ ballot.

Ambitious: A 4-year-old colt by Deep Impact who will be tackling a Grade 1 for just the second time. He finished fifth in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) last year, and has had two starts this year. He beat Kitasan Black last time in the Grade 2 Sankei Osaka Hai at Hanshin in April over 2,000 meters, when he was ridden by Norihiro Yokoyama for the first time. On June 15, he put in a piece of work at the Ritto Training Center with stablemate Red Lauda, clocking a four-furlong time of 51.2 seconds, a three furlong time of 38.0 seconds, and a final furlong of 12.9 seconds. His trainer, Hidetaka Otonashi, said, “I am pleased with his good training time. The final furlong time was in the 12-second range, so he showed speed.”

Toho Jackal: For a horse that was born on the same day as the Great East Japan Earthquake, life was never going to be easy. He’s faced up to racing injuries also in his career, but the 2014 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) winner is not one to give up, as can be seen from his latest bold bid when he finished fifth in the Tenno Sho (Spring).  He was fourth in the Takarazuka Kinen last year, his only run over the distance.  Trainer Kiyoshi Tani said, “He had to run wide in the Tenno Sho, but he did his best.  After that we’ve had this race in mind for him. I think he’s capable of running another good race here given the condition we’ve now got him in.”

Cheval Grand: The 4-year-old by Heart’s Cry is a force to be reckoned with, and from a 13-race career, he has won five times and finished second and third three times apiece.  Three of his wins have been at Hanshin from six starts at the track. Most recently he finished third in the Tenno Sho (Spring). Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi said, “We gave him a short break at the farm, but he’s the sort that can gain weight easily. Since he’s been back with us, he’s been doing well. He did well in the Tenno Sho for carrying 58kgs. I think 2,200-2,400 meters would be his best distance, so I’m looking forward to what he can do this time.”

Satono Noblesse: Another likely runner for trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, this 6-year-old by Deep Impact has already tried his hand in Grade 1 company five times, with a best place finish of second in the 2013 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger). One of his six career wins has come at Hanshin, and that was on his last start when he won the Grade 3 Naruo Kinen over 2,000 meters earlier this month. It’ll be his first time to start in the Takarazuka Kinen. His trainer stated, “He ran well last time to win on the opening day at Hanshin. He’s come out of that fine and there’s no problem going into this race. It’ll be the fourth weekend of racing at the track, and he’s the type to run best on firm ground.  With the weather at this time of year, that’s a worry I’ve got.”

Curren Mirotic: An 8-year-old now, but he’s not one just to go off into the sunset, as he proved in his last battling performance when he finished second to Kitasan Black in the Tenno Sho (Spring). He’s raced twice in the Takarazuka Kinen, finishing second in 2014, and thirteenth in 2015. He’s probably best when ridden forward, and he’s won three times over 1,800 meters at Hanshin from 13 runs there. His owner, Takashi Suzuki, has a number of big race wins to his name, and he’ll be hoping for another big effort here from Curren Mirotic. The man in the saddle for the big race will be Australian jockey Tommy Berry.