Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) - Preview

Red Falx

Let's Go Donki

Dance Director

Reine Minoru

Seiun Kosei

Fine Needle

This Sunday, March 25, top-level racing in Japan moves to the city of Nagoya and its Chukyo Racecourse, where the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the first turf Grade 1 race of the year, gets under way at 3:40 p.m. Twenty-three horses have been nominated for the 1,200-meter sprint and 18 of them will vie for a first-place prize of 110 million yen in the race’s 48th running.

It’s a weighty lineup, with six Grade 1 winners expected in the gate this year, including the top three finishers from last year’s Takamatsunomiya – Seiun Kosei, Let’s Go Donki and Red Falx.

Looking to turn the tables on the established heavyweights as they have for the past two years, however, are up-and-coming hopefuls who are taking on a Grade 1 race for the first time in their careers, hopefuls as diverse as King Heart, winner of the Grade 3 Yukan Fuji Sho Ocean Stakes on March 3, and Shining Lei.

The race will also be simulcast in Hong Kong, which is fielding one runner – Blizzard, an Aussie-born 7-year-old gelding back for his second race in Japan.

The Takamatsunomiya Kinen is the 11th race on the Sunday card of 12 at Chukyo Racecourse.

Big Arthur holds the Takamatsunomiya Kinen record of 1 minute, 6.7 seconds set in 2016.

The expected top picks are as follows.

Red Falx – The favorite in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen last year, this son of Swept Overboard disappointed with a third-place finish behind winner Seiun Kosei and runnerup Let’s Go Donki. Having gone unprepped to the Takamatsunomiya following his poor showing at Sha Tin 3 months earlier may have been a factor in the loss. Six months later, however, Red Falx saved face when he topped Let’s Go Donki to scoop his second successive win of the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes. That victory, along with a third in the mile Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen, landed Red Falx the JRA award for Best Sprinter or Miler for 2017. Now it’s to be seen if he can pull off a Chukyo big win. Presently 7 years old, the gray is likely to be the favorite Sunday after his recent third-place finish in the 1,400-meter Grade 3 Hankyu Hai. He showed his usual lightning late kick and, despite being assigned the field’s heaviest weight and coming off a 3-month layoff, finished but a neck behind the runaway Diana Halo. Mirco Demuro, who rode all Red Falx’s starts from CBC Sho in July 2016, up to last year’s Sprinters Stakes including his winning run in both 2016 and 2017 Sprinters Stakes, is expected to once again take the reins at Chukyo. Red Falx has more than proven his mettle at the venue, having reaped three wins and a third including the CBC Sho, a 6-furlong Grade 3 at Chukyo.

Let’s Go Donki– Runnerup here last year was the 2015 Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) champion Let’s Go Donki. Despite having come frustratingly close in some of her last dozen Grade 1 bids, the now 6-year-old daughter of King Kamehameha has failed to notch another big win since the Oka Sho. This will be Let’s Go Donki’s third bid in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and her consistency at the distance makes her a solid bet. Second in last year’s Sprinters Stakes, she traveled to Hong Kong and ran sixth in the Grade 1 Hong Kong Sprint, then went directly to the February Stakes and finished in fifth place. It was a solid run despite her having been short on training. “I wanted to give her one more fast workout before sending her to the gate,” says trainer Tomoyuki Umeda of the February Stakes. “She was just back from her overseas trip. It was a mile and over dirt. There were a lot of reasons for concern, but she quickened very nicely in the stretch and gave us a good race.” More importantly, Umeda says, “Her improvement after that has been significant.”

Dance Director-- Among the seven veteran horses aged 7 or above nominated for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen is Dance Director, an 8-year-old son of Aldebaran. His road has been an arduous one. For the past two years, injury has kept Dance Director from the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. In both 2016 and 2017, he had won his prep the Silk Road Stakes, only to be forced to sit out the main event. Last year, he returned to run third in the Grade 2 Sankei Sho Centaur Stakes in September, followed by an eighth-place finish in the Sprinters Stakes. Dance Director has yet to race this year and was last time out in the Dec. 23 1,400-meter Grade 2 Hanshin Cup, where he finished second. “I had my sights on the Hankyu Hai,” says trainer Kazuhide Sasada, “but I was a bit concerned about some things and, thinking of last year, decided to sit it out.” Fast work up the hill course in March 14 looked fine. “I’ve aimed him at this race. He trains up easily and he should be ready,” Sasada explained. “This year, I’m so hoping he can stay in good shape and I’m looking forward to good results.” In the last decade, horses aged 7 or older have captured the Takamatsunomiya Kinen three times – Kinshasa no Kiseki in 2010 and 2011 at the age of 7 and 8, respectively, and the 7-year-old Aerovelocity in 2015. In the saddle will be Yutaka Take, who just celebrated his 49th birthday on March 15. Compared to Nakayama, the Chukyo course is expected to better suit. This may be the year Dance Director finally calls it a wrap.

Blizzard – The Hong- Kong-trained Blizzard is back for his second time in Japan. In the Sprinters Stakes last autumn, he finished in fifth place under Gerald Mosse only 0.2 seconds behind winner Red Falx and returned home to turn in a respectful third in the yearend Hong Kong Sprint. Last time out, Blizzard ran fifth in the Grade 1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin on Jan. 28 partnered with Karis Teetan, who has the ride on Sunday. This will be Blizzard’s first time racing to the left.

Reine Minoru – By Daiwa Major, Reine Minoru is one of three 4-year-old fillies of seven females nominated for the race. From her winning debut over 6 furlongs, Reine Minoru made the money for six of the first seven starts of her career culminating in a win of the Oka Sho last April. Raced at a mile and further for the rest of the year, she was off the board for all but one of her next four races, that one the Grade 1 Mile Championship, in which she competed gallantly for the first time against older horses and male horses. Yearend saw her back at 7 furlongs and seventh place and earlier this month she returned after 3-month layoff to run sixth only 0.1 seconds behind the winner in the 1,200-meter Grade 3 Ocean Stakes. Snow had muddled her training leading into the Ocean Stakes, but this time all has gone according to plan, says trainer Masaru Honda. Improvement is expected.

Seiun Kosei– Last year, Seiun Kosei surprised by winning the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in his first bid in a top-level race and only his second graded race. The Takamatsunomiya was followed by a string of high-level competition through to the end of the year -- four graded events, including the Sprinters Stakes. Results were disappointing. This year, however, Seiun Kosei returned with a second-place finish in the Silk Road Stakes (Grade 3, 1,200 meters) Jan. 28 at Kyoto and things may be looking up again for the 5-year-old son of Admire Moon. Rain in the forecast would be a plus.