Osaka Hai (G1) - Preview

Suave Richard

Satono Diamond

Mikki Swallow

Al Ain

 

Persian Knight

Danburite

 

Cheval Grand

Smart Layer

Triomphe

Satono Noblesse

On Easter Sunday, while 14 Japan-based horses and three Japan-based jockeys will be recovering from their races in Dubai the day previous, another 16 Japanese horses will be readying their bids in Grade 1 competition back home.

Hanshin Racecourse west of Osaka hosts the big event April 1 with the 62nd running of the Osaka Hai. Promoted to Grade 1 status just last year, the 2,000-meter Osaka Hai now stands as the year’s first top-level middle-distance competition on grass. Formerly, as a Grade 2 event, it was an important trial race for the Tenno Sho (Spring). Now it’s a stepping-stone to the world, as the winner qualifies for the Irish Champion Stakes.

This year, 17 horses have been nominated and 16 will vie for the total purse of nearly 260 million yen and a winner’s share of 120 million yen. The race is run over the Hanshin inner course, a course that demands agility and a keen racing sense. The race starts in the straight to the right of the grandstand and continues 325 meters to the first turn. Soon out of the gate, the ground rises for 2 meters to the finish line, and the early pace is usually not high. Frontrunners and those running close to the pace tend to do well in the Osaka 2,000.

Last year, race favorite Kitasan Black pocketed the Osaka Hai at the age of 5 in what would be his first Grade 1 victory of four that year. This year, only two of last year’s participants, 2017 Osaka Hai third-place finisher Yamakatsu Ace and 12th-place finisher Maltese Apogee are back for another run.

Open to horses 4 years old and up, the field boasts five Grade 1 winners aged 4 through 7. Looking at the winners of graded stakes races 1,800 meters and longer, we see the 4-year-olds holding the best record with seven wins from 11 races.

Four is also the number of most horses being fielded from one stable. Trainer Yasutoshi Ikee brings a quartet of talent to the Osaka Hai – two-time G1 winner Satono Diamond, the 2017 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) winner Al Ain and runnerup Persian Knight, and Satono Noblesse, winner of four graded stakes races and holder of the Hanshin 2,000-meter course record. Ikee notched two wins of the Osaka Hai before it was promoted to Grade 1 status, and last year, won his second title for JRA Best Trainer for races won and his fourth title for money earned.

The Osaka Hai is the 11th race on the Sunday card of 12 at Hanshin. Post time is 3:40 p.m. Hiruno d'Amour holds the race record of 1 minute 57.8 seconds set in 2011.

The likely top choices on Sunday are as follows.

Suave Richard – The 4-year-old son of Heart’s Cry has yet to win a Grade 1 race, despite having come close with a second in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) last May. This will be his fourth bid at the height of competition and this colt looks primed for the winner’s circle. Suave Richard returned from a fourth in the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) at yearend to scoop the 2,000-meter Grade 2 Kinko Sho at Chukyo on March 11. Racing from third position amid a slow pace, Suave Richard clocked a brisk 33.8 seconds over the final 3 furlongs for a perfect win half a length ahead of runnerup Satono Noblesse. After work in tandem on the flat March 22, trainer Yasushi Shono said, “He switched on nicely during work but is normally relaxed, which is good. Last out the pace was slow and he was keen but still ran well. The pace will likely be higher this time, as will the competition. I’m hoping he’ll show us how he has matured.” Though Suave Richard is known to favor a left-handed track and be reluctant to change leads racing to the right, he has posted a sixth and a fourth in top-level racing at Nakayama, as well as a second in his debut in a Hanshin 2,000 and his first win over the same course. Concern is likely uncalled for, though the colt’s tendency to act up in the gate may be more problematic. Mirco Demuro, who has ridden Suave Richard’s last three starts, is pegged for the ride.

Satono Diamond — The Deep Impact-sired 5-year-old Satono Diamond is aiming for his first Grade 1 victory in over a year. Third in the Satsuki Sho, second in the Japanese Derby, he finally made the top money in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), then went on to beat Kitasan Black in the 2016 Arima Kinen. From there, Satono Diamond ran third in the Tenno Sho (Spring) and did not race again until his autumn excursion to France, where he finished fourth in the Prix Foy, but failed miserably in the Arc. Five months later, Satono Diamond returned to the track in the March 11 Kinko Sho. Though his responses were not his sharpest, he was able to post a third under Christophe Lemaire, who has ridden all his starts. With Lemaire in Dubai, however, Keita Tosaki has the ride on Sunday. Last year, Satono Diamond was diagnosed with laryngeal hemiplegia (“roaring,” as it is commonly known), a larynx dysfunction that can severely compromise breathing. Trainer Ikee says, “His breathing was good after the Kinko Sho and much better than it had been in France. He also was OK mentally, which I’d been concerned about. Things are looking much brighter.” Improvement is expected this time and, with three wins from three starts at Hanshin, Satono Diamond may shine again.

Mikki Swallow – Another 4-year-old who has yet to reach the heights is Mikki Swallow, winner of the Asahi Hai St. Lite Kinen (Japanese St. Leger Trial) (G2, 2,200) last September. He is taking on his second race of the year after the Jan. 21 American Jockey Club Cup (G2, 2,200 meters) at Nakayama. He was returning after a 3-month layoff, but nearly managed to beat the field. Missing the break and racing from only two off the rear, Mikki Swallow’s swift turn of foot brought him to second place within 2 lengths of the winner. It was a race that demonstrated he could be successful from further off the pace and has broadened his options. “He has put on muscle,” says former jockey Takanori Kikuzawa. “I gave him a bit of time off after that and, deciding that he was suited to the Hanshin 2,000, aimed him here. Norihiro Yokoyama has ridden him for the past two weeks in fast work and he’s moving well. He has definitely matured.” The Miho-based colt has made the trip west without a problem twice before and has won at the distance.

Al Ain – The Deep Impact-sired Al Ain proved himself at the distance with his win of the Satsuki Sho last year. On Feb. 11, some 3 months after the Kikuka Sho, he returned to the track in the Kyoto Kinen (G2, 2,200). Lugging out in the stretch and racing under 57 kg, he came within 1 length of the winner, who was carrying 2 kg less. “We gave him a bit of time off after that,” says trainer Ikee, “and he has come back a lot more relaxed, in a good way. He has toned up well since. I’m hoping for a fast track.” With two wins from two starts at Hanshin, improvement expected, and no rain in the forecast, Al Ain has ample chance.

Persian Knight – A 4-year-old colt by Harbinger, Persian Knight wrapped up 2017 with lightning-fast late speed that captured the Grade 1 Mile Championship at Kyoto. He started the new year with a fifth-place finish in the Nakayama Kinen (G2, 1,800) on Feb. 25. In a race that favored those close to the pace, Persian Knight raced from only one off the rear. Going wide into the stretch he moved up the ranks to finish only 0.3 seconds off the winner. “It was a difficult race for his racing style,” says Ikee. “But he looked strong despite his time off. In work his times have been good and he looks sharper now. The distance is longer but I’ve readied him to be able to give it the same kick he showed in the Mile Championship.” With Persian Knight’s second in the Satsuki Sho, a finish in the money is thought to be within reach.  

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