Osaka Hai (G1) - Preview

Sixpence

Stellenbosch

Bellagio Opera

Justin Palace

Lord del Rey

Yoho Lake

Ho O Biscuits

Sol Oriens

This coming Sunday (April 6) sees the Hanshin Racecourse stage its first Grade 1 race since last year’s Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), now that renovation work at the track has been completed. Since the re-opening this March, racegoers have been flocking back to the course, and this week’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai is a much-anticipated return of top-level action there.

Now in its 69th year, the race was first run in 1957 as a handicap race run over 1,800 meters, and known as the Sankei Osaka Hai. In 1972, the distance was extended to 2,000 meters, and its status was elevated to Grade 2 in 1984, with horses from overseas being invited to run since 2003. It became one of the most recent races to attain Grade 1 level in 2017, when it also got its current name.

The race is run over 2,000 meters on the inner turf course at Hanshin, and is open to 4-year-olds and up. Weight is set at 58kg for all horses, with the exception of fillies and mares, which receive a 2kg allowance. There have been 17 nominations for this year’s race, and the maximum field size is 16. Previous big-name winners include Orfevre (2013), Kizuna (2014) and Kitasan Black (2017) to name a few.

The race often throws up a surprise winner, with just two first favorites having won in the past ten years, the latest one being Suave Richard back in 2018. Five-year-olds have the best recent record, with six of them winning since 2015. Record time for the race is held by Jack d’Or, who stopped the clock in a time of 1 minute, 57.4 seconds in 2023. There is a prize money boost this year, with JPY 300 million (around USD 2 million) going to the winner, and the first past the post also receives an automatic entry to the Grade 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown later this year.

A couple of races in March leading up to this Sunday’s race have been the Grade 2 Tokai TV Hai Kinko Sho, run over 2,000 meters at Chukyo, and the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen, run over 1,800 meters.

The Grade 1 Osaka Hai will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Hanshin, with a post time in Japan of 15:40. Final declarations and the barrier draw will be available later in the week.

Here’s a look at some of the runners expected to take on the race:

Sixpence: The colt by Kizuna started his 4-year-old career in style by winning the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen over 1,800 meters in March, winning the race in record time. It now takes his number of wins to five from just six starts, and his only loss came in last year’s Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). Trainer Sakae Kunieda said: “I think it shows what a talented horse he is, being able to win the Nakayama Kinen in record time after returning from a break and being about 80% ready. He’s been at Northern Farm Tenei, and on his return to the stable, his hooves are in good condition and things have been as expected with him.” The colt is more than 20kg heavier than he was last summer, and it seems to be all power in that extra weight. Jockey Takeshi Yokoyama has been booked for the ride on Sixpence (with Christophe Lemaire on duty in Dubai), and the horse’s first Grade 1 win could well come in this race.

Stellenbosch: Also trained by Sakae Kunieda, last year’s Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) winner might not have won since then, but she’s gone close in all three races since, including her latest run in Hong Kong last December. “It was tough for her last time in the Hong Kong Vase, having to race wide throughout the race,” the trainer said. “She’s been a bit unlucky in her last two starts. We’ve had this race in mind for her next, and since returning from a spell at the farm, she seems to be in good condition.” She will be ridden by Joao Moreira, who has already struck up a winning partnership with the daughter of Epiphaneia, and the jockey scored his third JRA Grade 1 win last weekend in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen aboard Satono Reve.

Bellagio Opera: Another horse who rarely runs a bad race, Bellagio Opera won last year’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai, and is back for another try this year. He has an impressive 100%-win strike rate at Hanshin, and is trained by Hiroyuki Uemura, who has once again made a good start to the year. Recent comments from him on Bellagio Opera were: “The horse’s condition is always good in winter. On his return to the stable, he’s already put in some good training, on the flat and also uphill. He’s not fully switched on yet, but his workload’s been good so far.” The 5-year-old’s regular jockey, Kazuo Yokoyama, looks set for the ride once again.

Justin Palace: It’ll be the first run of the year for the 6-year-old by Deep Impact, and despite not having won since the Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) of 2023, he runs well at Hanshin, and trainer Haruki Sugiyama is pleased that the horse doesn’t have to transport so far to the track this time from the trainer’s Ritto base. “There’s no tiredness about him, and he’s refreshed after a break at the farm,” the trainer commented. “He didn’t run so straight in a recent piece of work, but he’s been off for a while, and he’ll improve more as this next race approaches.” Justin Palace will be ridden on Sunday by Katsuma Sameshima, a jockey who has won on him previously.

Lord del Rey: It’ll be the first attempt at a Grade 1 for Lord del Rey, but the lightly raced 5-year-old certainly deserves to take his chance after a strong win in the Grade 2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai over 2,200 meters at Chukyo in January. Assistant trainer Taku Fukunaga said: “It was a strong win in the Nikkei Shinshun Hai last time, and it was good to boost his total prize money. He had a break at Champion Hills Farm after that, and returned to the stable at the end of February. We’ve just been monitoring his physical and mental condition, but there doesn’t seem to be any change with him and everything’s progressing well.”

Yoho Lake: Trained by Yasuo Tomomichi, Yoho Lake is a 7-year-old who has just had twelve career starts, and this will be his fourth Grade 1 race. Jockey Mirai Iwata has struck up a good partnership with the son of Deep Impact, and won on him last time in the Grade 2 Kyoto Kinen over 2,200 meters in February. Recent comments from the trainer were: “It was a good win last time, and everything went smoothly after drawing an inside gate. He was straining a little with the bit in last year’s Mainichi Okan, so his result was not so good then. I’ve always considered him a horse with a lot of power, and some cut in the ground is no bad thing for him. Things are as usual with him going into this next race.”

Ho O Biscuits: There can be plenty of optimism about the 5-year-old by Mind Your Biscuits, having taken on a number of graded races, and putting in probably his best performance in last year’s Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn), when he finished third to Do Deuce. His latest race saw him just beaten by Queen’s Walk in the Grade 2 Tokai TV Hai Kinko Sho over 2,000 meters at Chukyo in March. Trainer Takeshi Okumura said: “As a younger horse, I felt this rotation would have been tough for him, but with his condition continuing to improve, and with just two weeks in between races this time, we’ve decided that he can take on this race next. He’s come out of his last race well, and his appetite and overall condition are very good.”