Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1) - Preview

Embroidery

Arma Veloce

Lynx Tip

Erika Express

Kamunyak

Lesedrama

Brown Ratchet

Vip Daisy

Rouge Solitaire

It is the turn of the 3-year-old fillies to take center stage this coming Sunday (May 25), when the second fillies’ Classic will be staged at Tokyo Racecourse, just a week before the big one, the Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).

The fillies’ race was first run in 1938, when it was run at the Hanshin Racecourse in the autumn over a longer distance than it is now, and it was originally called the Hanshin Yushun Himba. It was later switched to Tokyo in 1946, and run in the spring over its current distance of 2,400 meters, as well as being renamed as the Japanese Oaks. The race was opened to foreign-bred fillies in 2003, and it became an international Grade 1 in 2010.

There are 20 nominations for this year’s race, of which a maximum of 18 will go to post on Sunday. All fillies carry a set weight of 55kg, and there’s a JPY150 million (approximately USD1 million) winner’s check for the first past the post. Recent big-name winners have included Liberty Island (2023), Daring Tact (2020), and the great Almond Eye (2018), with another star filly, Loves Only You, holding the record time for the race when she won in 2019, stopping the clock in 2 minutes, 22.8 seconds.

A couple of races leading into Sunday’s big race have been the Grade 3 Flower Cup, run over 1,800 meters at Nakayama in March, and the Grade 2 Sankei Sports Sho Flora Stakes (an official Oaks trial race), run at Tokyo in April over 2,000 meters. The first five home in the Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) get an automatic entry into the Japanese Oaks, and with the exception of Ma Puce, who ran in the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup earlier this month, the other four fillies in the first five are among the nominations.

The 86th running of the Grade 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Tokyo, with a post time locally of 15:40. Final declarations and the barrier draw will be available later in the week.

Here’s a look at some of the top fillies expected to be in the line-up on Sunday:

Embroidery: Seemingly going from strength to strength, this year’s Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) winner will be one of the main fancies this Sunday, but she will have to see out the extra distance, having only raced up to 1,800 meters so far, and when she did that, it was in a 2-year-old maiden at Niigata last summer, but she did win that race in record time. Trainer Kazutomo Mori commented: “After her last race, she went from Ritto to Miho, and then on to Northern Farm Tenei for a break. She came back to the stable on May 8, and having been well cared for at the farm, she’s in good condition, and there are no problems with her hooves. She’s relaxed, and has been working well on the uphill training track since returning.” Christophe Lemaire once again rides Embroidery, following on from Joao Moreira, who rode the filly to victory last time.

Arma Veloce: The filly that had to settle for second to Embroidery last time, Arma Veloce will be looking for revenge this time, and her credentials are strong, having never finished out of the first two in her short racing career. “The jockey did a great job last time, but Joao Moreira on the winner was just too good,” trainer Hiroyuki Uemura said recently. “My filly fought back again at the finish, so I could give her high marks for that. She’s been at the stable since, and has been working on the woodchip course. Things have gone smoothly so far, and I get the feeling she should be in great shape for the race.” Jockey Mirai Iwata has struck up a good partnership with the filly, as well as the stable, so a big run can be expected from Arma Veloce on Sunday.

Lynx Tip: The filly by Kitasan Black might only have won a maiden, but in her last two races, she’s finished within a whisker of two very good winners in Satono Shining and Embroidery. In her first two starts she was ridden by Cristian Demuro, after which brother Mirco has picked up the ride. Comments from assistant training staff were: “Soon after the start last time, she hung to the left, and later on got bumped, so she had to do things the hard way, racing from the back and having to run on down the outside. Despite these things, she didn’t lose by much. She’s had a break at the farm since, with this race in mind for her next. She has a good appetite and is filling out more.”

Erika Express: All the filly’s races have been over a mile, and she’s never raced at Tokyo, but she has looked strong in her three runs, which have included two wins. She’s coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), and trainer Haruki Sugiyama recently commented on her: “She drew an inside gate last time, and the way she started meant that she would take the lead in the race. It was a good experience for her, despite the ground being how it was. We sent her to the farm after the Oka Sho, but there was no damage from that race. Since returning to the stable, she’s been running well in training, and is in about the same condition as she was for her last race.”

Kamunyak: The filly is coming off a win in the Grade 2 Sankei Sports Sho Flora Stakes at Tokyo in April, and in her total number of four races, she has now won two of them over the distance of 2,000 meters. Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi said: “She gets quite switched on before a race, but the jockey has had some good contact with her and understands her well. She can pull a bit at the start of training, but once she settles, she runs with a good rhythm, and races smoothly when running left-handed.” Kamunyak will be ridden by Andrasch Starke, who just missed out on his first JRA Grade1 win in the Tenno Sho (Spring), but did bring up his 100th JRA win last weekend, while trainer Tomomichi is looking for his first win in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks).

Savonlinna: It is two consecutive wins as a 3-year-old for the filly by Satono Diamond, and both of them have come over 2,000 meters, although at the Kansai tracks of Kyoto and Hanshin. Jockey Yuichi Kitamura has ridden her in all four of her career races, and partners the filly once again on Sunday. Assistant trainer comments were: “She showed her strength right from the start last time, but was patient in the run, before going on to win. It was an impressive win too. She seems to be improving, and the jockey gets on well with her.”

Lesedrama: The Shadai Farm-bred filly is by Kizuna, and runs in the famous colors of the Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd. She is coming off a win in the Grade 3 Flower Cup over 1,800 meters at Nakayama in March, and she finished sixth two starts ago at Tokyo over 2,400 meters. She is the only filly among the nominated horses to have run over the distance of 2,400 meters. Trainer Yasuyuki Tsujino commented: “After the Flower Cup, she had a break at the farm. On her return to the stable, she seems to be in good shape, and her balance is better than before. We didn’t push her too hard in recent training, but she moved well, and her breathing seems better.” Lesedrama will be ridden by Ryusei Sakai in this week’s big race.

A couple of other fillies looking to find form once again are Brown Ratchet and Vip Daisy. The former disappointed as the favorite in last year’s Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, and couldn’t make up for that with just a ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), but with Damian Lane booked to ride, things could take a turn for the better. Vip Daisy also disappointed in the first fillies’ Classic, when finishing eleventh, but she has won over 1,800 meters, and jockey Hideaki Miyuki knows her well, having ridden her in all her starts so far.

Rouge Solitaire has already been declared a non-runner, with connections stating that she hasn’t fully recovered from her last race, the Listed Sweet Pea Stakes early this month.