Osaka Hai (G1) - Preview

Danon Decile

Croix du Nord

Lebensstil

Meisho Tabaru

Shohei

Tagano Dude

Ecoro Walz

Yoho Lake

This coming Sunday (April 5), it will be the first JRA Grade 1 middle-distance race of the year, when the Osaka Hai will be the first of two Grade 1 races at the Hanshin Racecourse in two consecutive weeks, with the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) being the other. The Grade 1 Osaka Hai is run over 2,000 meters on the inner turf course at the track.

The race’s history goes back to 1957, when it was a handicap run over 1,800 meters and known as the Sankei Osaka Hai. In 1972, the distance was extended to 2,000 meters and it acquired Grade 2 status in 1984, becoming an international race in 2003. It is one of the most recent races in the Japanese racing calendar to be upgraded to Grade 1 level, which was made nine years ago in 2017, the year it also became simply known as the Osaka Hai.

The race is for 4-year-olds and up, and there have been 16 nominations for a maximum 16-runner field, with some connections deciding to stay put in Japan, rather than to have taken on a trip to Dubai among the Middle East conflict. All runners in the Grade 1 Osaka Hai are set to carry 58kg, with a 2kg allowance for fillies and mares.

First favorites have fared quite poorly in the last ten years, with just two winning, and the latest one was Suave Richard in 2018. Better performances have come from 5-year-olds, who have won the race seven times since 2015. Bellagio Opera set a new record time for the race just last year, when he won in a time of 1 minute 56.2 seconds. Other big-name winners have included Orfevre (2013), Kizuna (2014) and Kitasan Black (2017). This year’s winner’s check is JPY 300 million (close to USD 2 million), and the winner also receives an automatic qualification for the Grade 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown later in 2026.

A couple of races some of the runners have taken on leading up to this week’s race have been the Grade 2 Kyoto Kinen, run over 2,200 meters in February, and the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen, run over 1,800 meters early in March.

This year will be the 70th running of the Grade 1 Osaka Hai, and it will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Hanshin, 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 runners expected to be in the line-up:

Danon Decile: The highest ranked horse in the race, the 2024 Derby winner was campaigned overseas last year, and pulled off an exciting win in the Grade 1 Dubai Sheema Classic last April. At the end of last year, he managed to finish third in both the Grade 1 Japan Cup and Grade 1 Arima Kinen, and he’ll be making his first appearance of the year this Sunday. The 5-year-old by Epiphaneia has five career wins to his name, and is trained by Shogo Yasuda. Jockey Ryusei Sakai has been booked to take the ride, and it will be the first time for him to ride Danon Decile.

Croix du Nord: Last year’s Derby winner will also be having his first race of 2026, as well as it being his first ever run at Hanshin. He was last seen finishing a creditable fourth in last year’s Grade 1 Japan Cup, behind Calandagan. Trainer Takashi Saito said: “He wasn’t so smooth going into the first corner last time, but ran on well at the end of the race. The first and second horses in the Japan Cup were strong, but he showed the same ability he had done in the Derby. He didn’t run in the Arima Kinen, but seems to have kept his condition well while staying at the farm.” Regular jockey Yuichi Kitamura will ride Croix du Nord.

Lebensstil: The 6-year-old by Real Steel has mixed form in graded races, and after being beaten by Jantar Mantar in last year’s Grade 1 Mile Championship, came out and won his first start of this year in the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen over 1,800 meters in early March. Recent comments from assistant trainer Hiroyuki Yamazaki were: “He ran well in the Nakayama Kinen, despite things being a bit rough going into the first corner. Keita Tosaki hadn’t ridden him since the Radio Nikkei Sho some time ago, but controlled the horse well and got the best out of him.” Jockey Christophe Lemaire comes in for the ride on Lebensstil this Sunday.

Meisho Tabaru: The course and distance of the Grade 1 Osaka Hai look to suit this frontrunner, and he galloped away to win the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen at the Hanshin Racecourse last year. It’ll be his first run of the year after a slightly disappointing effort in last December’s Grade 1 Arima Kinen. Trainer Mamoru Ishibashi commented: “He got to the front early on in his last race, but unfortunately couldn’t sustain his run to the finish. Thinking about it now, his condition wasn’t quite as good as it was for the Takarazuka Kinen. He’s currently quite relaxed and not so tense as he can be.” Regular rider Yutaka Take retains his association with the 5-year-old Meisho Tabaru, and Take recently achieved the remarkable feat of riding a graded race winner every year of his 40-year riding career so far.

Shohei: One of two likely runners for trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, Shohei has three wins from just eight career starts. Last year’s Derby third ran a strong race last time to win the Grade 2 American Jockey Club Cup over 2,200 meters at Nakayama in January. “He was a bit tense in his last race, but come the homestraight, he was able to pull right away from the other runners,” the trainer said. “He’s had a break at Northern Farm Shigaraki, and everything seems fine with him since his return to the stable, and the jockey (Yuga Kawada) has been working him on the woodchip course.”

Tagano Dude: It’s been some time since the 5-year-old by Yamakatsu Ace took on a Grade 1 - in fact you have to go back to his career as a 2-year-old - but his recent consistency, and his latest win in the Grade 3 Kokura Daishoten over 1,800 meters in February, don’t put things completely beyond him here. Comments from trainer Toru Miya were: “He has about the same ability as his stablemate Shake Your Heart, who won the Chunichi Shimbun Hai and Kinko Sho. I thought it was a big win last time, considering his outside draw. We sent him to the farm after that, and things have been as usual with him since his return to the stable on March 18.”

Ecoro Walz: Despite only being a winner of Listed or Open Class races, Ecoro Walz put in a good run last time when finishing third behind Lebensstil in the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen. His consistency, and that last result, give him a good reason to be in Sunday’s line-up. Trainer Mitsunori Makiura commented: “It was a pity about his result last time, although the jockey was right in wanting to be well forward in the race. The horse recovered well from that run. We thought about the Nikkei Sho next for him, but considering the distance, we’ve decided on the Osaka Hai.”

Yoho Lake: Another likely runner for trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, Yoho Lake is now an 8-year-old, but he’s still capable of springing a surprise, with Tomomichi adept at getting the best out of his horses, whatever their age. Yoho Lake finished third in the Grade 1 Osaka Hai last year, and is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Kyoto Kinen in February. “It was a slow pace last time, where the leaders didn’t stop, so it made it a tough race,” the trainer said. “He worked recently on the woodchip course with two other horses, and even since before, he hasn’t been one to catch the eye in training, and that’s the case now that he’s an 8-year-old.” 

Sources: Keiba Book and Netkeiba