Japan: Croix du Nord leads 18 in Hopeful, final Grade 1 of 2024

Croix du Nord, the outstanding Japanese-bred 2-year-old, had a five-month gap between a win against first-time starters in June and his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes on Nov. 16.

For his third start, Croix du Nord is back in action after a six-week break.

Croix du Nord is at the fore of a field of 18 in Saturday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes for 2-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Nakayama Racecourse.

Trained by Takashi Saito, Croix du Nord has been handy in his first two appearances, in races at 1 1/8 miles. He closed from third of nine to win the Hai Nisai Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse.

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The Hopeful Stakes is the final Grade 1 race of the year in Japan, and has a strong recent history. The filly Regaleira won the 2023 running and won the Grade 1 Arima Kinen against older horses at Nakayama on Dec. 22. The Arima Kinen is one of Japan’s leading races for older horses.

In the Hopeful, Croix du Nord’s main rival will be Pike Chan Black, who was second in the Ivy Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Tokyo Racecourse on Oct. 19. Pike Chan Black, who tends to race near the front, was beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Masquerade Ball in the Ivy Stakes.

In the Hopeful Stakes, Masquerade Ball drew the outside post, a tough starting position. At Nakayama, the start of races at 1 1/4 miles begin at the top of the stretch on the right-handed track.

Croix du Nord starts from post 6, with Pike Chan Black in post 15.

The Hopeful Stakes has a post time of 1:40 a.m. Eastern on Saturday on 10:40 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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