Japan: Crowd of top talent gathered for Takarazuka Kinen
The Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan on Sunday has drawn such a strong field that Efforia, the country’s 2021 Horse of the Year, could easily be overshadowed by recent Grade 1 and Group 1 winners Panthalassa, Potager, and Titleholder.
Add other runners such as Authority, Deep Bond, and Stay Foolish, and Efforia will need a top-level performance to win the $2.85 million Takarazuka Kinen at 1 3/8 miles. The winner receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 5.
The presence of several high-profile runners makes for a complex betting race. Titleholder and Deep Bond were first and second in the Grade 1 spring running of the Grade 1 Tenno Sho at two miles on May 1, a race Titleholder won by seven lengths from the front.
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Three Japanese runners successful on the Dubai World Cup program in the United Arab Emirates on March 26 are part of the field of 18 in the Takarazuka Kinen.
Stay Foolish won the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup at two miles early on that program.
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Panthalassa dead-heated for the win in the Group 1 Dubai Turf at 1 1/8 miles to remain unbeaten in two starts this year, while Authority was third behind Japan’s Shahryar in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic at 1 1/2 miles. Authority was second by two lengths in the Grade 1 Japan Cup last November.
Potager, who races as a stalker, is a danger. A 5-year-old, Potager won the Grade 1 Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles at Hanshin on April 3, paying $147. Efforia could only manage ninth in his first start of 2022 in the Osaka Hai and has not raced since.
Efforia is not the only former champion likely to be overshadowed at Hanshin. Daring Tact, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2020 in Japan, is winless in her last four starts, including a sixth-place finish in the Group 1 Victoria Mile for fillies and mares at Tokyo on May 15.
Post time for the Takarazuka Kinen is 2:40 a.m. Eastern on Sunday or 11:40 p.m. Pacific on Saturday.