Lovely Day scores first Grade 1 in Takarazuka Kinen

Lovely Day won his first Grade 1 race and his fourth stakes in Sunday’s $2,347,348 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan, earning a fees-paid berth for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

The Takarazuka Kinen, run at 1 3/8 miles on turf, is part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, offering a fees-paid berth for the BC Turf to the winner if nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program.

Lovely Day, a 13-1 outsider in a field of 16, stalked the early pace set by the 150-1 Red Davis. Ridden by Yuga Kawada for trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, Lovely Day took the lead with a quarter-mile remaining and held off a late threat from the 5-year-old mare Denim and Ruby (30-1) to win by a neck. Shonan Pandora (98-1) finished third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.

Gold Ship, who won the last two runnings of the Takarazuka Kinen, was fractious before the start, broke slowly, and finished 15th of 16 as the 9-10 favorite.

Lovely Day, a 5-year-old by King Kamehameha, races for owner-breeder Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Even though the Takarazuka Kinen is part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, the race also has a leading role as a preview of the major stakes for older horses of the fall in Japan, including the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 29.