Wide-open Takarazuka Kinen a bettors' race

Without reigning Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye in the field, Sunday’s Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse is wide-open and an excellent betting race with ramifications for major stakes in the fall.

The winner of the $2.7 million Takarazuka Kinen at 1 3/8 miles on turf will receive a fees-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, provided the horse is nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program. More likely, the winner will be rated as a contender for the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 24.

Kiseki, second in the Grade 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin on March 31, and Rey de Oro, who won the Grade 1 autumn running of the Tenno Sho in 2018, are the two leading contenders in a field of 12. Kiseki was beaten in the Osaka Hai by Al Ain, who is part of the Takarazuka Kinen field.

There are several others with fine credentials. The 5-year-old mare Lyz Gracieux was third in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong in April. She is the only mare in Sunday’s field.

Suave Richard was third in the $6 million Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 30, a race in which Rey de Oro was sixth. Etario was fourth in the Grade 1 spring running of the Tenno Sho in April and second in the Japanese St. Leger last October.

Kiseki, a 5-year-old horse who has won 4 of 16 starts, was second in the Japan Cup last November, and his race record in the last year could sway bettors in his favor. This will be Kiseki’s second start of the year.