hanshin

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo, Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses. Juvenile Fillies got their chance at Group 1 glory last weekend and it's the boys' turn this weekend at Hanshin, with the running of the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity: Saturday, December 17, 2022 5th-CKO,...

Rated 109, just like fellow group winners Dolce More (Jpn) (Jpn) and Obamburumai (Jpn) (Discreet Cat), All Parfait (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) is one of the more fancied runners as 17 colts line up for the 1600-metre G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin on Sunday. Leaving from post three, the Ryoichi Endo homebred has won his past two starts, after running second in a Tokyo maiden in June. Resuming over this trip in a maiden at Nakayama on Oct. 2, he won by two lengths, prior to defeating Danon...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses. While much of the local focus will be on the 14 runners entered across the four races that comprise the Longines Hong Kong International Races, Sunday's action at home includes the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies: Saturday,...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend--all fillies--running at Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses. The third of the JRA track hosting racing this weekend is Chuyko, which stages the Champions Cup (formerly Japan Cup Dirt), one of just three Group 1 races on the dirt in Japan each season: Saturday,...

Gruner Green (Jpn), by Japanese champion and G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn)/G1 Takarazuka Kinen victor Lovely Day (Jpn), turned in a pillar-to-post effort to win the G3 Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nisai S. by a head at Hanshin on Saturday. He is his sire's first stakes winner from three crops to race. Fifth choice on the board at 13-1, the Ikuo Aizawa trainee strode out to an early lead and covered a first quarter in :24 flat, while hard-pressed by Bikini Boy (Jpn) (Beach Patrol {Jpn}). That pair raced in tandem...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Saturday running at Hanshin Racecourse. Sunday's focus is on Tokyo Racecourse which hosts the G1 Longines Japan Cup and features some of Japan's best middle-distance horses taking on four talented runners from Europe. Read our preview here: Saturday, November 26, 2022 4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for Sunday running at Fukushima and Hanshin Racecourses. The latter plays host to a high-class renewal of the G1 Mile Championship, which has attracted dual Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed American-bred mare Lotus Land (Point of Entry): Sunday, November 20, 2022 5th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($96k),...

All eyes will be on Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune)--aren't they always?--as she takes on an eclectic group in Sunday's G1 Mile Championship at Hanshin Racecourse, a race that looks something other than a one-horse affair. Named the best of her generation at two and three, the immensely popular white filly owns three top-level victories over arguably her favorite trip, having annexed the 2020 G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and last year's G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) over course and distance and this year's sex-restricted G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo. Fifth to...

Between them, Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) and Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) accounted for three Horse of the Year titles in Japan, 13 Group 1 races--including four overseas--and the better part of $28 million in prizemoney. There is no such thing as a sure thing in the business of breeding horses, but Geraldina (Jpn) went some ways in cementing the accomplishments of mom and dad in their second careers with a tough-trip victory in Sunday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hanshin Racecourse. Drawn widest in the field of...

Some eleven years have transpired since the great Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab) carried Ryan Moore to a second consecutive victory in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup and it will be up to reigning G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks winner Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to put a halt to the locals' 10-race winning streak Sunday afternoon at Hanshin Racecourse. It has been a magical season, indeed, for Yuesheng Zhang's talented bay filly, who used a runner-up effort in the Listed Salsabil S. at Navan in late April as a springboard...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Saturday running at Hanshin Racecourses: Saturday, November 12, 2022 4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($94k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m CUPIDON (c, 2, American Pharoah--Chocolate Pop, by Cuvee) is a half-brother to dual-surface graded winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Airoforce (Colonel John) and was hammered...

Rivara (Jpn) (Kinshasa no Kiseki {Aus}) surprised her 11 rivals in the G3 KBS Kyoto Sho Fantasy S. when she parlayed her 69-1 odds into a 1 1/4-length victory at Hanshin on Saturday. In charge from the bell, she doled out splits of :22.90 for the first quarter and rolled through a half-mile in :46.30. Still under only mild pressure from Ballerina (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), she turned into the home straight with her ears pricked. Sent hard by Shu Ishibashi at that point, she stole a march on her...