This Wednesday, Dec. 28, youth is spotlighted in the Hopeful Stakes, what is now the last Grade 1 event of the Japan Racing Association year.
The entrants are not the only ones debuting on the Grade 1 level. Five new sires have their first progeny to take on the top – Declaration of War, Beach Patrol, 2004 Satsuki Sho runnerup Real Steel, and Satono Crown and Satono Diamond, both with two G1 victories apiece.
Together, the Hopeful Stakes, Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, bring the number of JRA Grade 1 events (all on turf, all in December) open solely to 2-year-olds to three, with the last two held currently over the mile at Hanshin. The Hopeful Stakes is run over the same distance and at the same venue as the Satsuki Sho, the first and shortest of the three 3-year-old classics that comprise Japan's Triple Crown.
On Wednesday, races will be held at both Nakayama and Hanshin. The Hopeful Stakes will be the 11th race (of 12) on the Wednesday card at Nakayama. Note that the post time is 3:25 p.m., 15 minutes earlier than usual for Grade 1 events.
Here's a look at some of the expected popular choices:
Gastrique – The Just a Way colt Gastrique is now two for two, after swiftly pocketing his first big test with victory in the G2 Tokyo Sports Nisai Stakes (1,800, Tokyo) Nov. 19. Slow away in both his starts (both over 9 furlongs, both at Tokyo), his lightning-fast late kick has seen him home the winner. In four of the last five runnings of the Hopeful Stakes, the eventual winners were no further back than fourth position at the top of the stretch years. Gastrique's superior late speed, however, may prove him one of the exceptions. Calm and cool, he is also expected to be able to handle the extra furlong. A big colt, it remains to be seen how he will fare over the tighter turns of Nakayama and his first race to the right. It should also be noted that, in the last five runnings since the Hopeful Stakes became a Grade 1 competition, only one graded stakes race winner (Contrail in 2019) has won the race. Hailing from the stable of the Miho-based Hiroyuki Uehara, Gastrique will also be bucking a Hopeful Stakes 5-year winning streak by Ritto-based horses.
Trainer Hiroyuki Uehara said: “He moved really well in his work on Dec. 14 and displayed nice footwork even once he was past the finish line and to the backstretch, which showed even more how much he has improved. He ran on the outside and his time was still very good. In his debut, he was slow out of the gate and traveled on the far outside, yet won. Then in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes, he kept up with the pacesetter and wasn't bothered at all by being in with the pack. That was his first time in among them too. When a horse comes up on him from behind, it really gets his competitive spirit fired up and he doesn't want to let anyone past. He really shows his tenacity. Looking at his track work and how he moves, I'd say he shouldn't have a problem with a right-handed track and seeing at how, in track work, he is determined to catch up to a runner in front, the 2,000-meter distance should be OK. His condition has improved. I expect him to give us a good race here too.”
Mikki Cappuccino – Mikki Cappuccino is unbeaten in his two career starts thus far, both over 2,000 meters, the first at Tokyo and the most recent (Dec. 3) over the Nakayama 2,000 in the Habotan Sho. Though that race included no other Hopeful Stakes nominees, Mikki Cappuccino's winning margin of 3 1/2 lengths over the Hopeful Stakes course alone bodes well. He missed the break and raced from a rear position but was six off the front at the top of the stretch, and a time of 34.6 seconds over the final 3 furlongs brought him home a winner. His sire Epiphaneia had two wins at the distance, including a G3 and was runnerup in the 2013 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas). Keita Tosaki has ridden both Mikki Cappuccino's starts and is expected up on Wednesday. Ritto-based Yoshito Yahagi, currently leading JRA trainers with 56 wins this year, also leads for overall wins of 2-year-old events.
Yahagi said: “Watching his two races, even I find his performances remarkable. He didn't start too well in the Habotan Sho and there was a lot of jostling going on in the first half, but that too was probably a good experience for him. In short, he's talented all around, in training, in racing, and not just in one particular area, but overall. To be honest, before his debut, I hadn't thought he'd come this far. The time between his last race and this one is perfect. He stayed at the training center and had his last serious fast work on Dec. 21. I had Keita Tosaki ride and they worked alone on the flat. My instructions were to run solidly to the end and his time and footwork were good. His last race sharpened him up. This time it's a G1 and there are lots of strong horses and horses with excellent racing sense, so it's not going to be an easy race. But his ability is extremely high and I'm very excited.”
Hearts Concerto – From a stunning debut win by 8 lengths over the Chukyo 2,000, Hearts Concerto lept to the graded level in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G2, Tokyo) on Nov. 19. Though he was slow at the break and disappointed as the race favorite, his third-place finish was only 0.2 seconds behind winner Gastrique. The Heart's Cry-colt is a full brother to Nasuno Symphony, a filly who also hailed from the Miho stable of Ryo Takei. Nasuno Symphony topped 11 colts and one filly in finishing fifth in the 2017 Hopeful Stakes. This will be Heart Concerto's first time racing to the right.
Trainer Ryo Takei said: “He missed the break in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes and was left behind, and that really hurt, but he was very eager to run. His preparation after that race has all gone smoothly. On Dec. 14 we had him chase and catch another horse in morning work and it was his first time that he wasn't able to catch the training partner. His time was good though and on the flat he didn't move on his own, so I'd like to work on that with him. He doesn't have that problem on the hill course, but on the flat, he's too laid back and won't run seriously. But, we should have that remedied by the race. We also gave him gate practice but he still wasn't consistently good at the break, so he'll need more practice. If he's late away, this time he'll have more time to recover. He could be a little leaner, but he's just 2 years old. On Dec. 21 he worked over 6 furlongs on the flat and he was much lighter on his feet, very much on his toes, very forward. I think the extra distance is a plus and the conditions are better for him here.”
King's Reign – Fielded by the Miho-based Takahisa Tezuka, King's Reign posted 3-1-1 in his three starts to date, two in the summer in Hokkaido and his most recent in the Hyakunichiso Tokubetsu over the Tokyo 2,000 on Nov. 6. He is by Rulership, who excelled over 10 furlongs, and out of the Deep Impact mare Touching Speech, who captured the 2015 Rose Stakes (G2, 1,800, Hanshin) and finished a close third behind two older fillies in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup that same year.
Trainer Takahisa Tezuka said: “He never looks that good in morning work, but when he goes to a race, you can see he has good racing sense. He still has a lot of maturing to do and he's only going to really get good later on. He's still soft in places and his overall body is immature. But he gave us his best performance ever in the Hyakunichiso Tokubetsu last out. He had some time off at the farm, and he's not in bad shape even though his morning work isn't very flashy. I'm not worried about Nakayama, but he still has to improve, a lot. We'll just have to see how well he can do for now amid this competition. I think if he gives it what he has now, there won't be much difference between him and the others. Key will be how well he can do amid a large field, how he'll fare at a new venue, and whether he'll be able to keep up with the pace. I hope the ground is fast for him. He's an agile horse so I wouldn't want him to be too far outside.”
Top Knife – A son of the American-bred, Irish-trained Declaration of War, winner of three G1s in England, Top Knife won the listed Hagi Stakes over the Hanshin 1,800. He then finished second in the Radio Nikkei Kyoto Nisai Stakes (G3, 2,000) to the front-running Gruner Green, who evaded the interference suffered by a third of the field at the top of the stretch. Top Knife displayed excellent racing ability and did a fine job of coming to within a head of the winner.
Trainer Mitsugu Kon said: “He was in excellent shape for the Kyoto Nisai Stakes, and I thought he would give a good performance. But, unfortunately, he encountered interference in the final turn. That too is racing. Still, he was able to gain ground on the inside in the final stage and did give a show of strength in the homestretch. I think it was a good race. He's learning a lot about racing from the jockey. During this period, he's maturing faster than I had expected him to but he has always been cool and collected. He's improving step by step and there haven't been any problems. His strongpoint is that he learns on his own. If you race him, he learns it in one race. He worked under the jockey on Dec. 21 behind another horse who is in great shape now, so this one didn't shine next to him but his movement was fine. He'll learn more racing each time out. I'm looking forward to seeing how well he'll measure up in a G1.”
Gruner Green – After a 3-1 at Tokyo over 9 and 10 furlongs, Gruner Green captured the Radio Nikkei Kyoto Nisai Stakes (G3, 2,000) at Hanshin wire to wire on Nov. 26. He's a son of Lovely Day, who was given the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes over the mile and finished seventh, but later went on to excel at distances of 2,000-2,400 meters. Gruner Green is a half brother to Verde Green, winner of two G2 events (both over 2,200 meters).
Trainer Ikuo Aizawa said: “I hadn't expected him to take the lead in his most recent start. He did a great job of winning. He was tense, but there was no problem in the race. In the race before that he'd raced in second position. He can hold back or go to the front. He stayed at the training center where we could keep a good eye on him and we recorded his first time on Dec. 14 and he had a hard workout on Dec. 21. I think Nakayama will suit him. He's fully recovered and looking good. He breaks well and being able to race from a forward position is a strongpoint. From the way he races and his bloodline, the change to Nakayama should be good. After this race, I plan to give him some time off so I hope he'll get some good results here. He'll be up against one of the horses that beat him in his debut race, but at the time, he was short one hard workout. I think he'll be able to hold his own. I'm hoping he'll give a performance that will open up opportunities for next year.”
Phantom Thief – Horses debuting at Hanshin have won the Hopeful Stakes for the past 4 years straight, and Phantom Thief (Harbinger), unbeaten in his two starts, was a standout in his debut over the Hanshin 1,600. Next up, he captured the Nojigiku Stakes (Chukyo, 2,000) by 2 lengths. He's a half brother to Lupinus Lead, a filly 1 year his senior who has notched 4 wins, 1 second and 1 third in 8 starts and has reached the open class. Expected in the saddle is Yuichi Fukunaga, who tops all jockeys with his record seven G1 2-year-old wins, Fukunaga has one final chance to make it eight before his retirement at the end of February.
Assistant trainer Takayuki Nagi said: “He ran a strong race on Sept. 24 (winning over the Chukyo 2,000 in the Nojigiku Stakes). Even though he circled on the outside, it was a good race. He had some issues and apparently didn't like the kickback but he moved in to race amid the pack, which was a big accomplishment. He went to the farm and returned 2 months before this race. They took good care of him at the farm but we wanted to do the training here. On Dec. 14, we had him work alongside another horse and it was a little tough for him to keep up. I think it was good hard workout for him. And he'll surely improve. On Dec. 21, the jockey rode and checked how well he listened, his maneuverability and his balance and his lead changes in the finish. Everything was good. On the 25th, he had a run up the hill course to let off any pent-up frustration. He has gotten a lot of work and will surely go into the race in good shape. He's extremely smart and I get the impression his early training was very good. He has a huge stride and can run effortlessly. I think he does better with distance and, to be honest, I think a bigger course would suit him better. The change to Nakayama should be OK though and I expect him to improve from here on out. Even with it a G1, I have my expectations up.”
Others of interest:
Despite being the only runner to suffer interference in the Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nisai Stakes (G3, 2,000, Nov. 26), the Kitasan Black-sired Wurttemberg managed to finish in third place (0.2 seconds off the winner). His 2-1 at Kokura over 1,800 meters also shows him adept over tighter courses. The Real Steel-sired Fate, who also hails from the stable of Yoshito Yahagi, won his debut and returned 3 months later to finish fifth (half a second slower than winner Gastrique) in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G2, 1,800, Nov. 19). This, however, will be his first test over a clockwise course. J Palms is one of two hopefuls with only one previous start. J Palms is a half brother to 2021 Hopeful Stakes winner Killer Ability and displayed ample talent acing his debut over the Tokyo 2,000 on Nov. 5.
The post Japan: Unbeaten Colts Square Off In Wednesday’s Hopeful Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
