Sunday's G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) features a full and competitive lineup of 18 fillies, with even-money favourite Sinhalite (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) looking to bounce back from her first career loss when a nose second in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) last out Apr. 10. Prior to that effort, Sinhalite had won three straight–a lone juvenile start and two stakes this year: the Kobai S. at Kyoto Jan. 17 and the G2 Tulip Sho over a mile at Hanshin Mar. 5. This will be Sinhalite's first time racing beyond a mile and her first time racing left-handed, but assistant trainer Kaname Ogino moved to dispel concerns, saying, “I don't think she'll have a problem with the trip. It's the same for all horses. She's a full-sister to Adam's Peak, who won over 2000 metres, so I'm thinking she can handle the 2400 metres.”
Another with a near-perfect record here is Cecchino (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), who was second on debut at Tokyo last November but has since won three straight, including the G2 Sho Flora S. going 2000 metres over this course Apr. 24.
Angel Face (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) has raced exclusively over 1800 metres in her four starts and appears to be blossoming as of late, having won her last two outings: a Hanshin maiden and Nakayama's G3 Flower Cup wire-to-wire. Assistant trainer Nobuyuki Tashiro said, “She's had the Oaks as her target all along. She's not one to really do so much in training, but she's very well. Everything was a first for her last time, with the long trip to Nakayama and the race there having to negotiate four corners, but she came through it all so well.”
Rottenmeier (Jpn) (Kurofune) takes the route of last year's Yushun Himba winner Mikki Queen (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) into this race, having won the 2000-metre Wasurenagusa Sho at Hanshin Apr. 10. The lightly raced filly gets the services of Australian jockey Tommy Berry, and will be the first Group 1 contestant saddled by her young trainer Manabu Ikezoe. “She has a good appetite, and there's a good tension about her,” said Ikezoe. “She transported well over to Tokyo for the [G3] Queen Cup [third, Feb. 13] and her condition is improving. I think she's capable of running well in any sort of race.”
Jealously (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) has won two of her last three, both at Tokyo, including the Sweetpea S. over 1800 metres May 1.
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