Hokko Tarumae Looks to Repeat in Tokyo Daishoten

The only international race not hosted by the Japan Racing Association, but by the National Association of Racing (NAR), the 60th G1 Tokyo Daishoten held at Ohi Racecourse today sports a full field of 16 headed by last year's winner,Hokko Tarumae (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). The 5-year-old enters fresh off a victory in the Dec. 7 G1 Champions Cup, formerly the Japan Cup Dirt, and was a winner of the G1 Kawasaki Kinen Jan. 29. The bay ran second to Copano Rickey (Jpn) in the February S. Feb. 23 before a luckless trip to Dubai where he finished 16th in the G1 Dubai World Cup and fourth to Copano Rickey again coming off a layoff in the G1 JBC Classic Nov. 3. Wonder Acute (Jpn)(Charismatic), runner-up to Hokko Tarumae in this race in 2013, captured the G1 Teio Sho in the mud over track and trip June 25, and ran third in the G1 JBC Classic at Morioka Nov. 3. The 8-year-old reported home fifth in the Champions Cup, but should be in better condition to contest the additional 200 meters. Group 1 Champions Cup favorite Copano Rickey lost all chance at the break from his outside post, but should improve leaving from stall seven. Prior to his Cup flop and JBC Classic win, the chestnut took the G1 February S. at Tokyo Feb. 23 and G1 Kashiwa Kinen May 5 and ran second to rival Wonder Acute in the G1 Teio Sho in June. Grade I 2013 Awesome Again S. third and MSW Soi Phet(Tizbud), ridden by Kent Desormeaux is the lone foreign runner in the lineup. The 6-year-old is trained by Leonard Powell and captured the Bertrando S. at Los Alamitos July 3 prior to a seventh in the GII San Diego H. at Del Mar July 26. He added the Los Alamitos Mile S. Sept. 6 and checked in seventh in the GII City of Hope S. Oct. 4. The dark bay was last seen running fifth in the Big Bear S. at that oval Oct. 30.

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