G1 Osaka Hai

Last year's G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) hero Croix Du Nord was back to his brilliant best in Sunday's G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin. The Northern Farm-bred claimed his third lifetime Group 1 in the 2000 metre affair by three-quarters of a length over last year's G1 Takarazuka Kinen victor Meisho Tabaru (Gold Ship). Fellow Japanese Derby winner Danon Decile (Epiphaneia) was another length back in third. Drawn widest of all in 15, the near-black colt sidled closer to the fence, but was still punching the breeze about three deep...

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France, post time: 17:00, PRIX D'HARCOURT-G2, €119,000, 4yo/up, 10fT Field: Bay City Roller (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Cualificar (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), First Look (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Azimpour (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Leffard (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), Best Secret (Fr) (Persian King {Ire}), Bright Picture (Fr) (Intello {Ger}), Oracle (Fr) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). TDN Analysis: Andre Fabre has a record 10 editions of this contest already in the books and saddles a squad of four in this year's renewal. Last term's G1 Prix du Jockey Club...

Sunday's G1 Osaka Hai attracted a class field of 15, with at least one major entrant swerving a Dubai target thanks to the ongoing conflict in Iran and surrounding countries. Favoured is G1 Hopeful Stakes hero and 2025 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) victor Croix Du Nord. The son of Kitasan Black claimed France's G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange in September, and, although unplaced in soft going in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, bounced back with a fourth to Calandagan (Gleneagles) in the G1 Japan Cup in November....

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France, post time: 17:00, PRIX D'HARCOURT-G2, €119,000, 4yo/up, 10fT Field: Bay City Roller (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Cualificar (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), First Look (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Azimpour (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Leffard (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), Best Secret (Fr) (Persian King {Ire}), Bright Picture (Fr) (Intello {Ger}), Oracle (Fr) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). TDN Analysis: Andre Fabre has a record 10 editions of this contest already in the books and saddles a squad of four in this year's renewal. Last term's G1 Prix du Jockey Club...

Bellagio Opera (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) earned a slice of history at Hanshin on Sunday as the five-year-old became the first back-to-back winner of the G1 Osaka Hai, blitzing his 14 rivals in a time of 1:56.20--a new course record for the 2,000-metre distance to boot. Trained by Hiroyuki Uemura, Bellagio Opera was a narrow winner of last year's Osaka Hai but failed to add to his tally in three subsequent starts at the top level in 2024, finishing third in the Takarazuka Kinen, sixth in the Tenno Sho (Autumn)...

Despite a massive contingent of Japanese horses set to contest the $30.5 million Dubai World Cup night card in the UAE on Saturday, a strong field of 15 is still set to line up at the recently renovated Hanshin Racecourse back home in Japan. With a berth in the G1 Irish Champion Stakes on the line, Sixpence (Jpn) is hoping to follow in the hoofsteps of his sire 11 years after Kizuna (Jpn) won the Hanshin showpiece. Leaving from stall 10, the four-year-old has won his last two starts, and...

Looking for his first Group 1 tally following a productive second-place effort in the Feb. 11 G2 Kyoto Kinen, Bellagio Opera (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) got up in time to land Sunday's G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin. A winner in last season's 1800-meter Spring S., he was a well beaten 10th in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) prior to finishing fourth in the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) over 2400 meters. He concluded his 3-year-old season with a victory in Hanshin's G3 Challenge Cup in December. Breaking sharply...

Despite an ever-growing Japanese presence at the Dubai World Cup meeting in the UAE, Sunday's 2000-metre G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin still boasts five Group 1 winners, four of them Classic scorers and several other progressive types hunting for their first Group 1 ring. One of the top picks in the 16-strong field is last year's G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner, Tastiera (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}), who ran second in both the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas)--to Sol Oriens (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn})--and the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese...

Lei Papale (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), undefeated in five previous appearances, relished the soft going in the 2000-metre G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin on Sunday, defeating several well-hyped Group 1 winners including 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). The Carrot Farm colourbearer is just the third horse in JRA history to claim a Group 1 title for older horses unbeaten after Fine Motion (Ire) (Danehill) in 2002 and Chrysoberyl (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) in 2019. Sent off as the fourth choice at 11-1, the bay was...

Second choice on the board at 3-1 after favoured Danon Kingly (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), 2017 Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Lucky Lilac (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) claimed her third Group 1 title in Sunday's 2000-metre G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin. The normally well-attended Japanese meetings have been held behind closed doors for several weeks now due to the coronavirus pandemic. Happy to take a sit in third behind Danon Kingly with Jinambo (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) pushing him in second a half-length back into the first corner, Lucky Lilac was perfectly...

Group 1 winner Blast Onepiece (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) will try to improve on a sixth-place finish as the favorite in last season's G1 Osaka Hai and collect his second career Group 1 win at Hanshin Sunday. Victorious in the 2018 G1 Arima Kinen, the 5-year-old added the G2 Sapporo Kinen later in the year before finishing 11th in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Oct. 6. Most recently, he scored in Nakayama's G2 American Jockey Club Cup in January. "He started off the year in the American Jockey Club...