Tomokazu Takano

A course-and-distance winner in December's G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, Star Anise (Drefong) picked up where she left off after a four-month absence to overpower her 17 rivals in Sunday's G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas), the first leg of the fillies' Triple Crown in Japan. Heading the betting for this Classic ahead of the G3 Queen Cup heroine Dream Core (Kizuna) and the unbeaten Lily Joie (Silver State), Star Anise raced enthusiastically from the outset in the hands of Kohei Matsuyama, soon finding cover in mid-division as longshot Longing Celine...

Star Anise emulated illustrious names such as Vodka (2006), Buena Vista (2010) and Liberty Island (2022) with a stylish success in Sunday's G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, matching the race-record time of 1:32.60 for the end-of-season championship. Eighteen of Japan's leading two-year-old fillies went to post for the 1,600-metre contest, with His Masterpiece (Screen Hero) taking them along in the early stages ahead of the longshots From Raven (Tower of London) and Rose Charis (California Chrome). Race favourite Alankar (Epiphaneia), on the other hand, was anchored at the rear of the...

The Tomokazu Takano-trained Jantar Mantar cemented his status as Japan's outstanding performer over 1,600 metres with victory in the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto on Sunday, beating old rival Gaia Force (Kitasan Black) by a length and three-quarters in a near carbon copy of the result from June's G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo. Becoming just the ninth horse to win both the Yasuda Kinen and Mile Championship in the same year, Jantar Mantar raced in third behind tearaway leader Toshin Macau (Big Arthur) through the first half of the race....

Jantar Mantar kicked off his four-year-old campaign in the best possible fashion when running out a comfortable winner of Sunday's G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Sidelined since a down-the-field finish in December's G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin, the son of Palace Malice showed no signs of rustiness on his belated return with a sharp exit from the stalls in the hands of Yuga Kawada. Never far away from the pace set by Mad Cool (Dark Angel), the...

Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) rediscovered the winning touch with an impressive success in the hands of Cristian Demuro in Sunday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kyoto Racecourse, her first win of any description since tasting Classic glory in the G1 Shuka Sho back in October 2022. The Tomokazu Takano trainee was one of two runners for owners Sunday Racing, with the other, Regaleira (Jpn) (Suave Richard {Jpn}), dominating the betting in her search for a second Group 1 victory after last year's Hopeful Stakes. She was the...

Jantar Mantar (Jpn) (Palace Malice), who was crowned Japan's champion two-year-old colt in 2023, resumed winning ways with a decisive defeat of the unlucky-in-running Ascoli Piceno (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in Saturday's G1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo Racecourse, his fourth win from six career starts. Unbeaten in three starts at two, culminating with a first top-level win in the Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin, Jantar Mantar had been forced to settle for minor honours on his first two starts as a three-year-old, including when finishing a close-up third...

Saturday's G2 Tulip Sho, a prep for the upcoming G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas next month, resulted in a dead heat between Nagoya Keiba's Meikei Yell (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) and Shadai Race Horse's Elizabeth Tower (GB) (Kingman {GB}), with the latter the first black-type winner in Japan for her sire. Very headstrong through the early stages against the fence, Meikei Yell raced just inside a tugging Elizabeth Tower. Yutaka Take gave the signal and Meikei Yell burst through the field to decisively take command with a half-mile remaining and entered...