The Japan Racing Association's feature event on Sunday, April 13 is the Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas). It is open only to 3-year-old fillies and is hosted by Hanshin Racecourse over 1,600 meters on turf.
This year marks the race's 85th running, with ¥140 million JPY (nearly $985,000 USD) to be claimed by the winner.
The Oka Sho is the first of the three races in Japan's Fillies' Triple Crown. It is followed in May by the Yushu Himba (Japanese Oaks), the longest of the three races, run over 2,400 meters at Tokyo Racecourse. The third and final jewel in the crown is the Shuka Sho, held in October at Kyoto Racecourse.
A total of 24 fillies were nominated for Japan's version of the 1000 Guineas, and 18 of them will have a chance to participate. Already, 18 have secured a berth either through their earnings or having finished in the top spots in any of the three trial races that handed them a ticket to the Oka Sho. The three trial races are the Grade 2 Tulip Sho over 1,600 meters at Hanshin, the Grade 2 Fillies Revue over 1,400 meters at Hanshin, and the Listed Anemone Stakes over 1,600 meters at Nakayama.
Expected top picks for the 2025 Oka Sho will likely be a trio of graded-stakes winners. Arma Veloce captured the Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, the top race for 2-year-old fillies. Embroidery won the Grade 3 Queen Cup, and Erika Express topped the field in the G3 Fairy Stakes.
Info on the 85th Oka Sho
This year, only four fillies in the expected Oka Sho lineup have raced over 1,600 meters at Hanshin before. They participated in the Tulip Sho (the top-three finishers Kurino Mei, Water Gerbera and Vip Daisy, and fifth-place finisher Namura Clara).
The Oka Sho is run over the outer Hanshin course. It starts in the backstretch with some 450 meters to the sweeping first turn and a downhill slope into the home stretch, which extends about 470 meters to the finish line. The track rises shortly past the final furlong pole and flattens over the remaining 80 meters.
All runners will carry 55 kg. The Oka Sho is the 11th race on Hanshin's Sunday card of 12. Post time is 3:40 PM.
Here is a look at the expected popular picks:
Arma Veloce Owns a Strong Late Kick
Arma Veloce, named JRA Best Two-Year-Old Filly of 2024, is the standout of the Oka Sho nominees with her G1 victory and her consistent performances, including two wins and a second from her three starts thus far. She will be going straight into the race without a prep following her last outing, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December 2024. However, given her past results under similar conditions, this isn't expected to pose a problem.
The daughter of Harbinger has the strong late kick that often clinches the Oka Sho, and she has matured considerably since December. In three career starts, the guts and impressive persistence she has demonstrated are sure to serve her well here as well.
However, although she is based in Ritto, Shiga Prefecture, this will be Arma Veloce's first time at Hanshin in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture.
Erika Express Returns to Racing at the Oka Sho
The Epiphaneia-sired Erika Express streaked from a debut wire-to-wire win in late October 2024 to a three-length victory in the Grade 3 Fairy Stakes on January 12. Her time of 1 minute, 32.8 seconds set a race record.
And with both her previous starts run to the right over a mile, she is expected to take well to Hanshin. She, too, has had nearly three months between races, but her training time the week before the race indicates she is in top form.
Erika Express is being fielded along with Twilight City by the Ritto-based Haruki Sugiyama, who won the Oka Sho with Daring Tact in 2020 and currently leads the JRA trainer rankings with 18 wins.
Embroidery Carries Impressive Credentials
With five career starts, Embroidery is one of the more experienced runners in the 85th Oka Sho. She also has made the board in all of them, including three wins and a runner-up finish.
Embroidery returns from a win in the Grade 3 Queen Cup, a mile event at Tokyo on February 15 that she won in a time of 1 minute, 32.2 seconds. Her time was 0.4 seconds faster than the winning time the previous week at Tokyo in the Grade 3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai, a mixed company race open to 4-year-olds and up.
Speed and stamina are Embroidery's strengths, and though there is some concern that she may find it difficult to settle amid a slower pace, she will be in good hands. With regular rider Christophe Lemaire off to Australia for the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on April 12, Joao Moreira is to step in as her partner for the second time.
Read the rest of this article about the Oka Sho and the Japanese horses in contention on JRA News.
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Author: JRA News
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