On Sunday, April 6, Hanshin Racecourse will stage its first Grade 1 race since the 2024 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) since the renovation work at the track has been completed. Since the reopening in March, racegoers have been flocking back to the course, and this weekend's Grade 1 Osaka Hai is a much-anticipated return of top-level action there.
Now in its 69th year, the race was first run in 1957 as a handicap race contested over 1,800 meters and known as the Sankei Osaka Hai. In 1972, the distance was extended to 2,000 meters, and its status was elevated to Grade 2 in 1984. Horses from overseas have been invited to run since 2003. It became one of the most recent races to attain Grade 1 level in 2017, when it also got its current name.
A Quick Primer on the 69th Osaka Hai
The race is run over 2,000 meters on the inner turf course at Hanshin, and is open to 4-year-olds and up. Weight is set at 58 kg for all horses, except for fillies and mares, which receive a 2-kg allowance. There have been 17 nominations for this year's race, and the maximum field size is 16. Previous big-name winners include Orfevre (2013), Kizuna (2014) and Kitasan Black (2017), to name a few.
The race often throws up a surprise winner, with just two first favorites having won in the past 10 years, the latest one being Suave Richard back in 2018. Five-year-olds have the best recent record, with six of them winning since 2015. Record time for the race is held by Jack d'Or, who stopped the clock in a time of 1 minute, 57.4 seconds in 2023.
There is a prize money boost this year, with ¥300 million JPY (around $2 million USD) going to the winner, and the first past the post also receives an automatic entry to the Grade 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown later in 2025.
A couple of races in March leading up to Sunday's race were the Grade 2 Tokai TV Hai Kinko Sho, run over 2,000 meters at Chukyo, and the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen in Funabashi, run over 1,800 meters.
The Grade 1 Osaka Hai will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Hanshin, with a post time in Japan of 3:40 PM.
Here's a look at some of the runners expected to take on the race:
Sixpence Brings Impressive Credentials to Osaka Hai
Kizuna-sired Sixpence started his 4-year-old career in style by winning the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen over 1,800 meters in March in record time. That now takes his number of wins to five from just six starts. His only loss came in 2024's Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).
"I think it shows what a talented horse he is, being able to win the Nakayama Kinen in record time after returning from a break and being about 80% ready," trainer Sakae Kunieda said. "He's been at Northern Farm Tenei, and on his return to the stable, his hooves are in good condition and things have been as expected with him."
The colt is more than 20 kg heavier than he was last summer, and it seems to be all power in that extra weight. Jockey Takeshi Yokoyama has been booked for the ride on Sixpence (with Christophe Lemaire on duty in Dubai), and the horse's first Grade 1 win could well come in this race.
Moreira to Team Up with Stellenbosch
Also trained by Kunieda, 2024's Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) winner might not have won since then, but Stellenbosch has come close in all three races since, including her latest run in Hong Kong last December.
"It was tough for her last time in the Hong Kong Vase, having to race wide throughout the race," the trainer said. "She's been a bit unlucky in her last two starts. We've had this race in mind for her next, and since returning from a spell at the farm, she seems to be in good condition."
She will be ridden by Joao Moreira, who has already struck up a winning partnership with the daughter of Epiphaneia. The jockey scored his third JRA Grade 1 win on March 30 in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen aboard Satono Reve.
Reigning Race Champ Bellagio Opera Returns to Osaka Hai
Another horse who rarely runs a bad race, Bellagio Opera won 2024's Grade 1 Osaka Hai and is back for another try this weekend. He has an impressive 100%-win strike rate at Hanshin and is trained by Hiroyuki Uemura, who has once again made a good start to the year.
"The horse's condition is always good in winter," Uemura said recently. "On his return to the stable, he's already put in some good training, on the flat and also uphill. He's not fully switched on yet, but his workload's been good so far."
The 5-year-old's regular jockey, Kazuo Yokoyama (Takeshi's older brother), looks set for the ride once again.
Read the rest of this article about the Osaka Hai and the Japanese horses in contention on JRA News.
RELATED:
- Bellagio Opera Wins Tough Competition in the 68th Osaka Hai
- Takamatsunomiya Kinen: Satono Reve Captures 1st G1 Title
Author: JRA News
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