Japan hosts its fourth Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ Challenge event of 2021 on Sunday, when the Takarazuka Kinen brings the curtain down on the spring season at Hanshin racecourse just outside Osaka.
Female horses have dominated the last two runnings of this designated ‘All-Star’ event, where fans vote for the majority of the field. With last year’s winner Chrono Genesis and unbeaten filly Lei Papale heading the field this time around, it could well be another case of ‘let’s hear it for the girls’ in the ¥290 million (about £1.88m/$2.62m) contest.
Run over 2,200 metres (1m3f), the Takarazuka Kinen is the last G1 on the Japan Racing Association circuit before the summer intermission, after which the Sprinters Stakes kicks off the autumn campaign at the beginning of October.
Subsequent Cox Plate heroine Lys Gracieux scored by three lengths two years ago before Chrono Genesis, a Classic winner in 2019, registered an emphatic 6-length victory in testing conditions 12 months ago before following up with the third G1 triumph of her career in the end-of-season grand prix, the Arima Kinen.
Chrono Genesis came out on top in the public ballot for a place in the Takarazuka Kinen field with 137,448 votes from a whopping total in excess of 1.6m. Japan’s 4-time champion jockey Christophe Lemaire has the ride for the first time, taking over from the injured Yuichi Kitamura.
The Takarazuka Kinen offers a guaranteed fees-paid berth in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf, but before then Chrono Genesis’s connections have designs on the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, in which she would be out to emulate her sire Bago. She would be only the second dual winner of Sunday’s race after Gold Ship (2013 and 2014).
Chief rival Lei Papale, fourth in the public ballot with over 102,000 votes, also holds the Arc entry after beating the likes of Triple Crown winner Contrail and top racemare Gran Alegria at Hanshin on her most recent outing in the G1 Osaka Hai.
Sunday’s race is one for four Breeders’ Cup Challenge contests this weekend as the ‘Win and You’re In’ series stretches across three continents, with two races close to home at Churchill Downs, plus the Gran Premio Pamplona at Monterrico in Peru’s capital city, Lima.
Takarazuka Kinen: a bit of context
History: first run in 1960, the Takarazuka Kinen is named after the city that houses Hanshin racecourse, not far from Osaka. The G1 is one of two ‘All-Star’ races on the Japanese calendar alongside the Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) in late December; as a result, the field is partly composed of horses voted for by public ballot. While overseas horses have been allowed since 1997, few have taken up the challenge, though Hong Kong’s Werther was a close second in 2018.
Star turn: Deep Impact (2006) – generally regarded as the greatest racehorse in Japanese history, the Triple Crown winner quickened clear for a comfortable 4-length victory in a race transferred to Kyoto. Became a legendary stallion whose progeny remain dominant force in Japan two years after premature death in 2019.
Breeders’ Cup Challenge
The winner of the Takarazuka Kinen will receive an automatic fees-paid berth in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf at the 2-day championships at Del Mar on November 5-6. A travel allowance of $40,000 will also be provided for all starters based outside North America; the Challenge winner must already be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup programme or nominated before the pre-entry deadline to receive the rewards.
Already qualified (2): Cool Day (GP Carlos Pellegrini), Love (Prince of Wales’s Stakes)
Breeders’ Cup past performance
No previous winner of the Takarazuka Kinen has ever shown up at the Breeders’ Cup. Three horses have already qualified for this year’s championships via the Japanese route in the shape of Cafe Pharoah (Classic), Gran Alegria (Filly & Mare Turf) and Danon Kingly (Mile), who earned their pots with victories in the February Stakes, Victoria Mile and Yasuda Kinen.
Top contenders for 2021
Chrono Genesis (Takashi Saito/Christophe Lemaire) – top-class mare bids for repeat after 6-length win following heavy rain 12 months ago; fan favourite also won Arima Kinen (Japan’s joint-richest race) in December before narrow defeat to Saudi Cup hero Mishriff in Dubai Sheema Classic; world #9 in the TRC Global Rankings.
Lei Papale (Tomokazu Takano/Yuga Kawada) – 4-year-old daughter of great Deep Impact is unbeaten in six starts and remains on upward curve; loves this venue, winning three races here including first G1 success in Osaka Hai on most recent start, scoring by four lengths; distance an unknown but otherwise rates major threat.
Aristoteles (Hidetaka Otonashi/Yutaka Take) – yet to win G1 but seldom far away, notably when giving Contrail a fright in last year’s Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger); fourth over 2m in Tenno Sho (Spring) last time out and now cuts back in trip to 1m3f, distance of his G2 victory on soft-ground seasonal debut at Nakayama; Yutaka Take has won this four times.
Curren Bouquetd’Or (Sakae Kunieda/Keita Tosaki) – generally knocking on the door but amazingly has never won a Graded stakes and hasn’t won any sort of race since April 2019 despite long series of prominent efforts in top company; second no fewer than seven times, including both Yushun Himba (Oaks) and Japan Cup in 2019; should be suited by shortening up in distance after two miles of Tenno Sho (Spring), where she was third.
What they say
Takashi Saito, trainer of Chrono Genesis
“She’s been her usual self in work since returning to the stable – she looks muscular, and similar to how she was before she went abroad. We’ll just have to see if she’s successful this time, even though she has been getting better with her races. I’m grateful to the fans for all their votes to see her in the race.”
Tomokazu Takano, trainer of Lei Papale
“The extra distance is a slight unknown, but we won’t know until we try. Of course, I’m conscious of Chrono Genesis and her reputation, both in Japan and abroad. I can believe in my horse’s ability though.”
Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer of Aristoteles
“He’s improving with age, and his best distance is probably between 2,200 meters and 2,500 meters. With his two wins over 2,200 meters, including a Graded race, this could be his best distance. A certain amount of rain wouldn’t be a worry.”
Sakae Kunieda, trainer of Curren Bouquetd’Or
“She did well last time to see out the trip, and this shorter distance should be a plus. The two other strong fillies won’t mind softer ground, but mine should be alright with a bit of cut in the ground. She always runs her best and doesn’t give any problems. I really want her to win a big race like this, and I think she deserves it for all her efforts.”