The Takarazuka Kinen (G1) offers Japanese racing fans the chance to vote on which horses they want to see run in the 2,200-meter (about 1 3/8 miles) turf contest and this year they get their wish.
The 65th running of the race June 23 at Kyoto Racecourse, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T) Nov. 2 at Del Mar, features Do Deuce, who topped the voting with more than 238,000 ballots. The 5-year-old son of Heart’s Cry , out of the Vindication mare Dust and Diamonds , drew gate No. 4 in an expected field of 13 for the Takarazuka with Yutaka Take booked to ride. He will run for the first time since finishing fifth in the Dubai Turf (G1T) on World Cup (G1) night at Meydan Racecourse.
He ended 2023 with a victory in the Arima Kinen (G1), his first top-level score since 2021, and a fourth in the Japan Cup (G1).
Trainer Yasuo Tomomichi said the Dubai performance may have been better than Do Duce’s placing would indicate.
“In the home straight last time, he wasn’t able to find a way through and get a good finish in,” Tomomichi said. “He returned to Japan without any problems and has had a break at Northern Farm Shigaraki.”
While he’s the most popular contender, it remains to be seen if he’s the best as there are several other grade 1 winners in the field with solid claims.
Bellagio Opera and Rousham Park exit a one-two finish in the Osaka Hai (G1) March 31 at Hanshin. Justin Palace won the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) in 2023 and was last seen finishing fourth in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1T).
Bellagio Opera’s trainer, Hiroyuki Uemura, seemed more concerned about Mother Nature than about Do Deuce after his 4-year-old Lord Kanaloa colt drew just inside that one.
“It’s a question of what he can do up against the strong horses like Do Deuce,” Uemura said. “He can run from any position in a race but he might not be so strong in hot weather. So that is one thing to consider on the day of the race.”
Rousham Park is still seeking his first grade 1 win and assistant trainer Hiroyuki Yamazaki bemoaned his close call in the Osaka Hai.
“He ran well last time but just lost a bit of momentum from the fourth corner and on the run down the home straight, which was a pity. There’s no doubting his strength, though. He’s in good enough condition again to run a big race,” Yamazaki said.
And one to watch: Struve, a 5-year-old by King Kamehameha , has spun together a three-race winning streak, albeit a bit down the class ladder. The Japan Racing Association folks point out Australian Damien Lane is set to ride and Struve has won every time a foreign jockey has taken the reins.
The race has implications for the jockey premiership. Yuga Kawada leads Christophe Lemaire by one win in that competition, 80-79. Kawada rides Rouge Eveil, a 5-year-old mare who reported third in the Osaka Hai in her last race. Lemaire, who lost significant time after an injury suffered in Dubai, partners Justin Palace.
Equinox won the 2023 Takarazuka Kinen in the middle of a run of six straight top-level victories that landed him Japan’s Horse of the Year title (as well as the International Federation of Horse Racing’s 2023 World’s Greatest Racehorse title). The runner-up in that race, Through Seven Seas, moved on to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) at Longchamp, where the Dream Journey mare finished fourth.
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