Kohei Matsuyama

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...

4th-Kyoto, ¥14,250,000 ($93,167), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m, 1:51.9, my. DANON BOURBON (c, 2, Maxfield--Wild Ridge, by Tapit), a $450,000 Keeneland September acquisition by Katsumi Yoshida just over a year ago, launched his career in smashing fashion, becoming the second wide-margin debut winner in Japan for his freshman sire (by Street Sense), and his 16th scorer overall. Sent off as the 22-5 third choice, the early April foal was kicked straight into the lead by Kohei Matsuyama and relaxed nicely on the engine. Still going nicely for the run around the second...

A full field of 18 juveniles heads to the post for the final Group 1 event on the JRA calendar, Saturday's Hopeful Stakes over the metric mile and a quarter at Nakayama Racecourse. And the entrants will be looking to join an honour roll that includes the likes of future luminaries such as Epiphaneia (Jpn), Rey de Oro (Jpn), Saturnalia (Jpn) and Contrail (Jpn), who would go on to secure the Triple Crown the following season. As recently as last weekend, the Hopeful form received the best kind of advertisement...