2025 Yasuda Kinen: Group 1 Review
Venue: Tokyo Racecourse
Distance: 1600m
Value: ¥390,600,000 (US$2,734,078)
Classy colt Jantar Mantar joined a small and select group boasting the likes of Vodka, Contrail, Sodashi and Do Deuce with an emphatic success in the G1 Yasuda Kinen at his four-year-old debut.
Jantar Mantar, who won the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes at two and the G1 NHK Mile Cup at three, became just the ninth horse to win at the highest level at two, three and four on the JRA circuit since the pattern was introduced in 1984. In addition to the four already mentioned, also in that group are Grass Wonder, Mejiro Dober, Buena Vista and Apapane.
Sunday’s Yasuda Kinen win by Jantar Mantar came 12 years to the day after his sire Palace Malice won the G1 Belmont Stakes.
The Winner
Jantar Mantar looked poised to prove himself as Japan’s best miler after his dominant NHK Mile Cup victory over Ascoli Piceno last year. Few could have expected at that time that he would only race once over the next 13 months – and that would be a dismal 13th in the Hong Kong Mile behind Voyage Bubble.
In the Yasuda Kinen, though, he looked every bit the potential superstar he had appeared as a younger horse. Settling three deep near the speed under Yuga Kawada, he was still jogging at the 300m as everything else was under heavy pressure.
When Kawada asked him to quicken, he took time to accelerate – even while it was clear he had those to his inside covered. When he did hit top gear, though, the race was over in a couple of strides.
Not only is Jantar Mantar the son of an American Grade 1 winner in Palace Malice, but his dam India Mantuana won the G3 Red Carpet Handicap at Del Mar in 2018 – two years after Japanese mare Nuovo Record won the same prize.
The Yasuda Kinen was a win and you’re in contest for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile and so perhaps Jantar Mantar will attempt to join his sire as an American Grade 1 winner and his dam as a Del Mar turf winner in November.
The Jockey
Until Jantar Mantar’s victory, it was looking possible that Yuga Kawada would go winless through the JRA’s spring and summer Group 1 races for the first time since 2020. He had gone close with Queen’s Walk in the Victoria Mile and Mama Cocha in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen but it took Jantar Mantar to deliver his first Group 1 win for 2025.
It was Kawada’s fourth Yasuda Kinen win after Maurice (2015), Satono Aladdin (2017) and Danon Kingly (2021).
The Trainer
For the fifth season in a row, Tomokazu Takano recorded a Group 1 win. The 49-year-old has achieved plenty of success with Lei Papale, Namur and Stunning Rose in recent years and now Jantar Mantar, who has become his most prolific Group 1 winner.
Perhaps few of his wins though have required such a training performance, given Jantar Mantar’s long absence from the racetrack after the Hong Kong Mile – and that followed another lengthy absence before that run.
It was a fitting Yasuda Kinen success for Takano too after Namur finished second last year to Romantic Warrior.
The Runner-Up
Sometimes, horses just have an affinity with certain races. Such is the case with Gaia Force, whose name may never be added to the Yasuda Kinen honour roll but who will always hold a special place in race lore.
Gaia Force finished fourth, beaten a length and three quarters by Songline, in 2023 before getting marginally closer last year when fourth to Romantic Warrior, a length and a half behind the Hong Kong champion.
The grey was again beaten a length and a half this year by Jantar Mantar but he upgraded his finishing position to second this time around.
While there was no fairytale finish for jockey Seinosuke Yoshimura, who was aiming to better Yutaka Take’s record as the youngest rider to win a JRA Group 1 race, it was a brilliant effort from Gaia Force to bounce back after he finished ninth to Red Lion in the G1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin last start.
The Beaten Brigade
Time and time again, it has been tough to complete the Dubai Turf – Yasuda Kinen double. Soul Rush finished off well for third but was no match for Jantar Mantar. He was brought undone by the moderate early tempo, but he also shapes as though he would be worth a try at 2000m in the months ahead.
Champagne Color produced one of the most outstanding sixths imaginable at Group 1 level, even as he finished three lengths behind Jantar Mantar. He showed no early speed at all, missing the start clearly and conceding six lengths once he managed to stride out fluently.
He was one who was aided by the slow tempo to the first bend as it allowed him to tack on without doing too much work but his effort to flash home for sixth was terrific and the 2023 NHK Mile Cup winner has life in him yet.
Sixpence had challenged for favouritism at times during betting but ended up jumping as the third elect. He enjoyed an ideal run just behind the speed but found little, fading out to finish 12th.
The Quotes
Yuga Kawada (jockey, Jantar Mantar, 1st): “I’m relieved he was finally able to run like himself again. He got off to a really good start and looked like he was about to settle nicely in third with a good rhythm. But then a horse came up to challenge him from the outside, which really fired him up, and I was worried about how things would go from there. Even so, he held it together well, and considering how chaotic the race was, I’m amazed he was able to run that strongly.
“At the final turn, I didn’t feel I had an outstanding hold on him – it was more like I wasn’t sure how much he’d have left, but once I asked him to go, he responded just as I’d hoped. It reminded me again what an exceptional horse he is.
“Last time out, he wasn’t able to run his race at all and ended up losing, so I’m glad we were able to show what he’s really capable of this time. When he won the Asahi Hai, I could already sense how much potential he had, and in the NHK Mile Cup, I truly felt he was going to become the best miler in Japan. He didn’t get the results in the autumn, but I think this performance showed that he really is the best in Japan.”
Tomakazu Takano (trainer, Jantar Mantar, 1st): “Nothing has been decided yet – not whether we’ll race overseas or stay in Japan, nor the distance. We’ll discuss everything within the team, including the possibility of going to the United States.
“We had a clear target and timeline, so we were able to plan everything accordingly. I think we managed to do everything necessary by that point, like making sure the horse had fully recovered physically. Of course, the horse’s own resilience played a part too, but considering how tough the race in Hong Kong was, it’s remarkable that things went smoothly from the moment we brought him back. There were no issues that forced us to ease off in training, and that was the best part. If I had to point to one key factor, I’d say it was the sincere and dedicated care provided by the staff at Shadai Farm’s Yamamoto Training Center. That made all the difference.”
Seinosuke Yoshimura (jockey, Gaia Force, 2nd): “He was in a good frame of mind. He broke fairly well and was able to get him into a good position. It was good that I was able to guide him to the better part of the track in the end. It was a bit unfortunate that things got crowded around the third and fourth corners, and he lost some ground there. The difference between us and the winner came down to that lack of smoothness. Still, he closed the gap well, was able to catch a breather during the run, and finished strongly, so I think adding the blinkers worked in his favour.”
Suguru Hamanaka (jockey, Soul Rush, 3rd): “I had been riding him since his final workout, so I knew he was in good condition. There weren’t many horses who were going to go forward, so I expected the pace to be slow, but he lacked a bit of sharpness early. The winner was able to settle in a forward position comfortably. Still, Soul Rush made a good late run at the end.”
Christophe Lemaire (jockey, Sixpence, 12th): “I felt good up until the home turn, but the ground was soft and he couldn’t find his rhythm, so he lacked a finishing kick in the end.”
The Future
The Mile Championship is the only legitimate target remaining for Jantar Mantar at home, meaning he is likely to look abroad once more. Potential options include the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the Hong Kong Mile again or the Dubai Turf. Maybe even a Saudi Cup bid at 1800m could prove enticing. ∎
