2025 Takarazuka Kinen: Group 1 Review
Venue: Hanshin Racecourse
Distance: 2200m
Value: ¥651,000,000 (US$4,522,041)
Japanese legend Yutaka Take won his fifth G1 Takarazuka Kinen (2200m) – and his first since the extraordinary Deep Impact in 2006 – guiding Meisho Tabaru to a dominant all-the-way win in the first of Japan’s grand prix races.
Take, who remains the youngest jockey ever to win a Japan Racing Association (JRA) Group 1 race, almost completed a remarkable double by becoming the oldest rider to score at the top level on the JRA. However, this year’s Takarazuka Kinen was run two weeks earlier than its traditional place in the calendar towards the end of June and meant Take missed the milestone by just one day.
The Winner
Ten years on from Gold Ship’s controversial third attempt at the Takarazuka Kinen, when the two-time winner bombed the start badly and cost punters dearly in what is still known as the “12 billion yen incident” in Japan, his son Meisho Tabaru was finally able to atone with a dominant success of his own.
A glance at Meisho Tabaru’s record may suggest that he has some of the enigmatic traits of his sire, who was beloved by fans for his crazy behaviour. Meisho Tabaru has now won five of his 11 starts; his defeats, though, have generally been by huge margins, while some of his wins have also been by a space.
Rather than being a symptom of his temperament, though, it is more down to his running style which sees him streak along at strong fractions out in front. Time it right and he is tough to beat, but any pressure at the wrong time and his race goes up in smoke.
Take is an exceptional judge of pace. He burnt along early in a bid to reach the lead but, once leaving the Hanshin straight the first time around, he slowed the field to almost perfect 12-second sectionals. From the 1600m to the 600m, he barely deviated from that even tempo; even from the 600m to the 400m, as Bellagio Opera applied pressure, he still hardly quickened.
The result was that nothing was able to get close to Meisho Tabaru, earning him a first Group 1 win and opening up a multitude of options all over the world.
The Jockey
What more can you say about Yutaka Take that hasn’t already been written over the last four decades?
Take will hold on to his crown as the youngest jockey to win a JRA Group 1 race, set in 1988 when he won the Kikuka Sho on Super Creek aged 19 years, 236 days. Emerging star Seinosuke Yoshimura was making a serious bid for that title, finishing third in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity on Lance Of Chaos and second in the G1 Yasuda Kinen on Gaia Force, but Japan’s next Group 1 race – the Sprinters Stakes – will be run when Yoshimura is aged 19 years, 267 days.
However, he falls just one day short of becoming the oldest jockey to win a JRA Group 1 race at 56 years, 92 days. The current record was set by Norihiro Yokoyama last year when he took the Tokyo Yushun on Danon Decile aged 56 years, 93 days.
That means that the milestone is Take’s for the taking in the autumn. It speaks to his incredible longevity that he may potentially hold both records when he retires in the coming years.
While he may not hold the record overall, he is now both the youngest and oldest jockey to win the Takarazuka Kinen. He won the race in 1989 on Inari One when he was 20.
As a five-time winner, he is also the most successful jockey in the Takarazuka Kinen’s 65-year history.
The Trainer
Former jockey Mamoru Ishibashi, only two years older than Take, won his first Group 1 race as a trainer with Meisho Tabaru.
Ishibashi was the first Japanese rider to participate in the Dubai World Cup, partnering Lively Mount into sixth. He is one of 11 jockeys who rode in that first Dubai World Cup in 1996, alongside legends like Jerry Bailey, Gary Stevens, Pat Eddery, Frankie Dettori and Damien Oliver.
His greatest success came aboard Meisho Samson, winning three Group 1 races – the 2006 Satsuki Sho, the 2006 Tokyo Yushun and the 2007 Tenno Sho (Spring) – aboard the colt. Coincidentally, Take was the only other jockey to ever ride Meisho Samson.
Fittingly, when Ishibashi retired from the saddle in 2013, Meisho Samson’s owner Yoshio Matsumoto was one of his biggest supporters, setting in motion the events that would lead to Meisho Tabaru’s Takarazuka Kinen win 12 years later.
The Runner-Up
On the turn, it looked like favourite Bellagio Opera was going to race on by. While he may have made it within a neck of Meisho Tabaru early in the straight, he faded away and just held off a hard-charging Justin Palace to finish second.
He has now raced beyond 2000m on five occasions for two Takarazuka Kinen placings, an Arima Kinen fourth and a Tokyo Yushun fourth, as well as a G2 Kyoto Kinen second. While he races well up in trip, perhaps he is best at 2000m and the Tenno Sho (Autumn) is a likely target once more.
The Beaten Brigade
Australian-based riders Michael Dee and Damian Lane will finish their short-term contracts pleased after both of their rides outran their odds.
Dee may not have won a Group 1 race during his time in Japan. However, his fast-finishing third on Justin Palace was his second placing at the highest level during this maiden term after Cerbiatto’s third in the NHK Mile Cup.
Chuck Nate was clearly the longest-priced ride that Lane has had this time around, being sent off at triple figures. However, the seven-year-old fought on well and was just nosed out for fourth by Shonan La Punta, who backed up a good effort in the Tenno Sho (Spring) to stay on stoutly.
Sol Oriens made up good ground from a clear last to finish sixth, while leading candidates like Lord Del Rey (eighth), Durezza (ninth), Regaleira (11th), Urban Chic (14th) and Yoho Lake (17th) all disappointed.
The Quotes
Yutaka Take (jockey, Meisho Tabaru, 1st): “It made me incredibly happy – it made me so happy I almost cried. It feels like a bond the horse has gifted to me, and a connection with the horse that people have helped to build. There are a lot of emotions tied to this.
“The basic idea was to take the lead. Of course, you never know how the actual pace will unfold until the race begins, so I had some uncertainty. A pace that’s too fast or too slow wouldn’t have suited us, so I think we were able to set a nice, even tempo out in front.
“Given today’s track bias, I expected the others to make their moves early. But as we turned into the straight, he still had plenty in hand, and I was just hoping he could keep going all the way. He was in good condition today, and he handled this kind of heavier going without any issue. I think everything came together perfectly.”
Kazuo Yokoyama (jockey, Bellagio Opera, 2nd): “He may have shown signs of summer fatigue. It wasn’t as severe as last year, but there was a certain dullness in his run. Even so, we made an early move to catch Meisho Tabaru, but the track condition favoured the winner more, and it felt like the winner was accelerating rather than our horse slowing down. While he can handle 2200 meters, it might be slightly outside his preferred distance range. That said, it was a solid and commendable performance.”
Michael Dee (jockey, Justin Palace, 3rd): “Thanks to the results of his training, he was calm in the gate. The use of blinkers also had a positive effect. He took a good hold of the bit during the race, and I let him run in a rhythm that suited him. While keeping an eye on our target, Urban Chic, I aimed to find a good path in the home straight. He responded well and showed a strong turn of foot in the final stages.”
Keita Tosaki (jockey, Regaleira, 11th): “She was able to secure a good position and travelled in a nice rhythm during the run. But from around the third corner, she lost her momentum. I thought it was an ideal spot, right behind Bellagio Opera, but in the end, she had nothing left in reserve. It’s unclear whether the softer ground didn’t suit her, or if it was due to the long break.”
Christophe Lemaire (jockey, Urban Chic, 14th): “He was in a good rhythm, but from the third corner he lost that rhythm and stopped progressing. He couldn’t shift gears. The heavier going may have had an effect as well.”
The Future
Meisho Tabaru has earned a “Win And You’re In” berth for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar and an all expenses paid trip to the final G1 Cox Plate around Moonee Valley. Either track should suit his free-wheeling style and an overseas trip is likely – it just depends whether they want to drop back to 2040m or step up to 2400m.
Either Justin Palace or Shonan La Punta would be well-suited to a Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup campaign in Australia, while Sol Oriens would make for a decent Breeders’ Cup Turf horse. ∎
