G1 Guide & Tips: Yasuda Kinen

Race Information

History

The Yasuda Kinen is the crown jewel of Tokyo’s three 1600-metre feature races during the spring season, following on from the NHK Mile Cup and the Victoria Mile. It is one of only two open weight-for-age Grade 1 races at the distance during the season – the other being the Mile Championship in November – and is one of the world’s great mile races.

The Yasuda Kinen was first run in 1951 and commemorates the JRA’s founding chairman Izaemon Yasuda. It received full Grade 1 status in 1993, and in 1995 Godolphin sent Heart Lake to become the first overseas-trained winner.

The race is often an end-of-season target for Hong Kong’s milers, but to date only Fairy King Prawn and Bullish Luck have beaten the Japanese in the run to the Tokyo winning post. This year, however, the locals will have it to themselves, with no foreign-trained runners making the trip.

Top Contenders

TROVATORE (Rey de Oro x Charmant); 5YO

Trainer: Yuichi Shikato
Jockey: Christoph Lemaire
Biggest Win: G3 Epsom Cup (2025)

A horse who finished 17th last year now lines up this year as a leading candidate for favouritism. Hearing that alone, it may sound like he is being overbet, but Trovatore has enough appeal to justify the support. There have always been many who rate his raw ability highly, and since February he has won two G3 races in succession. Both wins came by narrow margins, but the substance of the performances was strong.

Trovatore drew attention early as a member of Rey de Oro’s first crop, and although he missed out on the Classics, he steadily climbed the ranks one step at a time before earning his first graded-stakes victory in the G3 Lord Derby Challenge Trophy. Last year’s Yasuda Kinen, his first G1 appearance, ended in a heavy defeat, and he later went through a period racing on dirt. However, since returning to turf, he has won back-to-back races in the G3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai and the G3 Epsom Cup. This season, his record stands at two wins from three starts.

He has an affinity for Tokyo Racecourse, and when limited to turf races at 1800m or shorter, his record there stands at 5:3-1-0. However, aside from last year’s Yasuda Kinen, he has no experience against top-class milers. This year’s field is not especially strong, but that is still a point that may require caution.

GAIA FORCE (Kitasan Black x Natake); 7YO

Trainer: Haruki Sugiyama
Jockey: Takeshi Yokoyama
Biggest Win: G2 Fuji Stakes (2025)

While Jantar Mantar won both last season’s G1 Yasuda Kinen and G1 Mile Championship, the horse forced to settle for second on both occasions was Gaia Force. However, there is no Jantar Mantar in this year’s race. In what will be his 11th attempt at G1 level, Gaia Force now has perhaps his biggest chance yet to claim a first G1 victory.

He has shown rock-solid consistency as an elite miler, but 2025 became a season of clear progression with runner-up finishes in the two top-level mile G1 races on the JRA calendar. He also defeated the champion Jantar Mantar to win the G2 Fuji Stakes. In March, he travelled overseas for the G1 Dubai Turf, but finished sixth, beaten four lengths by Ombudsman.

The Yasuda Kinen is also a race that produces an unusually high number of repeat performers in consecutive years. Over the past 10 years, Logotype, Aerolithe, Almond Eye, Gran Alegria, Schnell Meister (placed for three consecutive years), Songline (back-to-back wins), and Soul Rush all fit that pattern. As of course does Gaia Force.

PANJA TOWER (Tower of London x Clarksdale); 4YO

Trainer: Shinsuke Hashiguchi
Jockey: Kohei Matsuyama
Biggest Win: G1 NHK Mile Cup (2025)

There are three G1 winners set to run in this year’s Yasuda Kinen. Among them, the only horse to have won a G1 last year is Panja Tower. At Tokyo, where he will race for the first time since winning the G1 NHK Mile Cup, he is unbeaten in two starts. For Kohei Matsuyama, who has made his presence felt during the spring G1 season with victories in the Oka Sho, Satsuki Sho and last week’s Tokyo Yushun, this is a chance to add another G1 title.

Last year, after winning the G3 Keeneland Cup (1200m) in August, Panja Tower travelled to Australia for the rich Golden Eagle, where he finished fifth, beaten 2.6 lengths by Autumn Glow. He then finished fifth in Saudi Arabia’s G2 1351 Turf Sprint, and in March, in his first domestic start for some time, ran fourth in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m). In each of those races, he finished among the leading group, only a few lengths behind the winner.

His recent races have been consistent, or conversely, somewhat frustrating, but he lines up in the Yasuda Kinen as clearly one of the more accomplished runners in the field. If he can emulate Jantar Mantar and become a horse to win both the NHK Mile Cup and the Yasuda Kinen, he will move one step closer to becoming the next mile champion.

LEBENSSTIL (Real Steel x Tokai Life); 6YO

Trainer: Hiroyasu Tanaka
Jockey: Keita Tosaki
Biggest Win: G2 Nakayama Kinen (2026)

Over 1800m, Lebensstil’s record stands at 8:5-2-1, but over 1600m he has been heavily beaten in both attempts. Whether he can overcome that 200m difference will be the key to whether he can claim his first G1 victory. He has already won four graded races and is widely recognised as a horse of genuine ability, but in four previous G1 starts, he has failed to finish in the placings each time. Will “this time at last” finally come at a mile?

Connections have used many different jockeys in search of an answer, but Keita Tosaki will take the reins in the Yasuda Kinen – he has combined with Lebensstil on three occasions and finished in the placings each time.

Expert Analysis & Selections

Masanobu Takahashi

Angle: Forgotten Horses Of Genuine Ability

With Jantar Mantar, Embroidery and Admire Zoom absent, this year’s Yasuda Kinen can hardly be described as a particularly strong field. There are a few strong horses who shape as key players, but beyond them, the race has a wide-open look. With that in mind, I want to shine the spotlight on some overlooked horses with genuine ability.

First, the key horses. The Yasuda Kinen is a race that produces repeat performers in the placings almost every year, and in that respect, last year’s runner-up Gaia Force is a reliable contender. Last year, Soul Rush finished in the placings for the second year in a row as a seven-year-old, so age should not be an issue for Gaia Force either. The other is Panja Tower. At Tokyo, he has won both of his starts with powerful finishing kicks.

Sixpence is one horse who has been struggling for form, but he wore blinkers in his workout. He was transferred to Hiroyasu Tanaka’s stable after his latest start, and connections are still working through different ideas as they seek to revive him. Off Trail is often overlooked because his best performances have been concentrated at Kyoto, but in the G1 Mile Championship, he rallied from 13th to finish fourth. He has the ability to finish among the leading group.

Selections: #14 Gaia Force, #16 Panja Tower, #4 Sixpence, #3 Off Trail

Homan 

Angle: Jantar Mantar Formline

Although Jantar Mantar isn’t contesting this year’s race his recent form still provides a useful benchmark for assessing this spring’s mile division.

Gaia Force has strong collateral form through Jantar Mantar, having finished behind him in both the Yasuda Kinen and the Mile Championship and beating him in the G2 Fuji Stakes – he profiles as a leading contender to step into the spotlight in Jantar Mantar’s absence. Water Licht, 3rd in the Mile Championship, has continued to perform consistently at Tokyo Racecourse, including a solid effort in the G3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai.

Off Trail, 4th in the Mile Championship, is another to consider despite a poor record over the course and distance. Instead, I prefer Champagne Color. The 2023 NHK Mile Cup winner has yet to add another top-level placing, but his closing sectionals – particularly over Tokyo’s long straight – remain among the strongest in the field, including his 6th in last year’s Yasuda Kinen.

Course specialists should not be overlooked. Lebensstil, while yet to contest a 1600m race at Tokyo, boasts an excellent 1800m record at the track (4 starts: 3-1-0), including two Group victories, suggesting he can adapt well to this assignment.

Selection: #14 Gaia Force, #9 Water Licht, #8 Champagne Color, #1 Lebensstil

Shuhei Uwabo

Angle: Trovatore Ticks The Right Boxes

Trovatore looks the leading contender. He comes into the Yasuda Kinen off consecutive wins in the Tokyo Shimbun Hai and the Epsom Cup, and his affinity for Tokyo, combined with his current form, makes him the strongest option in this field. The outside stall of 17 looks awkward at first glance, but wide draws haven’t been especially unfavourable in recent runnings of the Yasuda Kinen – and the chance to travel without being crowded could actually play to his strengths.

Gaia Force is the main danger. His second in last year’s Yasuda Kinen, victory in the Fuji Stakes and runner-up finish in the Mile Championship give him the most reliable profile among the established older milers. The only real concern is his age, with the seven-year-old factor worth keeping in mind.

Lebensstil lacks proven mile form, but he is highly effective at Fuchu and has enough raw ability to be involved if the race sets up for him.

Panja Tower has done his best recent work over sprint trips, but his NHK Mile Cup win showed his speed can carry over this course and distance. If he settles just behind the pace, he is capable of sticking on.

Selections: #17 Trovatore, #14 Gaia Force, #1 Lebensstil, #16 Panja Tower

Steven Ho

Angle: Record At The Course

Gaia Force holds a distinct edge as a proven course-and-distance winner. Having previously defeated elite milers like Jantar Mantar and Soul Rush, his class at this trip is beyond doubt. Lebensstil boasts an impressive record at the track with three wins from five starts, including the 2025 Mainichi Okan. History indicates older horses excel in the Yasuda Kinen, so the five-year-old is well-positioned to maintain that record.

Panja Tower remains unbeaten in both starts at Tokyo, highlighted by his victory in the 2025 G1 NHK Mile. His tactical versatility is his greatest weapon, making him a formidable contender.

When Stellenbosch finished out of the placings  at Tokyo it was a run easily dismissed as she was clearly out of form. Her recent bounce-back performance in the Epsom Cup signals she is firmly back to her best.

Selections: #14 Gaia Force, #1 Lebensstil, #16 Panja Tower, #6 Stellenbosch

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