2025 Oka Sho: Group 1 Review
Venue: Hanshin Racecourse
Distance: 1600m
Value: ¥303,800,000 (US$2,115,770)
Embroidery put her name into the record books as the first Japanese Classic winner of 2025, taking out the G1 Oka Sho (1600m) at a rainy Hanshin for jockey Joao Moreira and trainer Kazutomo Mori.
Identified as an Idol Horse ‘Future Idol’ last year after she broke Niigata’s 1800m course record for two-year-olds by almost a second, she lived up to those high expectations with a fighting win under Moreira.
THE RACE
Run in showery conditions, the track was still rated good and it did not appear too rain-affected. However, Moreira reported post-race that it felt closer to a “yielding” track.
Heavily backed into 3.4 favourite, Erika Express seemed to anticipate the start for Keita Tosaki and the Epiphaneia filly easily found the lead. While it seemed an easy lead, Tosaki may have allowed her to go too hard in the first 600m and that effort told late as she weakened into fifth.
Second favourite Arma Veloce (3.8), winner of the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (1600m) in December, settled midfield with Embroidery – the 5.0 third favourite – directly to her inside.
Where Mirai Iwata decided to pull Arma Veloce to the centre of the track, Moreira decided to chance his hand nearer the inside. Fittingly, he decided to thread the needle on Embroidery; while Arma Veloce raced past with momentum at the 200m, Embroidery sprinted powerfully when she was able to build up momentum of her own.
Arma Veloce did come again near the line but Embroidery had a neck on her at the finish. Lynx Tip ran on into third under Mirco Demuro, two and a half lengths behind the runner-up.
THE WINNER
Embroidery is closely related to Buena Vista, who won the Oka Sho 16 years ago. In fact, Embroidery’s third dam Biwa Heidi – also the dam of Buena Vista – had been sent out as second favourite in the 1996 Oka Sho but finished a well-beaten 15th.
Beaten on debut on the Yasuda Kinen undercard last year, Embroidery put together impressive wins over 1800m at Niigata and 1400m at Tokyo – with a disappointing fifth at Nakayama in between.
First-up for the season, she easily won the G3 Daily Hai Queen Cup (1600m) – a race in which her dam Rottenmeier had finished third in 2016.
THE JOCKEY
For the second year in a row, Moreira took out the Oka Sho.
Last year, it was Stellenbosch, who hasn’t won since. However, Embroidery looks to have plenty of upside and Moreira will be happy to have atoned, having been beaten on the filly in the debut defeat last June.
For all of Moreira’s fortune, on this occasion, fortune may not have favoured the brave. Christophe Lemaire had won three races on the filly since he took over from Moreira at Niigata last year. Instead, Lemaire was in Sydney to ride Rousham Park into sixth in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) and was unable to take the mount on Embroidery.
Moreira’s short-term licence ends on April 28, making it possible that Lemaire could reclaim the the ride, should the filly progress to the G1 Yushun Himba (2400m) on May 25.
THE TRAINER
Barely 13 months after saddling up his first runner, Kazutomo Mori has produced his first Group 1 winner. Remarkably, Embroidery’s Oka Sho win was only his 20th overall as well.
A long-time assistant to Noriyuki Hori, he worked closely with horses like Maurice and Duramente and has stated his desire to become a regular traveller abroad.
It took Mori seven attempts to pass the notoriously difficult trainers’ exam, finally getting his licence in late 2022 but it was a further year before he established himself at Miho.
Mori had his first international runner when Gabby’s Sister finished third to Straight No Chaser in the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint (1200m) in Saudi Arabia in February and is likely to be a fixture on the world stage in the years ahead.
THE SIRE
Hong Kong Mile winner Admire Mars has struck success with his first crop in Japan. He had two runners in the Oka Sho, Embroidery and Namura Clara, and managed to land his first Group 1 winner.
He has had great support from Northern Farm, with the number of mares he served at Shadai rising from 115 in his first year to 125 in 2024.
He is yet to have a winner from his first crop in Australia after five starters. However, early success in Japan may see more interest in him Down Under, where he has shuttled the last four seasons.
THE BEATEN BRIGADE
Eyebrows were raised in Japan when Arma Veloce weighed in at 496kg, 12kg ahead of where she was when she won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Part of that is natural development, but she appeared to be carrying plenty of condition. It was a great first run that will tighten her up nicely for the Yushun Himba, where a mile and a half should suit.
Lynx Tip is another who should enjoy getting out to the 2400m and on a better surface as well. She remains on target for the Yushun Himba.
THE QUOTES
Joao Moreira (jockey, Embroidery, 1st): “It feels great to win the Oka Sho again. This filly has proven again today that she is a real star. She gave me a good feeling at the finish when the horse on her outside came to fight. This is the type of horse that any jockey would love to be aboard. I wasn’t sure how she would handle the surface today, obviously it’s closer to a yielding track. I would say though that she proved she can handle it and could handle all of the uncertain circumstances in front of her. She’s proven she is one of the best up-and-coming fillies in Japan.”
THE FUTURE
Most of these fillies will likely meet again on May 25 in the Yushun Himba at Tokyo ∎
