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#1
06-13-2007, 07:27 PM
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The Takarazuka Kinen
Wow, some list!
The first nominated horses..... http://japanracing.jp/_news2007/pdf/...takarazuka.pdf 
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#2
06-14-2007, 06:46 AM
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Quote:
 . Like Sweep Tosho a lot, too.... Eeee, that's gonna be an awesome race!!Thanks for posting the link, MMSC .Katy
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#3
06-14-2007, 09:22 AM
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Quote:
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#4
06-14-2007, 09:58 AM
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Yes, the star runs in this race.............
......and he goes by the name of: SAMSON
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#5
06-14-2007, 05:22 PM
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I think Sweep has lost her form.....
 Love Vodka of course and Shadow Gate, and Princess. My Soul Sound? Someday, but not here. Don't know if Daiwa, Cosmo and Admire moon will all actually run. Stellar field. Vodka and Shadow Gate, either order. 
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#6
06-18-2007, 02:36 PM
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Form comments.....
Takarazuka Kinen (G1) The Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen will be run for the 48th time on Sunday 24th June. Established in 1960, the race was named after the city of Takarazuka, which is where the Hanshin racecourse is located, just west of Osaka. The race was founded with the intention to be western Japan's equivalent to the Grade 1 Arima Kinen which rounds out the Japanese racing calendar every year. Both the Takarazuka Kinen and Arima Kinen feature voting by racing fans, which greatly determines the make up of the field. The race is the first Grade 1 on the Japanese calendar which pits the 3yos coming through their classic spring against the older horses, although it is unusual that the top 3yos line up - preferring to aim at the autumn riches. This year however, Derby winning 3yo filly Vodka appears here – aiming to rewrite history again. The race was originally run over 1800m, but has been run over its current distance of 2200m since 1966. The 2200m course at Hanshin starts at the top of the home straight, with a run of just over 500m to the first turn. The track is relatively flat apart from the last 800m, where a gradual downhill run begins. This continues to the 200m mark where there is a sharp 2m rise ending at the 50m mark. There were no international entries again this year, but the field is a mouth watering one. Japanese racing fans will struggle all week in their quest to pick the winner of this year’s renewal with the line-up truly worth of the "Dream Race" title that the Takarazuka Kinen is often given. Meisho SamsonHeading the list is Meisho Samson. The 2006 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner, Meisho Samson added to his Grade 1 record last start when winning the Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring), the race which traditionally determines the best older horse (middle/long distance) of the spring season in Japan. Meisho Samson drops back in distance from 3200m to 2200m here, but as many good horses have shown in the past (including Deep Impact last year) it can be done, and Meisho Samson won both his 3yo Grade 1s at similar distances to this race - 2000m and 2400m. After his win last start connections announced that he would race in the Takarazuka Kinen before heading to France to be aimed at the 2007 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but it is unlikely they anticipated he would meet such a quality field at his final domestic run before traveling. VodkaThe other Japanese runner who is being aimed at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is 3yo filly Vodka. Trainer Katsuhiko Sumii (who has already experienced significant success worldwide) was telling everyone in February that this filly would go down in history, and it didn't take long for her to prove him correct. In winning the Japanese Derby at her last start, Vodka became the first filly in 64 years to win Japan's most prestigious classic race. But it was the way she did it that may see her even start favorite in her first clash with the older horses. Her last 600m of 33.0 seconds was not only clearly the fastest in the field - it was the fastest 600m sectional that has ever been run in the Japanese Derby! With only 51kgs in this race, Vodka she will be looking to become the first 3yo filly to ever win the Takarazuka Kinen before she heads to France to become the first Japanese filly or mare to tackle the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Daiwa MajorDaiwa Major is also lining up on Sunday, and he does so with 4 Grade 1 wins already next to his name. He won the Satsuki Sho (2000m) as a 3yo, the Mile Championship (1600m) and Tenno Sho (Autumn) (2000m) last year, and he won the Yasuda Kinen (1600m) convincingly last start. He was unlucky when 3rd behind Admire Moon in the Dubai Duty Free (1777m) in Dubai earlier in the year when he was wide throughout the race and battled on well. He then showed he had suffered no ill effects from the trip when running down the impressive miler Kongo Rikishio in the last 100m last start (Yasuda Kinen), at his first run back in Japan. He finished 3rd in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen at the end of last year over 2500m behind Deep Impact and Pop Rock, so the 2200m should not pose many distance problems. He races handy and if he hits the front in the straight (which is likely) it will take a very good horse to run him down. Admire Moon (c) Dubai Racing Club / Andrew WatkinsAdmire Moon (1st) beat Daiwa Major (3rd) over the 1777m course in Dubai, but in Japan the placings were reversed the only other time the 2 horses met in the 2006 Tenno Sho (Autumn). However, much has always been expected of Admire Moon, and although he is yet to win a Grade 1 race in Japan, he will still have plenty of supporters on Sunday. Many Japanese racing fans keenly follow overseas racing (especially when Japanese horses run), and they will be forgiving of his last start loss in Hong Kong when he made ground from the back of the field to finish 3rd behind Viva Pataca. He was dominant in Dubai and he also held off Pop Rock well in the Grade 2 Kyoto Kinen over this distance before that. The four horses listed above will likely fight out favoritism on Sunday, but the amazing thing about this year's field is the depth of the race. The others horses listed below will only be given outside chances, but each of them are very very good horses, and would not be out of place in any Grade 1 race anywhere in the world. Kawakami PrincessKawakami Princess: The Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of Japan in 2006. She was first past the post before being relegated to 12th position in the 2006 Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup in what should have been her 3rd Grade 1 victory in her 3yo year. She will have lost a lot of fans with her last start failure in the Victoria Mile for fillies and mares where she was beaten for basically the first time when finishing 10th as a short price favorite. However, she did have excuses. She came back from her spell having actually lost weight and her trainer had been battling to get her right for her first up assignment. She then began poorly and was always too far back in the slowly run race. Her last 600m of 33.7 seconds was not enough to make much ground on the placegetters there, but it was the fastest closing sectional she had ever run. She will be much better suited here, over 2200m with significant pace on, and she is in much better condition now having had the one run back. She will start at a good price here as the field is a wonderful one, and because of her last start failure, but if she can reproduce her form from last year, she can really give this race a shake.
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