Undefeated Daring Tact the Headliner in Japanese Oaks

Daring Tact puts an unblemished record and some high hopes on the line in the grade 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) May 24 at Tokyo Racecourse.

The Epiphaneia filly scored her third win in the grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas) in her previous outing and would be only the second undefeated filly to win the first two legs of Japan's Triple Tiara should she prevail over the testing trip at Tokyo.

Trainer Haruki Sugiyama opted to take Daring Tact to the Oka Sho after she scored a convincing win in her second start in the Elfin Stakes Feb. 8 at Kyoto, and his faith was justified. The filly rallied from well back, racing out in the center of the sodden turf course, and ran down runner-up Resistencia in the final yards to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

Sugiyama remains optimistic, although his filly stretches out for the first time from one mile to 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) in the counterclockwise test.

"From her morning work to the left, I don't see any problem with the direction," Sugiyama said. "And she should handle the distance if she remains relaxed."

Daring Tact's jockey, Kohei Matsuyama, agreed with the trainer's assessment about conditions.

"And I think she's gotten better with each race, as she has with each workout," Matsuyama said. "She has matured as well. I think she'll be able to handle the distance, but with the two turns, the key will be how well she can settle. And from her track work, I think racing to the left will be fine.

"She's unbeaten, so she's in the spotlight. Expectations are high, and I'll do my best to meet them."

Daring Tact, out of the King Kamehameha mare Daring Bird, was bred by Hasegawa Bokujo and races for Normandy Thoroughbred Racing.

Others in the fray include Cravache d'Or, a daughter of Heart's Cry who was third in last year's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) and fourth in the Oka Sho, and Maltese Diosa, who won the Tulip Sho (G2) in March but was a disappointing eighth in the Oka Sho.

Trainer Takahisa Tezuka said things went south a bit for Maltese Diosa in her most recent race.

"In the Oka Sho, her start was pretty good, but she was too tensed up over the first half. And then, in the end, the heavy going had her flagging. She needed time to recover from that race, and she is recovered now," Tezuka said.

Cravache d'Or had excuses in the Oka Sho, according to assistant trainer Teruhiko Saruhashi.

"Things got tight for her in the Oka Sho around the final turn, but she gained ground nicely in the end coming up the inside," Saruhashi said. "I think she really tried hard."

Daring Tact drew gate 4. Mirco Demuro will ride Cravache d'Or from gate 2, and Maltese Diosa and rider Hironobu Tanabe will begin from gate 17.

Although Daring Tact looks solid, several others have shown the potential to improve, including Ablaze, by Kizuna, and Des Ailes, one of eight Deep Impact fillies in the 18-horse field. Both are 2-for-2.

The race has a final uphill climb to the middle of the stretch run. As do all Japanese tracks, Tokyo Racecourse continues to exclude spectators because of COVID-19.