Oka Sho Kicks Off Japanese Classics Season

The Japanese Classics season gets under way at Hanshin Racecourse April 10 with some promising 3-year-old fillies testing the best of the past season's juvenile stars in the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1).

Looking to frank their 2021 record are Circle of Life and Lovely Your Eyes, the winner and runner-up in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) in December over the same course and the same 1,600 meters (about one mile). Also back are third-place finisher Water Navillera and Namur, who suffered her first loss in that race, reporting fourth with no shortage of excuses.

The familiar cast of characters got an early 3-year-old test in the Tulip Sho (G3) March 5 with Namur bouncing back to win her 3-year-old debut.

Namur's trainer, Tomokazu Takano, explained the issues he continues to face in keeping the Harbinger (GB) filly on the straight and narrow, including issues with the break.

"She has gotten a lot better but is still rising up a bit in front when the doors open," he said. "We are still taking care to watch this so she doesn't lose too much ground … This week, she had only a light workout. I think she needs to have more weight in the future, but she's a good eater and there's no need to look for big gains at this point in time."

Namur's chances took another hit as she drew the No. 18 barrier.

Circle of Life, an Epiphaneia filly who drew No. 16, was crowned Japan's champion 2-year-old filly off a record of three wins from four starts but could only manage a third-place finish in the Tulip Sho despite racing a bit too keenly in the eyes of her trainer Sakae Kunieda.

"She was a bit more high-strung than usual in this last race," Kunieda said. "But now that she's let off some gas, if she can get a nice smooth trip and make the most of her late speed, I think she has a chance to revenge the loss."

Lovely Your Eyes, from the first crop of Logotype , has not raced since stepping up to just miss in the Juvenile Fillies for trainer Yoichi Kuroiwa.

"Last week, jockey Ryusei Sakai was up to check her responses," Kuroiwa said. "Her movement was good, and he got a good reading on her. She hasn't matured that much from the end of the last year but has maintained her condition."

The challengers to the more established fillies include Presage Lift, another by Harbinger. In just her second career start, she captured the Daily Hai Queen Cup (G3) with a last-to-first move in February. Stars on Earth, second by a neck in that race, also returns.

The Oka Sho is run right-handed around the outer Hanshin course. It starts midway down the backstretch and features a significant climb through the stretch shortly before the finish.

The Oka Sho, Japanese for "Cherry Blossom Prize," is followed in the filly Triple Crown series by the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1) at 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) in May at Tokyo Racecourse and the Shuka Sho (G1) at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in October is back at Hanshin.