Arma Veloce Starts 3YO Campaign in Oka Sho

The Japanese classics season kicks off April 13 at the newly renovated Hanshin Racecourse with last year's champion 2-year-old filly Arma Veloce as the star in the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1).

Arma Veloce, a Harbinger  filly, won two of three starts in 2024, winding up with a victory in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1), run at Kyoto Racecourse because of work at Hanshin.

Her sole loss was a second by a nose to Magic Sands, a Kizuna  colt, in the Sapporo Nisai Stakes (G3) Aug. 31. It's tough to assess that outcome as Magic Sands returned to finish a dull 16th in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) in December. However, trainer Hiroyuki Uemura brims with enthusiasm about Arma Veloce.

"I think she's in excellent shape," he said. "She has filled out, but she's still light on her feet. I see no need for concern anywhere. She's versatile and her strongpoint is her racing sense. She can take the lead or race from behind. I always felt she was going to be a good racer.

"The jockey (Mirai Iwata) rode her fast work on April 2 to get a reading on her and I was happy to see she was moving on a par with where she'd been for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies."

Arma Veloce makes her seasonal debut starting from gate 9 in a full field of 18, including the first three finishers from the March 2 Tulip Sho (G2): Kurino Mei, Water Gerbera, and Vip Daisy. The fifth-place finisher, Namura Clara, also returns.

The Tulip Sho was run at 1,600 meters (about one mile) over the Hanshin turf, the same conditions as the Oka Sho.

Kurino Mei has won three of four starts and the Tulip Sho was a significant rebound from her 14th-place finish in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Trainer Naosuke Sugai said that race was a misadventure from the start.

"She was overly excited in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, reared up in the gate, caused trouble for everyone and had to start from the far outside gate ... She can definitely get fast times, but we concern more about her excitability. If she's too wired, it will affect her racing, so that has been our main concern," Sugai said.

Erika Express enters the Oka Show undefeated after two starts. The Epiphaneia  filly won at first asking in October at Kyoto, leading gate to wire. After a break of nearly three months, she scored a three-length victory in the Fairy Stakes (G3) in race-record time.

Trainer Haruki Sugiyama said Erika Express, as a typical Epiphaneia, "does have a rather volatile temperament. Key is going to be how calm we can keep her going into the race."

Embroidery is one of the most experienced in the full field with five races in the books, including a win in her last start, the Daily Hai Queen Cup (G3) Feb. 15 at Tokyo Racecourse.

The 3-year-old colts launch their classics series a week later with the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) at Nakayama Racecourse. Croix du Nord, undefeated in three starts and crowned best 2-year-old colt of 2024, is expected to make his 3-year-old debut there.