Takarazuka Kinen (Group 1)

JAPANESE star Croix Du Nord just fell short of another Group 1 win when failing to catch the second-favourite Meisho Tabaru in this year’s All-Star ‘Grand Prix’, the Takarazuka Kinen,

The winner becoming only the third horse to win the race two years in a row, following his sire Gold Ship in 2013-2014 and Chrono Genesis in 2020-2021.

After winning last year’s edition, the son of Gold Ship had ended his year by finishing a disappointing 13th in the year-end Arima Kinen.

He commenced the current season by finishing second to Croix Du Nord in the Group 1 Osaka Hai on April 5th.

It was 57-year-old jockey Yutaka Take’s 86th Group 1 title, following his victory in the Yasuda Kinen aboard Sixpence a week earlier, and extended his own record for most Takarazuka Kinen victories to six.

Track condition changed from “good to firm” to “yielding” due to a downpour just before the race, and the classy field of 18, included five of the top six horses in the fans’ vote.

Cosmo Kuranda led from the off and Meisho Tabaru broke smoothly from an outside draw and settled just off the pace in second. The five-year-old took it up from the leader passing the furlong marker and managed to fend off the strong late charge by the race-favourite Croix Du Nord in the final 100 metres to repeat his win by a neck.

From heaven

“When it started raining just before the race, I felt as though the late owner Yoshio Matsumoto had sent it down from heaven. When Croix Du Nord closed in, I thought, ‘Please, not this time!’ I felt that Meisho Tabaru was in really good form and the strongest today. I think we can head to France with our heads held high,” commented jockey Yutaka Take.

Croix Du Nord had won his last two on good to firm going and was well down the field when fancied for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on soft ground. He tracked the pace in good striking position, around fifth from the front, and saved ground along the rails.

The four-year-old Kitasan Black colt launched his bid upon entering the straight, chasing Meisho Tabaru and unleashing a powerful late kick as he had in the Osaka Hai, but fell a neck short this time to finish second.

Danon Decile made headway on the rails rounding the final corner, before angling out at the top of the stretch. The dual Group 1 victor closed in on the leaders with the fastest late speed, but had too much ground to make up, he denied Cosmo Kuranda just before the post to register his fourth consecutive third-place finish since last year’s Japan Cup.

Of the other placed horses, the filly Regaleira finished seventh, Museum Mile lacked a needed kick in ninth and those familiar to Europeans, Shin Emperor was 11th and Byzantine Dream 15th.