Although the withdrawal earlier this week of 7-year-old contender Company put a damper on the Yasuda Kinen for the host nation, the remaining Japanese runners in the final leg of the Asian Mile Challenge will still give the three Hong Kong horses a run for their money.
Even after Company's scratch, Japan can boast last year's Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner Vodka, Takamatsunomiya Kinen champion Suzuka Phoenix and Super Hornet, the Mile Championship runner-up coming off a strong win in the Keio Hai Spring Cup, the prep race to the Yasuda Kinen.
As the Hong Kong contingency spearheaded by Good Ba Ba gears up with confidence for the race's 58th running, the trio completed its workout at the Ritto training center in Shiga Prefecture and the Miho training center in Ibaraki Prefecture.
On Wednesday, 4-year-old Vodka impressed with new partner Yasunari Iwata in the driver's seat, cutting a time of 52.5 seconds over 800 meters on the uphill straightway I yielding conditions. The filly disappointed critics and fans alike three weeks ago, when she came home second in the Victora Mile, run on the exact same terms as the Yasuda Kinen.
Vodka is looking for her first win in more than a year after winning the Japanese Derby, and following her workout on Wednesday, trainer Katsuhiko Sumii said she's in far better shape than she was for the Victoria Mile.
"I thought she ran well, saving herself until the end," Sumii told the Ritto press corps, looking back on the May 11 performance. "But it wasn't enough. She may not have been 100 percent.
"We didn't have much time after she went abroad and she couldn't put the weight back on. I thought she was good to go because she was working out like she normally does. But after the race she's been eating, and is looking sharper by the day. There's no question she's in better form now than she was before; the weight will definitely be back.
"We know we're up against some tough competition, but she's got to start winning again. She has a good record at the mile, and she should run a good race."
Suzuka Phoenix is in razor sharp form, clocking 52.6 seconds also on the uphill over 800 meters, just a week after producing a scorching 50.4 seconds. The Sunday Silence son took a backseat to Super Hornet in the 1,400-meter Keio Hai Spring Cup on the 17th of May, but trainer Mitsuru Hashida insists his 6-year-old is going into the Yasuda Kinen in much better form compared to last year.
Hashida said he has spaced his races for the Yasuda Kinen this year, unlike in 2007 when Suzuka Phoenix took fifth after a rest from the Takamatsunomiya Kinen.
"I pushed and pushed him because he's in that good of condition," Hashida said. "He's showing no sign of stress after his last race, and I have absolutely no worries."
"He's never been sharp in his first race back," the trainer said, referring to last year. "This year, we ran him in the Keio Hai and he's in extremely good shape as a result.
"The Hong Kong horses are outstanding; they're world class. So winning here makes this race all the more valuable."
Super Hornet went through the motions on Thursday at the Miho training facility in Ibaraki Prefecture, wrapping up his workout with a time of 12.3 seconds in each of his last two furlongs.
The 5-year-old Super Hornet was 11th in the Yasuda Kinen last year, but clearly, he is a different horse this year.
"Last fall, I had the impression that he was just on a bit of a roll," jockey Yusuke Fujioka said of his mount who won two races in a row before finishing a narrow second behind Daiwa Major in the Mile Championship. "But this year he's different. He's matured and can handle any pace; he doesn't wear himself out early so he's in the race until the very end."
Apart from the aforementioned three, Dream Journey appears to be shaping up for this weekend, the former 2-year-old champion exhausting six furlongs in 84.3 seconds, the last 200 meters in 11.9 seconds.
Teaming up for the first time with Kenichi Ikezoe, who won the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) two weekends ago aboard Tall Poppy, the 4-year-old Dream Journey finished 14th out of 15 in the Yomiuri Milers Cup on April 19, but has put in the graft since the disappointment. His training crew says it has never worked out Dream Journey harder, and the late runner could thrive on the long Tokyo straight.
Oka Sho winner Kiss to Heaven took second to Super Hornet in the Keio Hai Spring Cup, and the 5-year-old mare continued to improve ahead of the Yasuda Kinen. She was sharp in her workout on Wednesday, cruising through 1,200 meters on the polytrack in 82.3 seconds. Kiss to Heaven has held steady this year, having yet to finish below fourth in four races, and there's no reason to believe she can't keep it up this weekend.
Also keep an eye out for the consistent Air Shady and Eishin Dover, who have had quiet but effective workouts.
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