The final colts' Classic of the year will be run this coming Sunday (October 22), when the race that's modelled on the oldest Classic race in the world, the English St. Leger, will return to Kyoto Racecourse after the track's re-opening this spring. It is run over 3,000 meters on the outer turf course, and it will be the 84th running of the race, which is the final leg of the Triple Crown races for 3-year-old colts.
First run in 1938, it was named the Kikuka Sho in 1948. One of the most recent changes was its opening to foreign-bred horses in 2001. Most years it has been run at Kyoto, and it has witnessed eight colts winning the race to add to their triumphs in the Grade 1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), and the last one to do so was Contrail in 2020. There have been 17 nominations for this year's race. No geldings are permitted to run and all colts (no fillies have been nominated) will carry a set weight of 57kg. Ask Victor More set the record time for the race last year when it was run at Hanshin Racecourse, but record time for the Grade 1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) at Kyoto is held by Toho Jackal, who won in a time of 3 minutes, 1.0 seconds in 2014. First favorites have won the race four times in the past ten years, with Contrail being the last one to win. First place prize money this year is JPY200 million (not far off USD1.5 million).
Two trial races early this autumn for the Grade 1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) have been the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai run over 2,400 meters at Hanshin, and the Grade 2 Asahi Hai St. Lite Kinen run over 2,200 meters at Nakayama. Both of those races were run in September.
This week's big race will be Race 11 on the Sunday card at Kyoto, with a post time of 15:40 Japan time. Final declarations and the barrier draw will be available later this week.
Here is a look at some of this year's best 3-year-old colts expected to take on the race:
Tastiera : This year's Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner has had a nice long break, and is getting ready once again to take on his next big race. He managed to finish second in this year's Grade 1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and has only finished unplaced once in his five-race career so far. Trained by Noriyuki Hori, he recently commented on the colt's condition: "He returned to the stable on September 21. He loses his appetite a bit when he's in a different environment, but there's little change with him compared to before his time off. He's recovered gradually after the Derby and is probably eating more now than before. He's nice and fresh, and things have gone smoothly in training so far." Tastiera is by Satono Crown and will be ridden this time by Joao Moreira, who is back in Japan once more on a short-term license.
Sol Oriens : A colt that always seems to give his jockey, Takeshi Yokoyama, plenty to do, the son of Kitasan Black finished first and second in the first two legs of the Triple Crown races, and has already had a prep run for this next race, when he finished second in last month's Grade 2 Asahi Hai St. Lite Kinen at Nakayama. Trainer Takahisa Tezuka recently said: "He drew a wide gate last time, and I didn't want him to take an inside position where he might not have run smoothly, so it was a case of him racing wide. The winner, however, ran a perfect race, and that's how he could win, but my horse ran well enough." It'll be the first time for Sol Oriens to run at Kyoto, and once again Takeshi Yokoyama has the task of getting the best out of him.
Satono Glanz : It was a win in record time in the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai last month that puts Satono Glanz right in the picture here. With a win at Kyoto back in May over 2,200 meters, it would seem the course is to his liking, and trainer Yasuo Tomomichi believes the horse is continuing to improve. "In what was a fast time for the closing stages in his last race, he stretched out well to win," the trainer said. "I thought he would improve over the summer, and that's how things have worked out. He's a horse with stamina, so he should be able to see out 3,000 meters." Yuga Kawada will be looking for a hat-trick of Grade 1 wins, and once again will ride the son of Satono Diamond, the 2016 Kikuka Sho winner.
Phantom Thief : A horse that likes to force the pace, although he has proved effective when not doing so, he finished third last time to Satono Glanz in the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai, which was his first race since finishing eighth in the Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). Assistant trainer Takayuki Nagi commented on the colt by Harbinger: "He was able to run at his own pace last time, and it was the best time he had ever set over 2,400 meters. He really gave it his best in that run, and has come out of the race with no problems. With the way he gets into a race, 3,000 meters shouldn't be a problem for him." Yutaka Take is set to ride Phantom Thief again, and he's looking for his sixth win in the race, and his first since World Premiere in 2019.
Hearts Concerto : After his third-place finish in the Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), the son of Heart's Cry was sent off favorite last time in the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai only to be beaten by Satono Glanz. He finished fifth in that race, but there wasn't much in it between the first five home, and trainer Ryo Takei remains upbeat about the horse. "The Kobe Shimbun Hai was run on the B course, which favored the inside, and with a new record time being set, there wasn't much that could be done with my horse running on the outside. It was still a good race for him, and he was a little tired after it, but he's recovered well," the trainer explained.
Nocking Point : Another horse that will be making his first appearance at Kyoto, Nocking Point has done well amongst his own generation, and proved himself more when winning the Grade 3 Niigata Kinen over 2,000 meters in September. It was his third career win, and although he'll have to carry more weight this time, he could be there at the finish this time too. Assistant trainer Yu Ota said: "We realized just how good he is when he took on the older horses last time in the Niigata Kinen, and he did well to win. He settled nicely in that race, but we'll just have to see how he does over 3,000 meters. He's had a break at the farm and we'll get him tuned up from now."
Top Knife : Since almost winning last year's Grade1 Hopeful Stakes, the only disappointing result for Top Knife was when he finished fourteenth in the Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), but he has since bounced back at big odds with a good second place finish to Prognosis in the Grade 2 Sapporo Kinen in August. Assistant trainer Masaki Kon said: "He was returning from a spell last time, and against older horses on what was a tough track condition, he really tried his best. In the meantime, he's been working well and his balance is good, with no change in his weight." Jockey Norihiro Yokoyama is booked to ride the son of Declaration of War again this time.
Libyan Glass : The colt by Kizuna is climbing through the ranks, and after finishing third to Satono Glanz in this May's Grade 2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai, he came out and won his latest race at Niigata over 2,200 meters in August with a strong front-running performance. Although this is a considerable step up in class, the Yoshito Yahagi-trained horse is one to look out for. Comments from assistant trainer Takahide Ando were: "He's still quite immature and he shows this in training too. He will get better with time, and already compared to the spring, he's easier to ride. I think 3,000 meters should be fine for him."
