It is an established custom that the Aoba Sho (G2) for 3-year-olds is scheduled four weeks before the Japanese Derby (G1).
Although the Aoba Sho is conducted over the same distance (2,400 meters) and course (Tokyo Racecourse) as the Japanese Derby, it is truly one of the seven wonders in Japanese horse racing that no Japanese Derby winner has ever prepped in the Aoba Sho, while no less than eight of race's runner-ups have exited efforts in the Aoba Sho.
The latest renewal of the April 29 Aoba Sho was won by the race's overwhelming favorite, Skilfing, a Kitasan Black colt trained by Tetsuya Kimura. Racing for the colors of Carrot Farm, Skilfing was bred by the powerful Northern Farm and is produced from the Symboli Kris S. mare Rossweisse.
Skilfing is a member of the second crop of the young high-profile stallion Kitasan Black, Japan's Horse of the Year in 2016 and 2017. Kitasan Black is the sire of this year's runaway Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) hero Equinox, the current leader in the latest edition of World's Best Racehorse Rankings, as well as the unbeaten Sol Oriens, the winner of the Satsuki Sho (G1), the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown, April 16.
Time will tell if the promising Skilfing will be the one to finally break the jinx on the Aoba Sho with a victory in the Japanese Derby.
