Star Anise Tests Crown in Guineas

Japan gets the classics season under way April 12 at Hanshin Racecourse with a full field set for the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1T). The race, at 1,600 meters (about 1 mile) is the shortest of the three legs of Japan's Triple Crown for fillies. It's followed by the 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2-mile) Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1T) May 24 at Tokyo Racecourse and the 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) Shuka Sho (G1T) Oct. 18 at Kyoto Racecourse. It also can be one of the hardest to handicap with the young fillies still sorting themselves out. Eighteen of the 19 fillies nominated this year gained a spot in the field either through earnings or performance in three trials, the Tulip Sho (G2T) March 1 at Hanshi, the Fillies Revue March 7 at the same venue, and the Anemone Stakes March 14 at Nakayama Racecourse. Punters don't get much help from those trials, though, as the three most prominent candidates for the Oka Sho won none of them. Star Anise (JPN), a daughter of classy American sprinter Drefong, enters off a long layoff following a win in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1T) Dec. 14. She was rewarded for that effort with the title of best 2-year-old filly of 2025. A first-up effort in the Oka Sho shouldn't hurt her standing at the windows as both Sodashi (JPN) and Liberty Island (JPN) won the race in 2021 and 2023, respectively, without a prep. And trainer Tomokazu Takano said the plan was based on the fact the Juvenile Fillies effort "had taken a lot out of her since she had given it everything she had. "She came back to the training center on March 20 and has put on muscle. In her fast work on April 1, the jockey rode and her movement was very powerful. She looked good overall and all aspects of her preparation have gone well," Takano said. Alankar (JPN) finished fifth in the Juvenile Fillies and started 2026 running third in the Tulip Sho. That last effort was better than it looks on paper as Alankar and jockey Yutaka Take posted the fastest final 3 furlongs and were just two necks back of the winner at the finish. Trainer Takashi Saito said the early pace of the Tulip Sho worked against Alankar and echoed Takano's comments about the effects of a hard race. "It can be difficult for a 3-year-old filly to recover easily from a race, but I can see that she has physically improved from her last race," Saito said. Pedigree also argues for Alankar. Her dam, Sinhalite (JPN), finished second, beaten just a nose in the 2016 Oka Sho, then went on to win the Oaks in her next start. Dream Core (JPN) has made four starts, all at 1,600 meters, and won three of them, including the Daily Hai Queen Cup (G3T) in her last start. All three of the wins, however, came at Tokyo Racecourse, where racing is conducted counterclockwise. Hanshin operates clockwise. Connections are counting on her excellent late turn of foot to overcome any directional issues. Festival Hill (JPN) is a half sister to Museum Mile (JPN), winner of the Arima Kinen (G1T) in December and a selected runner for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) in Hong Kong on Champion Day, April 26. However, Festival Hill suffered an injury while preparing for the Juvenile Fillies, has not raced in 5 1/2 months and raised some concerns in recent works.