Meisho Tabaru Wins Takarazuka Kinen, Eyes Arc Bid.

With a repeat victory in the Takarazuka Kinen June 14 at Hanshin Racecourse, Meisho Tabaru (JPN) earned "Win and You're In" spots in both the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) and Australia's iconic Cox Plate (G1), but his connections seem focused elsewhere. "I think we can head to France with our heads held high," said jockey Yutaka Take after Meisho Tabaru held off the late run of the favorite, Croix du Nord (JPN), by a neck for the Takarazuka Kinen win. The 5-year-old son of Gold Ship (JPN) does, in fact, hold an entry for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Oct. 4 at Longchamp in Paris—the race that has tormented Japanese racing for decades with plenty of close calls and zero victories. Case in point: Croix du Nord ran in the 2025 Arc fresh off a victory over Daryz (FR) in the Prix du Prince d'Orange (G3). Three weeks later, Daryz won the Arc. Croix du Nord finished 17th. Hope springs eternal on this quest, and Meisho Tabaru did nothing in the Takarazuka Kinen to dampen the fires. A sudden downpour just before the race resulted in the turf being downgraded from "good to firm" to "yielding," but if anything, it was a blessing for Meisho Tabaru. "When it started raining just before the race, I felt as though the late owner Yoshio Matsumoto had sent it down from heaven," said Yutake, 57, who notched his 86th grade 1 victory, including six in the Takarazuka Kinen. It was back-to-back wins for the popular rider as he guided Sixpence (JPN) to victory a week earlier in the Yasuda Kinen (G1T). Meisho Tabaru launched well from gate 16 and Take let him settle second behind long shot Cosmo Kuranda (JPN). He started to close the gap around the stretch turn, collared the leader some 200 meters from the finish and was fully extended to repel the late run of old nemesis Croix du Nord. Meisho Tabaru finished 2,200 meters (about 1 3/8 miles) in 2:12.1. The race and course record is 2:09.7, posted by Titleholder (JPN) in 2022 over more favorable going. "Since races are unpredictable, I stayed flexible and settled in second position, and we were able to race in good rhythm, Take said. "When Croix du Nord closed in before the wire, I thought, 'Please, not this time!' I felt that Meisho Tabaru was in really good form and the strongest today." The two last met April 5 in the Osaka Hai (G1) with Croix du Nord rallying past pacesetting Meisho Tabaru to win by 3/4 length. Before the race, trainer Mamoru Ishibashi ticked off some factors he thought might improve his horse's chances—including the rain-softened course. "Just a little cut in the ground would be alright for him, Ishibashi said. "It's not always a given that he'll run well but when he does, his performances are very good. We'll also be relying on the jockey to bring the best out of him." The 2025 victory in the Takarazuka Kinen was Meisho Tabaru's first at the grade 1 level and followed a respectable fifth in the Dubai Turf (G1T) two months earlier. He tailed off after those efforts, finishing sixth in November in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1T) and 13th in the Arima Kinen (G1T) a month later. The second in the Osaka Hai was a welcome sign of a turnaround. Meisho Tabaru became just the third back-to-back winner of the Takarazuka Kinen, first run in 1960. His sire, Gold Ship, turned the trick in 2013-14 and Chrono Genesis (JPN) in 2020-21. The winner's dam, Meisho Tsubakuro (JPN), is by French Deputy. The race is one of two events offering fans a chance to vote for the horses they want to see in the field. Croix du Nord was this year's most popular, followed by Meisho Tabaru. Masquerade Ball (JPN) was third in the voting but passed on the race in favor of the April 26 QE II Cup (G1) in Hong Kong, where he finished second, beaten just 1 length by local star Romantic Warrior (IRE). Regaleira (JPN), the No. 4 fan favorite, finished seventh in the Takarazuka Kinen.