Ready to ‘Blast’ Off in Osaka Hai

[Wandering Eyes]

Group 1 winner Blast Onepiece (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) will try to improve on a sixth-place finish as the favorite in last season’s G1 Osaka Hai and collect his second career Group 1 win at Hanshin Sunday. Victorious in the 2018 G1 Arima Kinen, the 5-year-old added the G2 Sapporo Kinen later in the year before finishing 11th in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Oct. 6. Most recently, he scored in Nakayama’s G2 American Jockey Club Cup in January.

“He started off the year in the American Jockey Club Cup, and there was a slight problem with another horse going back through the field just before the fourth corner, but the jockey did well to switch to the inside and still got a good response,” said trainer Masahiro Otake. “We’ve taken care of him since, and he’s had his usual break at Northern Farm Tenei and came back to the stable on March 12th.”

One of six entrants by Japan’s renowned stallion Deep Impact (Jpn), Danon Kingly (Jpn) won his 2020 return in the G2 Nakayama Kinen last month and he attempts to make it two straight, while collecting his first win at the Group 1 level. Runner up in last year’s G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and third in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), he subsequently won the G2 Mainichi Okan in October before finishing fifth in the G1 Mile Championship Nov. 17.

“It was his first race last time since the Mile Championship, and he took his chance to win well,” said trainer Kiyoshi Hagiwara. “It was also the first race this year for other Grade 1 winners in the line-up, and racing smoothly throughout in third, the jockey did well to get him up and win. We’ve been able to look to this race with him since.”

One of two females entered in the 2000-meter test for older horses, Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) recorded a career high in last season’s Kyoto’s 2000-meter G1 Shuka Sho in October. A follow-up fifth in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in November, she returned this year to post a comfortable 2 1/2-length win in Kyoto’s G2 Kyoto Kinen going 200 meters farther Feb. 16.

“She adjusted well to the pace last time and got to run smoothly,” explained trainer Takashi Saito. “It was a good win and she wasn’t bothered about the ground. She was also plus 12 kg for that last race, which tells me she’s developing well.”

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