Hopeful Stakes: Croix du Nord Collects 3rd Straight Victory

Heavy favorite Croix du Nord won the Hopeful Stakes on Saturday, December 28 in his bid to become the leading candidate for JRA's Best Two-Year-Old Colt title.

The brown colt has emulated 2020 Triple Crown victor Contrail in capping off his debut campaign undefeated with three consecutive wins. And the Kitasan Black-sired colt won his debut start in June over 1,800 meters and scored a graded win in the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G2, 1,800 meters) on November 16.

Trainer Takashi Saito claimed his eighth Japan Racing Association G1 title, the first since the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Cup with Geraldina. It was his second Hopeful Stakes victory following his win with Killer Ability in 2021.

Jockey Yuichi Kitamura scored his sixth G1 title, his last being the 2020 Arima Kinen with Chrono Genesis.

How Croix du Nord Won the 41st Hopeful Stakes

Croix du Nord broke sharply from gate 6 but allowed the early leaders to pass and settled off the rails in mid-division behind a brisk pace led by Jun Asahi Sora (Kazuo Yokoyama's ride). Gradually making headway soon after seeing Faust Rasen (Makoto Sugihara) quickly go by on his outside, the unbeaten colt found another gear soon after entering the stretch in third or fourth.

Croix du Nord continued to increase his speed as soon as he reached the top of the uphill stretch to win by a comfortable two-length margin over Giovanni (Kohei Matsuyama).

The winning colt was clocked covering the final three furlongs in 34.9 seconds. (Watch the full race on the JRA's YouTube channel.)

Croix du Nord completed the race in 2 minutes, 0.5 seconds, nearly breaking the race record. In 2023, Regaleira was clocked in 2:00.2.

Kitamura Reacts to Croix du Nord's Performance

"I can't say that the race went exactly as planned, but I had complete faith in him and knew that he would make it through whatever situation he would be in during the race," Kitamura said in his post-race interview. "It was his first time going right-handed and against a full gate of 18 runners, but I totally believed he would handle that too."

The jockey continued: "His physical condition since his last start had improved and his movement was sharp. I wanted him to finish the last [start] of his 2-year-old season on a good note so that we would be able to focus on his 3-year-old campaign, which now will carry much expectation."

Kitamura also expressed thanks to many people in Japan's horse racing community.

"I am so grateful for everyone who has supported me, which is why I am standing here today as a G1 winner and I hope to give my best again next season," Kitamura said.

Additional Details on the 41st Hopeful Stakes

Sixth pick Giovanni was unhurried after the break, sitting in mid-field while saving ground along the rails with the race favorite close on his outside. Keeping to the inside into the straight, the Epiphaneia colt shifted out to join the eventual winner in his stretch run for home.

Although he was unable to match the winner, Giovanni showed great effort to overtake Faust Rasen for second, finishing 1¼ lengths ahead of Sugihara's horse.

Faust Rasen, the 17th choice in the 18-horse field, allowed most of his rivals to go past him after the break. He was content to sit near the rear early. But he made an aggressive move along the backstretch to overtake the field, reaching the pacemaker with 800 meters to go and grabbing the lead entering the stretch.

Finally shaking off Jun Asahi Sora, who continued to fight to regain the lead but tired after the furlong pole, the Mozu Ascot colt was quickly overtaken by the winner at the 100-meter mark. And Faust Rasen was then passed by Giovanni in the final strides to finish third.

Tijuta, ridden by Ryusei Sakai, placed fourth and Claudiai (Atsushi Nishimura) finished fifth.

Read the full report, including details on each of the Hopeful Stakes entrants, on JRA News.

Author: JRA News