Bellagio Opera Defends Osaka Hai Title in a Course-Record Win

Second favorite Bellagio Opera claimed his second G1 title in the 69th running of the Osaka Hai in his first appearance of the season on Sunday, April 6 at Hanshin Racecourse. He won the race in a course-record time of 1 minute, 56.2 seconds, becoming the first horse to capture the title in back-to-back races.

Trainer Hiroyuki Uemura registered his third Japan Racing Association G1 title following 2024's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies with Arma Veloce.

Jockey Kazuo Yokoyama scored his fourth domestic G1 victory and his first since last year's Osaka Hai with this horse.

How Bellagio Opera Defended His Osaka Hai Title

In Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Bellagio Opera made his trademark good break and rushed toward the rails close behind the race favorite in fourth down the backstretch while Desierto (Kenichi Ikezoe's ride) set a fast pace and extended his lead by five lengths.

As the 16-horse field tightened up at the last bend, the son of Lord Kanaloa still in fourth quickened entering the stretch, unleashed a furious drive to attack the frontrunners and took command at the 200-meter marker. Bellagio Opera pulled clear to land a one-length win. (Watch the full race on the JRA's YouTube channel.)

"As always, he broke remarkably," Yokoyama said. "I expected a fast pace, but being able to sit in an ideal position and the horse finding his rhythm were definitely the key factors in today's win. Just as last year, I'm full of gratitude.

"Although the horse hasn't been able to show his true form since last year's (Osaka Hail) victory, I'm hoping that this will mark a new start for him and that he'll be able to demonstrate that he still has a lot of potential."

Lord del Rey Falls Short of Winning Bid

Breaking from a wide stall, fourth pick Lord del Rey (Atsuya Nishimura) took a wide trip in mid-pack and shifted farther out rounding the final turn before showcasing a resounding closing kick in the final furlong to pick off all but the winner for second.

Eighth choice Yoho Lake (Mirai Iwata) was off a bit slow and trailed second from the rear on the rails. Although still struggling in 11th place 200 meters out, the 7-year-old stormed down the lane with the tied-fastest finishing speed (33.5 seconds over the final three furlongs) to mow down his rivals and deny Ecoro Walz (Mirco Demuro) a third-place finish at the wire by a nose.

Ho O Biscuits (Yasunari Iwata) placed fifth, a neck's length behind Ecoro Walz.

Race favorite Sixpence (Takeshi Yokoyama) settled near the eventual winner in third, but although coming into the straight in a good striking position, he struggled to find his best stride and finished seventh.