Yasuda Kinen: Yutaka Take and Sixpence Team Up for a Riveting Victory

Eighth pick Sixpence grabbed his much-awaited first Grade 1 title in the 76th Yasuda Kinen on Sunday, June 7.

At Tokyo Racecourse, legendary jockey Yutaka Take produced another notable victory, registering his 85th Japan Racing Association Grade 1 win, his first since the 2025 Takarazuka Kinen with Meisho Tabaru.

It was Take's fourth Yasuda Kinen win. He previously won the race aboard Oguri Cap in 1990, Heart Lake in 1995 and Vodka in 2009.

On Sunday, Take became Japan's oldest G1-winning jockey at 57 years, 2 months and 24 days.

A Primer on Sixpence's Career

The son of Kizuna won his debut start for former trainer Sakae Kunieda, in September 2023 as a 2-year-old and extended his winning streak to three in the Spring Stakes (G2, 1,800 meters). However, the highly regarded colt disappointed to ninth in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1, 2,400 meters) in May 2024.

Sixpence also won a pair of graded titles: the Mainichi Okan (G2, 1,800 meters) in October 2024 and the Nakayama Kinen (G2, 1,800 meters) in March 2025.

After three consecutive dirt races and back on turf after Hiroyasu Tanaka took over as his trainer following Kunieda's retirement, Sixpence finished seventh in the Milers Cup (G2, 1,600 meters) on April 26.

On Sunday, Tanaka collected his fourth JRA G1 title, his first since the 2024 Champions Cup with Lemon Pop.

*Sixpence wins the Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse. (©KYODO)*

The Path to Victory for Sixpence

Sixpence made use of an inside draw to secure a forward position along the rails behind a moderate pace set by World's End (Akihide Tsumura). As the field closed in rounding the final turn, Take quickly guided his mount to the inside lane.

Take decided to shift to the outside of the leader just before the uphill stretch and was eventually contested by Seiun Hades (Hideaki Miyuki) on his outside.

Finally, catching up to the tenacious leader 50 meters out, it was a neck-to-neck rally between four runners to the wire in which the son of Kizuna triumphed by a neck's length. (Watch the race on the JRA's YouTube channel.)

"I was called up at a short notice to ride the horse for the first time, but I'm relieved to have been able to get my job done," Take said.

The winning jockey added, "I did my homework, contacting his previous riders and of course the trainer who told me that he was capable of maintaining good speed to the wire. So my plan was to have him up front, even lead if necessary.

"And although the front runners were pretty tenacious in the final stretch with horses also coming from behind, Sixpence was very responsive. He has shown his true strength with a lot to look forward to in his coming races."

A Dramatic Finish to the Yasuda Kinen

Seventh pick World's End shot forward to take the lead immediately after the break and opened the gap to about four lengths along the backstretch while able to cruise at a moderate pace.

Although the rest of the field closed in rounding the final turn, the son of Lord Kanaloa still had plenty in his tank to maintain his lead, even after the long uphill stretch. World's End rallied gamely with the winner to the finish line, just missing by a neck. He tied for second with Gaia Force (Takeshi Yokoyama), who made ground quickly on his outside.

Race favorite Gaia Force was settled in mid-division around ninth or 10th position and turned in the fastest finishing speed from 400 meters out to reach contention at the top of the hill. But he came up short in his quest to overtake the leader. As a result, Gaia Force finished second in a dead heat with World's End.

Seiun Hades was fourth, followed by Panja Tower (Kohei Matsuyama).

Second pick Trovatore (Christophe Lemaire) placed ninth in the 17-horse field.