test

Ridden by Hiroto Yoshihara, the four-year-old colt defeated front-runner Strength by three-quarters of a length in the 1,600-metre dirt race. Previous winner Wilson Tesoro came thirdby another three lengths, without producing his trademark late surge.

Meisho Hachiro’s win also marked a decorative day for Fukunaga, who not only won twice at Morioka as a jockey, but whose stable also won the main races at all three major Japanese racecourses: the October Stakes at Tokyo, the Swan Stakes at Kyoto and the Nambu Hai at Morioka.

“Everyone gave their best, the jockey rode him brilliantly, and the staff worked incredibly hard. It was a great day," Fukunaga said, as quoted by Netkeiba.

Drawn in gate one, Meisho Hachiro was expected to take the lead, but he was slightly slow out of the starting gate. Yoshihara quickly adjusted, settling the colt into third behind the pace-setting Strength rather than forcing him to the front.

The decision proved decisive, with Meisho Hachiro running behind the leaders before building momentum in the straight. As Strength tried to hold his advantage, the challenger found another gear and gradually edged past him to win. The winning time was 1:34.7 on good ground.

In an interview quoted by Netkeiba, Yoshihara said he expected the colt to start slowly after studying his previous races. The jockey felt he had secured an ideal position and praised Meisho Hachiro for continuing to find more in the closing stages.

For Yoshihara, the victory meant even more personally, as he had last won a graded stakes race in 2019 aboard Sunrise Nova. "I never thought I would get another chance to win one. Opportunities are few and far between, so I'm happy," he said.

February Stakes on the Horizon

Fukunaga believes Meisho Hachiro still can grow even more. Despite travelling a long way to Morioka, the colt arrived in good condition and delivered the performance his connections were hoping for. "He handled the long-distance transportation well and arrived in good physical condition. Everything went right. He is still developing and has plenty of room to improve," he explained, as quoted by Netkeiba.

The trainer is considering the JBC races in November, although he expressed caution about returning the colt to competition after a short interval. His preferred longer-term target is the February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse on 21 February 2027.

For now, the Nambu Hai represents Meisho Hachiro’s defining achievement so far - and a landmark victory for his trainer. With the colt still developing and a major target already in sight, the Morioka breakthrough may be the beginning of a bigger campaign.