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SARGA.CO – The 2026 Takarazuka Kinen added another chapter to the Grade 1 race's rich history, as Meisho Tabaru successfully defended his all-star crown on a rainy Sunday in Hanshin Racecourse. 

Rode once again by jockey legend Yutaka Take, the horse became the third-ever consecutive winner of the Spring Grand Prix, after his legendary sire Gold Ship in 2013 and 2014, as well as Chrono Genesis in 2020 and 2021. 

While Meisho Tabaru made history with his retention, race favourite Croix du Nord’s attempt at such with a first-time-ever Senior Spring Triple Crown was left unfinished.

Upon start, Cosmo Kuranda rushed to the lead while Meisho Tabaru broke smoothly from his outside gate and settled comfortably in second. Meanwhile, Croix du Nord tracked the pace from around fifth, saving ground along the rail as he attempted to position himself for a decisive late challenge. 

Approaching the final straight, the field began to bunch together. Meisho Tabaru moved forward relentlessly, collared the leader near the 200-meter mark and surged into the lead. Behind him, Croix du Nord launched his trademark finishing burst, accelerating powerfully despite being blocked during the middle stages of the race. 

The result carries an incredible historical symmetry. For Meisho Tabaru, victory mirrored the achievement of his sire Gold Ship, who remains one of the most beloved Takarazuka Kinen winners of the modern era, making them the first father-son pair of winners.

For Croix du Nord, however, the outcome echoes his own sire Kitasan Black, who also came up just agonisingly short of the still-unprecedented Senior Spring Triple Crown as the overwhelming favourite in the 2017 Takarazuka Kinen, nearly a decade prior. 

Despite the defeat, Croix du Nord lost little prestige. The four-year-old overcame traffic problems and produced a powerful late surge that nearly erased Meisho Tabaru's advantage, running a race worthy of a champion.

 Just minutes before post time, a sudden downpour transformed the track from firm ground into yielding conditions. For many observers, this immediately appeared to favour Meisho Tabaru, who notably thrives on such ground, like his sire, Gold Ship. 

Veteran jockey and racing icon Katsumi Ando later joked that Yutaka Take seemed capable of even controlling the weather itself. "If you were at the track, you know—that torrential downpour right before the start was like a 'divine wind’. It bypassed the good-to-soft stage and went straight to a heavy track, yet by the time of the awards ceremony, it had stopped,” said Ando post-race. 

“In the race, Cosmo Kuranda pushed the pace, which effectively allowed (Meisho Tabaru) to lead at their own comfortable tempo. Croix du Nord did their absolute best as well, but that's competition for you—luck plays a part," Ando insisted.

The victory also marks a historic sixth Takarazuka Kinen victory for Yutaka Take, with his previous successes aboard Inari One (1989), Mejiro McQueen (1993), Marvelous Sunday (1997), Deep Impact (2006), and Meisho Tabaru in 2025. 

Moreover, he not only claimed his 86th JRA G1 victory, after having won the Yasuda Kinen with Sixpence just a week earlier, but he also extended his own record as the oldest JRA G1-winning jockey at age 57.

After the race, Take credited the weather and the horse for the result, amid joking about himself, “finally hitting his peak” as a “late bloomer”, while noting that he and Meisho Tabaru can proceed to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France with confidence. 

“When it started raining just before the race, I felt as though the late owner Yoshio Matsumoto had sent it down from heaven,” he said

One year ago, Meisho Tabaru announced himself as a Grand Prix champion, and twelve months later, he proves that all-star victory was no accident. 

The son of Gold Ship joins an exclusive club, denies Croix du Nord a place in history, and secures his own place among the great modern winners of the Takarazuka Kinen: a test of pure endurance, tactical skill, and athletic ability. Closing out the 1st half of the Japanese horse racing season, the Spring Grand Prix once again belongs to Meisho Tabaru.

1st: Meisho Tabaru (number 16) 
2nd: Croix du Nord (5) 
3rd: Danon Decile (1) 
4th: Cosmo Kuranda (9) 
5th: Tagano Dude (8) 
6th: Family Time (7) 
7th: Regaleira (17) 
8th: June Take (10) 
9th: Museum Mile (2) 
10th: Meiner Emperor (12) 
11th: Shin Emperor (11) 
12th: Mikuni Inspire (4) 
13th: Stinger Glass (14) 
14th: Shake Your Heart (13) 
15th: Byzantine Dream (6) 
16th: Mystery Way (18) 
17th: Sugar Kun (3) 
DNF: My Universe (15)