Race Recap and Full Standings
Date: November 29, 2025 | Event: Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G2)
(9th favorite), ridden by Yuichi Kitamura, secured a come-from-behind victory, marking his first graded stakes title.
(10th favorite), ridden by Yasunari Iwata, finished second.
(3rd favorite), ridden by Kiwamu Ogino, briefly led in the homestretch but finished third.
The race resulted in a significant upset, with the top-favored horses, including the 1st favorite Barcesheet, struggling.
2:00.4
35.6 seconds
1st Place
#8 Justin Vista
Jockey: Yuichi Kitamura
2nd Place
#3 Ask Edinburgh
Jockey: Yasunari Iwata
3rd Place
#10 Goin’ Tothe Sky
Jockey: Kiwamu Ogino
The Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes, a crucial prep race for the following year’s classics, saw a dramatic finish. Nettaiyarai took an early lead from an inside gate, setting a moderate pace with the first 1000 meters clocked at 1:00.0. The heavy favorite, Barcesheet, was positioned at the back of the pack.
As the field entered the homestretch after the final turn, the horses converged on the pacesetter Nettaiyarai, leading to a wide-open contest. Goin’ Tothe Sky made a move to take the lead midway down the stretch. However, Justin Vista launched a powerful surge from the outside, overtaking Goin’ Tothe Sky just before the finish line. Ask Edinburgh also demonstrated tenacity, running up the inside to secure second place.
| Pos. | Gate | No. | Horse Name | Sex/Age | Weight (kg) | Jockey | Trainer | Odds | Fav. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 8 | Justin Vista | C2 | 56.0 | Kitamura, Y. | Yoshioka | 27.5 | 9 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | Ask Edinburgh | C2 | 56.0 | Iwata, Y. | Fukunaga | 49.0 | 10 |
| 3 | 8 | 10 | Goin’ Tothe Sky | C2 | 56.0 | Ogino, K. | Uehara, Y. | 6.1 | 3 |
| – | 1 | 1 | Nettaiyarai | C2 | 56.0 | Matsuyama, K. | Yahagi | 56.5 | 11 |
| – | 2 | 2 | Kara Persona | F2 | 55.0 | Pecheur, M. | Saito, T. | 7.6 | 4 |
| – | 4 | 4 | Meisho Solaris | C2 | 56.0 | Take, Y. | Sumida | 23.0 | 7 |
| – | 5 | 5 | Rock Ptarmigan | C2 | 56.0 | Samejima, K. | Ishizaka | 11.9 | 6 |
| – | 6 | 6 | Barcesheet | C2 | 56.0 | Demuro, C. | Matsushita | 2.2 | 1 |
| – | 6 | 7 | Satono Ivory | C2 | 56.0 | Danno, D. | Sugiyama, H. | 11.6 | 5 |
| – | 7 | 9 | Flieger | C2 | 56.0 | Sakai, R. | Yahagi | 23.7 | 8 |
| – | 8 | 11 | Winner’s Nine | C2 | 56.0 | Nishimura, A. | Oguri | 5.6 | 2 |
*Horses marked with ‘-‘ did not finish in the top three.
This colt by Saturnalia remains undefeated after winning a graded stakes race in only his second career start. He has demonstrated significant potential and is now considered a strong contender for next year’s classic races.
Despite being the 10th favorite, Ask Edinburgh delivered an impressive performance to finish second. His tenacious run suggests he is a horse to monitor for future development.
The overwhelming favorite, Barcesheet, was unable to perform from the rear in this race. Expectations are for him to rebound in his subsequent starts.
Who won the 2025 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes?
The winner was the 9th favorite, Justin Vista, with jockey Yuichi Kitamura.What was the winning time?
The winning time was 2:00.4. The final 800 meters were covered in 47.9 seconds, and the final 600 meters (3 furlongs) in 35.6 seconds.Where did the favorite, Barcesheet, finish?
The favorite, Barcesheet, did not finish in the top places. For his exact finishing position, refer to the official JRA results.