Race Results & Recap: A thrilling start to the season!
Ridden by Mirai Iwata, David Barows clinched his first graded stakes title with a decisive come-from-behind victory. This win marked a successful return after a five-month layoff and was achieved as the second favorite.
2nd FavoriteWinning Time: 1:43.7
The 78th Naruo Kinen (G3) marked the opening race of the 2025 season.
The race featured a fast pace from the outset, with the first 1000 meters covered in approximately 57.7 seconds.
No. 6 Shonan Magma aggressively took the lead, with No. 4 Scents Blood and No. 11 Dura Erede also joining the front runners. No. 8 Namura Ahab pressed the pace. The favorite, Gran Vinos, settled in mid-pack on the outside. David Barows positioned himself just behind the main pack, preparing for his final stretch run.
As the field approached the homestretch, the pack closed in on the leader. David Barows surged powerfully from the middle of the track, taking the lead with 200 meters remaining and pulling away.
A close battle for second place ensued between Scents Blood (inside path) and Matenro Leo. A photo finish determined Scents Blood won second place by a nose. Gran Vinos made a determined late run but couldn’t reach the top three.
The race saw strong efforts across the field, with several horses outperforming their favoritism, creating an exciting finish.
| Fin. | No. | Horse Name | Jockey | Fav. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10 | David Barows | Mirai Iwata | 2 |
| 2nd | 4 | Scents Blood | Ryusei Sakai | 7 |
| 3rd | 2 | Matenro Leo | Norihiro Yokoyama | 3 |
| 4th | 13 | Gran Vinos | Yuga Kawada | 1 |
| 5th | 12 | Nihonpiro Kyiv | Kanta Taguchi | 11 |
| Gate | No. | Horse Name | Sex/Age | Weight (kg) | Jockey | Stable | Win Odds | Fav. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Onyankopon | G6 | 57.0 | Yutaka Take | Kojima | 17.5 | 8 |
| 2 | 2 | Matenro Leo | H6 | 57.0 | N. Yokoyama | Kon | 7.1 | 3 |
| 3 | 3 | Black Shield | H6 | 57.0 | Y. Kokubun | Oguri | 114.1 | 12 |
| 3 | 4 | Scents Blood | C3 | 56.0 | R. Sakai | T. Saito | 16.4 | 7 |
| 4 | 5 | Sun Stockton | H6 | 57.0 | Takasugi | Horiuchi | 188.0 | 13 |
| 4 | 6 | Shonan Magma | G6 | 57.0 | K. Ikezoe | Ozeki | 51.8 | 10 |
| 5 | 7 | Lagulf | H6 | 57.0 | K. Maruta | K. Tanaka | 207.4 | 14 |
| 5 | 8 | Namura Ahab | C4 | 57.0 | H. Yoshida | Hasegawa | 12.4 | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | West Now | C4 | 57.0 | D. Tanno | Sasaki | 12.1 | 5 |
| 6 | 10 | David Barows | G6 | 57.0 | M. Iwata | Uemura | 4.4 | 2 |
| 7 | 11 | Dura Erede | H5 | 57.0 | A. Nishimura | Ikee | 20.8 | 9 |
| 7 | 12 | Nihonpiro Kyiv | H5 | 57.0 | K. Taguchi | Ohashi | 70.6 | 11 |
| 8 | 13 | Gran Vinos | H5 | 57.0 | Y. Kawada | Tomomichi | 2.6 | 1 |
| 8 | 14 | Allナット | C4 | 58.0 | Y. Kitamura | Takano | 7.6 | 4 |
© 2025 Naruo Kinen (G3) Race Results. All rights reserved.
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