The 48th Niigata Daishoten (G3, turf 2000m) at Niigata Racecourse on May 16 marks a significant moment for Shinhanaada. The 5-year-old colt, now under the care of trainer Tetsuya Kimura at Miho, moved to a new stable following the dissolution of Sakae Kunieda’s yard in March. This will be his first start for the new team and his second attempt at a graded stakes race, following a fourth-place finish in the Chukyo Newspaper Cup last December.
In his previous outing, the Hakone S (January, Tokyo), Shinhanaada struggled with early pace and finished seventh. Weighing a career-high 478kg at that time, it’s possible the extra weight from winter conditioning hindered his performance.
This time, the horse returned to the stable over a month before the race, allowing for thorough training. During a workout on May 6 at Miho’s Woodchip course, he ran in a three-horse set, clocking a solid 83.6 seconds for 6 furlongs with a final furlong of 11.7 seconds. Assistant trainer Ota expressed cautious optimism: “We heard it might be challenging to adjust for his first start from a new stable, so we took our time. There are still areas to improve, but we’re definitely seeing changes.”
In his first graded stakes attempt, the Chukyo Newspaper Cup, he was only 0.2 seconds behind the winner. With jockey Makoto Sugihara (Miho-based, freelance) in the saddle for their first partnership, the colt aims for his first title.