The Haneda Hai (G1), slated for April 29 at Oi Racecourse—the first leg of the Dirt Triple Crown for 3-year-olds in Japan, lacks a standout contender and looks to be a wide-open race.
The likely favorite will be Carrot Club's Rock Ptarmigan. The son of Juddmonte's group 1 winner, Siskin, the colt made his first three starts over the turf but found his groove when trainer Koichi Ishizaka put the colt on dirt in the Poinsettia Stakes at Hanshin Dec. 20.
The surface switch paid off, with Rock Ptarmigan leading from start to finish, defeating the well-regarded Wonder Dean in the process, who subsequently won the UAE Derby (G2) at Meydan March 28, and is now entered in the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. After having a four-month winter break, Rock Ptarmigan returned to the races March 25 and won the Keihin Hai (G3), one of the most important prep races for the Haneda Hai at Oi, by 3 lengths, proving his affinity for the track.
Another interesting entry is Realize Glint, who was bought by Yosuke Imafuku at the 2024 JRHA Select Sale Yearling and Foal Sale for 150,000,000 yen (approx. US$933,140). The colt by Kitasan Black and trained by Yoshito Yahagi won the Kumotori Sho, another prep race for the Haneda Hai at Oi Feb.18.
