Takayanagi's big week: T O Elvis conquers Keeneland, then Anzu Ame lands JBC Ladies' Classic

Japanese trainer Daisuke Takayanagi has had a week to remember. Four days after T O Elvis won the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland in the United States, Takayanagi struck again on home soil when Anzu Ame took the JBC Ladies' Classic at Kanazawa on Tuesday, 3 November. On the same card, Outrange finally won a top-level race in the JBC Classic and Meisho Hachiro landed the JBC Sprint.

T O Elvis takes America by storm

T O Elvis produced a powerful late run in the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Saturday, 31 October. Ridden by Ryusei Sakai, he came from behind to beat the favourite Englishman by a length and a quarter, stopping the clock in 1:08.20 on a fast track, according to the Daily Racing Form. That time was only a fraction outside the Keeneland track record.

It was no fluke. T O Elvis had already won the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes earlier in the year, in stakes-record time, on his first try at the top level. His connections had considered Royal Ascot after that win but instead sent him home to Japan for a break, with the Breeders' Cup as the target. The plan worked.

A second "Breeders' Cup" for Takayanagi

Japan's version of the meeting, the Japan Breeding Farms' Cup, or JBC, is usually staged at a local track, with the host changing each year. This year it went to Kanazawa, a National Association of Racing course on the Sea of Japan coast. Takayanagi's mare Anzu Ame, ridden by Yuga Kawada, won the Jpn1 Ladies' Classic over 1,500 metres for her fourth straight victory.

The trainer also won the Group 3 Fantasy Stakes at Kyoto on the Saturday with Nix Luna, giving him three feature-race wins in four days on two continents, as Idol Horse pointed out.

Outrange breaks through in the JBC Classic

The headline race, the Jpn1 JBC Classic over 2,100 metres of dirt, went to six-year-old Outrange. Ridden by Kohei Matsuyama for trainer Ryuji Okubo, he took the lead turning for home and drew clear to win by four lengths from Houou Roulette, with Seraphic Call third.

It was Outrange's first win at the highest level after finishing second in the Teio Sho in each of the previous two years. His time of 2:11.3 was reported as a race record. The result was a turnaround from the Hakusan Daishoten on the same track six weeks earlier, when Outrange finished third behind Houou Roulette. He carried 57kg this time, two kilos less than in that race.

Meisho Hachiro keeps rolling

In the JBC Sprint over 1,400 metres, Meisho Hachiro, ridden by Hiroto Yoshihara and trained by former top jockey Yuichi Fukunaga, won by a length and a half from Wilson Tesoro, with Happy Man a further length and a half back in third. The winning time was 1:25.5. The victory followed his success in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai, making it back-to-back wins at Jpn1 level.

The meeting also drew a big crowd. Idol Horse reported attendance of 11,422 at Kanazawa, far above the track's usual daily average of about 1,800.

Key takeaways

• T O Elvis won the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland on 31 October under Ryusei Sakai, beating favourite Englishman.
• Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi then won the JBC Ladies' Classic with Anzu Ame at Kanazawa on 3 November.
• Outrange won the JBC Classic by four lengths for his first Jpn1 success.
• Meisho Hachiro, trained by Yuichi Fukunaga, won the JBC Sprint for back-to-back Jpn1 wins.
• JBC day drew 11,422 spectators to Kanazawa.

FAQ

Who won the 2026 Breeders' Cup Sprint? Japan's T O Elvis, ridden by Ryusei Sakai and trained by Daisuke Takayanagi, won by a length and a quarter from Englishman at Keeneland.

What is the JBC? The Japan Breeding Farms' Cup is a day of top-level dirt races held at a different local racecourse each year. The 2026 edition was held at Kanazawa on 3 November.

Who won the JBC Classic 2026? Outrange, ridden by Kohei Matsuyama and trained by Ryuji Okubo, won by four lengths from Houou Roulette.

Sources: Daily Racing Form, Idol Horse, Keiba no Miryoku, note.com