Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in overseas international racing. Bringing with him a wealth of racing knowledge, Simon is the host and race caller for the overseas simulcast programme since 2008/09 season. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Hanshin Racecourse – Track Analysis (Takarazuka Kinen):

With its short stretches and protracted bends, runners at Hanshin for the 2200m Takarazuka Kinen will have an 800m stretch run before hitting the first turn, thus stall assignments rate only minimal. And with another 700m of back-straight before hitting another sweeping 600m bend (inner course), runners attempting a wide move would hardly lose any balance.

While heading for home, will race downhill until the 200m marker, where the turf strip tucks right back up all the way to the finish. Therefore, frontrunners will need more than a gargantuan trip to wire it home the whole way through. That being said, with this same stretch run measuring only 350m from the top of the lane to the finish, late closers may run out of real property if they don't make their moves by midway through the stretch.

In the 2018 running of the Takarazuka Kinen, MIKKI ROCKET and NOBLE MARS, both in touch with the main speed while saving ground early, sneaked up on the rail and persevered to finish respectively first and third, whereas Hong Kong’s WERTHER, who closed furiously from way deep and out wide, fell just short of clobbering the winner in the shadow of the wire, and was second-best on the day.

With fair skies – and only a brief shower or two – heading into the weekend for the Osaka area, this year's edition of the Takarazuka Kinen will be staged on fast and firm goings – a big plus that is so poised for the forwardly-placed runners when it comes to race selections.

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