Defending winner Gold-Ship and champion mare Gentildonna renew their long running rivalry in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin on Sunday.
Similar to the Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) at year's end, the field for the Takarazuka Kinen is chosen largely by fan ballot.
The top 10 choices by the votes of fans receive an automatic place in a maximum field of 18 in the 2200m turf event.
The top three horses in the this year’s voting were Gold-Ship, Win Variation and Gentildonna.
The Naosuke Sugai-trained Gold-Ship won last year's Takarazuka Kinen by 3 .5 lengths and received the most votes for this year's race.
The son of Stay Gold comes into this year's race off a seventh in the G1 Tenno Sho. He has won four of five starts at Hanshin, most recently the G2 Hanshin Daoshoten in March.
Gentildonna, a six-time G1 winner, won last year's Japan Cup by a nose over Denim And Ruby.
The Sei Ishizaka-trained mare has since finished sixth in the G2 Kyoto Kinen in February prior to winning the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic a month later at Meydan beating Cirrus des Aigles.
The winner of eight of her 13 career starts, Gentildonna was third to Gold Ship in last year's Takarazuka Kinen.
"Everything looks in order and there's nothing I'm concerned about her physically," said Ishizaka.
"If the track is fast, I think she'll put in a good run."Win Variation, who has finished second in four G1 races, received the second most votes from the fans ahead of Gentildonna.
Win Variation has been battling injuries the past two years but started 2014 with a win in the G2 Nikkei Sho Stakes at Nakayama and followed up with just a game second to Fenomeno in the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) in May.
Last December Win Variation was second to Orfevre in the Arima Kinen.
