Grade One action returns to Hanshin this weekend for the 66th Hanshin Juvenile Fillies.

Twenty-three of the Japan Racing Association's top 2-year-old fillies have been nominated for the 18 slots, all gunning for their maiden G1 title.

Former champions of the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies include Vodka (2006) and Buena Vista (2008), as well as Apapane (2009) who went on to win the filly's Triple Crown.

The first Hanshin Juvenile Fillies - then called the Hanshin Sansai Stakes - was held over 1200m in 1949 on turf and was open to both males and females.

In 1962, the race took on its current distance of 1600 meters and was given G1 status in 1984.

It became exclusive to fillies in 1991, and was catalogued an international G1 race in 2010.

The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies is a true test for any filly of her age going out for a winner's check of 65 million yen from a purse of 135 million yen.

The following are the early favourites:

KOKORONO AI: By Stay Gold out of the Danehill dam Beauty Song, Kokorono Ai is widely expected to be the morning-line favorite after her strong run in the Artemis Stakes where she held off Let's Go Donki by a nose over the 1600 meters at Tokyo.

The Tomohito Ozeki-trained filly broke late and nearly spiraled out of control but recovered to collect her second win.

"It was the slowest start she ever had," Ozeki said, looking back on the Artemis Stakes. "The pace wasn't particularly fast so she took the race to them and that probably made a difference in the end.

“The way she held on all the way to the finish was impressive. It was just another reminder of her stamina, her cardiovascular strength and her overall quality.

“She's talented enough to be among the favorites and she won't embarrass herself. It's up to us to fine tune her toward the day of the race."

LET'S GO DONKI: Just two weeks after winning her debut, the King Kamehameha daughter went up against the colts in the Sapporo Nisai Stakes and placed an impressive third. She then went on to the Artemis Stakes where, as the first choice, missed out on her second victory by the narrowest of margins behind Kokorono Ai.

Let's Go Donki will be partnered by her fourth jockey in as many starts in Suguru Hamanaka.

"She held her own against the boys in the Sapporo Nisai Stakes so I was sure she'd have a good race against other fillies," trainer Tomoyuki Umeda said. "She ran a heck of a race. The horse that won was strong, but our horse did us proud.

“She got a taste of the 1600 meters last time. I think she has a very high ceiling and quickens really well. Now she just has to learn how to settle."

ROCA: The Harbinger filly heads into the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies with just one start under her belt but trainer Teiichi Konno is banking on her to blossom on the big stage.

Roca is owend by Katsumi Yoshida and Konno has no doubt she will be a lot sharper in her second start.

"She had to come from behind but showed a lot of fight," Konno said, referring to Roca's debut at Kyoto over 1800 meters.

"She was very patient during the trip and was comfortable inside traffic. Her finish was nothing short of impressive.

“She hasn't filled out yet but we've looked after her and I think she's in better shape than she was for her first start.

“The experience from her first race should help her get off to a better start and she should respond even better this time around.

“Judging by the way she won her debut, a spacious track with a long straight is something we welcome. I can't wait."