A course-and-distance winner in December's G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, Star Anise (Drefong) picked up where she left off after a four-month absence to overpower her 17 rivals in Sunday's G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas), the first leg of the fillies' Triple Crown in Japan.Heading the betting for this Classic ahead of the G3 Queen Cup heroine Dream Core (Kizuna) and the unbeaten Lily Joie (Silver State), Star Anise raced enthusiastically from the outset in the hands of Kohei Matsuyama, soon finding cover in mid-division as longshot Longing Celine (Maurice) took the field along at a brisk gallop.Switched off heels early in the straight to guarantee a clear passage, the daughter of Drefong was still tanking under a motionless Matsuyama when moving to the girths of the leaders inside the final two furlongs, before quickly sprinting clear once called on for her effort.At the line Star Anise had 2 1/2 lengths to spare over Garavogue (Lord Kanaloa), extending her superiority over that rival from when they occupied the first two places in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. With Dream Core managing only ninth and Lily Joie proving an even bigger disappointment in eleventh, it was left to Zippy Tune (Lord Kanaloa) and I Need You (Fine Needle) to battle it out for the final podium position at big odds. Zippy Tune edged that verdict by a neck, another 3/4-of-a-length behind Garavogue.“The race was said to be a close competition this year, but I had every faith in my filly,” Matsuyama said of his second Oka Sho heroine, having previously guided Daring Tact to victory in 2020. “While the pressure to run as the 2025 two-year-old champion was great, I am relieved and happy to have been able to show the fans the power that she possesses.“My main goal during the race was to have her stay in good rhythm and I felt plenty of energy beneath me, so much so that I could keep her back and still trust her to respond powerfully when asked, which she did with great ease. I am not certain what plan awaits her after this race, but I think that she has a great future to look forward to.”This was a first Classic triumph for Star Anise's trainer, Tomokazu Takano, who had previously saddled the filly to win twice in four starts in 2025 when she was crowned Japan's champion two-year-old filly. Prior to her victory in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, she had opened her account at the second attempt at Kokura, before suffering a narrow defeat in the G3 Chukyo Nisai Stakes.The next leg of the fillies' Triple Crown, the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), is scheduled to take place at Tokyo on Sunday, May 24, followed by the G1 Shuka Sho at Kyoto on Sunday, October 18. The aforementioned Daring Tact features among only seven fillies to have completed the treble, with the others including Almond Eye in 2018 and Liberty Island in 2023. A class apart!STAR ANISE proved too good in the Japanese 1000 Guineas earlier this morning! #スターアニス #桜花賞 @netkeiba pic.twitter.com/ukpmEGIogW— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 12, 2026 Pedigree NotesNorthern Farm homebred Star Anise is one of two Group 1 winners to date for Shadai Stallion Station's Drefong, who won three top-level races when trained by Bob Baffert, headlined by the 2016 Breeders' Cup Sprint, before being exported to Japan. Geoglyph, who won the G3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes when Drefong was crowned Japan's leading freshman sire in 2021, later enjoyed his finest hour when beating none other than Equinox to win the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas).This filly is out of the Daiwa Major mare Epice Arome, who claimed a notable scalp of her own when defeating Lord Kanaloa to win the G2 Centaur Stakes in 2012. Previously, she too contested the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, finishing eighth behind Joie De Vivre, after gaining her black-type breakthrough in the G3 Kokura Nisai Stakes. Epice Arome has produced three winners from as many runners thus far, with the others including the dual Listed winner Balsam Note (Maurice). She is a full-sister to the stakes performer Alla Salute, from the family of the Japanese Horse of the Year Sakura Laurel (Rainbow Quest).Sunday, Hanshin, JapanOKA SHO (JAPANESE 1,000 GUINEAS)-G1, ¥306,370,000, Hanshin, 4-12, 3yo, f, 1600mT, 1:31.50, fm.1–STAR ANISE (JPN), 121, f, 3, by Drefong 1st Dam: Epice Arome (Jpn) (MGSW-Jpn, $2,456,295), by Daiwa Major (Jpn) 2nd Dam: Ratafia, by Cozzene 3rd Dam: Sakura Fabulous (GB), by Fabulous DancerO-Katsumi Yoshida; B-Northern Farm; T-Tomokazu Takano;J-Kohei Matsuyama; ¥168,259,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yoFilly-Jpn, 5-3-1-0, ¥253,027,000. *1/2 to Balsam Note (Jpn)(Maurice {Jpn}), MSW-Jpn, $795,688. Werk Nick Rating: A++.Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for thefree Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.2–Garavogue (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–Lexie Lou, bySligo Bay (Ire). O-Lord Horse Club; B-K. I. Farm; ¥64,074,000.3–Zippy Tune (Jpn), 121, f, 3, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–Zipessa, byCity Zip. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Teruya Yoshida;B-Shadai Farm; ¥39,037,000.Margins: 2HF, 3/4, NK. Odds: 1.90, 13.10, 78.30.Also Ran: I Need You (Jpn), Alankar (Jpn), Namura Cosmos (Jpn), Saint Antoine (Jpn), Elegance Ask (Jpn), Dream Core (Jpn), Shonan Charis (Jpn), Lily Joie (Jpn), Dear Diamond (Jpn), Sweet Happiness (Jpn), Rule the Wave (Jpn), Black Chalice (Jpn), Presepio (Jpn), Festival Hill (Jpn), Longing Celine (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.The post ‘She Has A Great Future To Look Forward To’ – Star Anise Stamps Her Class On Oka Sho appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.