T.M. Ocean lived up to her odds-on favorite status in style Sunday to win the 51st running of the Okasho, the opening leg of the triple-crown series for 3-year-old fillies.
T.M. Ocean stormed away from the pack with little trouble after the final bend at Hanshin Racecourse and beat runnerup Moonlight Tango by three lengths as she clocked 1 minute, 34.4 seconds over 1,600 meters on turf.
It was the second Grade One victory for T.M. Ocean. The win gave jockey Masaru Honda and trainer Katsuichi Nishiura their first Okasho crown. "I knew my mount was the strongest in the field and I had to win this race particularly after all the talk about this horse," said the 42-year-old Honda, who won his first classic race title.
Daiwa Rouge took third a neck behind Moonlight Tango in a photo finish for second, which involved four horses.
T.M. Ocean paid out 130 yen to win on a 100 yen wager.