Star Anise (horse)
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| Star Anise スターアニス | |
|---|---|
 Star Anise after winning the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies | |
| Sire | Drefong[1] |
| Grandsire | Gio Ponti |
| Dam | Epice Arome[1] |
| Damsire | Daiwa Major[1] |
| Sex | Filly[1] |
| Foaled | 4 February 2023[1] |
| Country | Japan[1] |
| Colour | Chestnut[1] |
| Breeder | Northern Farm[1] |
| Owner | Katsumi Yoshida[1] |
| Trainer | Tomokazu Takano[1] |
| Record | 5 : 3-1-0 |
| Earnings | 253,027,000 JPY |
| Major wins | |
| Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (2025) Oka Sho (2026) | |
| Honours | |
| JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly (2025)[2] | |
| Last updated on 12 April, 2026 | |
Star Anise (Japanese: スターアニス foaled 4 February 2023) is an active Japanese filly thoroughbred racehorse.[3] She was awarded the JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly in 2025.[2]
She is named after a spice of the same name.[3]
Star Anise is a filly foaled by Epice Arome, who won the Kokura Nisai Stakes in 2011 and the 2012 Centaur Stakes,[4] who was covered by Drefong, who won the 2016 Breeders' Cup Sprint. She was bred in Japan by Northern Farm.
She is owned by Katsumi Yoshida and trained by Tomokazu Takano.[3]
Racing Career
2025: Two-year-old season
Jockeyed by Kohei Matsuyama, she made her debut at a debut race for 2 year olds in 29 June held at Kokura Racecourse.[4] She ran in the rear of the pack for most of the race before trying to push up in the home stretch, but finished fifth.[5] She then won her next race, a maiden race held at Kokura Racecourse on 12 July, where she quickly overtook the likes of Tamamo Icarus and Diamond Knot and winning by 7 lengths.[6]
On 31 August, she raced her first Graded stake, the Chukyo Nisai Stakes at Chukyo racecourse, where she entered the race as the favourite but finished 2nd behind Candide after Candide passed her just before the wire.[7]
She raced her final race in 2025, the Grade I Hanshin Juvenile Fillies for two year old fillies.[8] During the race the horse showed signs of being rushed early on, but Matsuyama managed to calm her down before placing themselves in the middle of the pack. On the final stretch, Star Anise surged forward and took the lead, winning her first graded race.[9][10]
Having won 2 races, most notably the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, Star Anise was named the Best Two-Year-Old Filly in the 2025 JRA Award.[2]
2026: Three-year-old season
Star Anise started her classic season by heading straight to the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas).[11] She was the favourite to win the race. After leaving the gate, she was placed in middle pack until the last corner, and on the home straight she found a clear opening and made her move to overtake the pack, winning her second Grade I race and the first leg of the Japanese Triple Tiara.[12] This was the second Oka Sho win since his ride on Daring Tact in 2020 for jockey Kohei Matsuyama, who said after the race, "I'm absolutely thrilled. It was a very competitive field, but as the champion two-year-old, I knew she couldn't lose. I went into the race determined to win, and right now, I just feel relieved."[13]
On 15 April, Star Anise's owner announced that she will aim for the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks)[14], the second leg of the Japanese Triple Tiara.
