Japan Aims to Strike in the Sprints with the Intriguing Panja Tower

Trainer Shinsuke Hashiguchi makes his second international bid with the bay, who finished fifth in the Golden Eagle

Panja Tower moved with ease over the King Abdulaziz dirt / JCSA

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Special for Turf Diario).— Japan is once again aiming high in the 1351 Turf Sprint (G2), the $2 million event presented by Qiddiya City, and one of its standard-bearers will be Panja Tower, who will attempt to sustain the Japanese streak on the demanding stretch of King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

Japanese horses have already won this competition on three occasions, including last year's memorable one-two finish led by Ascoli Piceno (Daiwa Major). This time, the delegation returns in force with three representatives in the field.

For Panja Tower, trained by Shinsuke Hashiguchi, this marks his second international campaign following a fifth-place finish in the Golden Eagle at Randwick last November. The trip to Australia was a formative experience that now works in his favor.

“He is already accustomed to air travel, so the logistics are not an issue,” Hashiguchi explained. “Additionally, he traveled with other Japanese horses, which allowed him to maintain a routine similar to the one at home.”

Regarded since his foal days as a prospect with enormous upside, Panja Tower made his mark early by winning the Keio Hai Nisai Stakes (G2) in just his second start, defeating a field that included Shin Forever (Complexity), who subsequently finished second in the Saudi Derby (G3).

The Japanese-bred runner was later pointed toward major targets over 1,600 meters, such as the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1), though some initial performances raised questions about his ceiling at a mile. However, in May he dispelled all doubts by capturing the NHK Mile Cup (G1) in a tight finish, securing his first top-level victory.

That success also marked a personal milestone for Hashiguchi, earning his first G1 under the Japan Racing Association banner. The son of the renowned trainer Kojiro Hashiguchi—the figure behind the legendary Heart’s Cry (Sunday Silence)—Shinsuke opened his own stable in 2015 at the Ritto training center and had already notched international wins in the JBC Sprint and the Korea Sprint.

The horse's name features a cultural nod: “Panja” is inspired by the famous lion from the Japanese anime Jungle Emperor Leo and also plays on a rearrangement of the word “Japan.”

In strictly sporting terms, the trainer expressed satisfaction following Wednesday’s piece of work on the dirt track.

“Jockey Katsuma Sameshima worked him over 800 meters in about 52 seconds, just as we had planned. He changed leads fluidly in the final stretch and accelerated comfortably. He moved very well,” he noted.

With international experience, a solid foundation of speed, and the backing of a racing school that has been setting the global pace, Panja Tower will look to make the lion roar once again in Riyadh and extend Japanese dominance in one of the most blistering tests of the Saudi meeting.