Memoria Cafe surges late to win Empress Cup at Kawasaki

Memoria Cafe turned the final leg of the Grandam Japan Older Mare Spring Series into her latest showcase, rallying late at Kawasaki Racecourse to win the 72nd Empress Hai by one length over favorite Tenkajo. The 4-year-old chestnut filly covered 2100 meters on good dirt in 2:16.1 and delivered trainer Masatoshi Karasaki and rider Christophe Lemaire a second straight graded victory after her Hyogo Jo-o Hai score at Sonoda on April 1.

The finish said as much about the current older-mare hierarchy as it did about one race. Tenkajo came in as the defending champion and the 1st favorite, but Memoria Cafe’s closing burst proved stronger when the stretch pressure arrived. Reyna de Alcylla finished third in a field of eight that included five JRA runners, two Nankan entries and one Kasamatsu horse, underscoring how the race still draws a wide mix of regional and national talent for one of the dirt calendar’s key prizes.

For Memoria Cafe, the Empress Cup was her third graded stakes victory and the one that most clearly lifts her profile beyond a single-surface specialist. By Nadal out of Lumiere Cafe, by Manhattan Cafe, she already owns the 2025 Kanto Oaks and now has consecutive graded wins in 2026, a sequence that marks her as one of the most reliable fillies and mares in Japan’s dirt program. Owned by Koichi Nishikawa and bred by Mishima Bokujo, she has built her resume through timing and stamina rather than early speed, a profile that fits Kawasaki’s demanding 2100-meter configuration.

That course, with its six tight corners, usually rewards position and pace judgment more than raw acceleration. Lemaire placed Memoria Cafe behind the pace and asked for her late, a ride that matched her recent pattern and made the difference against a rival in Tenkajo who was trying to repeat. Kohei Matsuyama said the winner’s late kick was stronger than expected, while Takanita Taguchi said Reyna de Alcylla ran well and is still improving.

The Empress Hai itself has become a centerpiece for older female dirt horses. First run in 1955 as the Kiyofuji Kinen, it became the Empress Hai in 1991, joined JRA-local exchange racing in 1995, was elevated to GII status in 1997 and moved to the current 2100 meters in 1998. Since 2024, it has shifted to early May and now closes the Grandam Japan Older Mare Spring Series, a setup that gives the race even more weight as a division-defining checkpoint. After Memoria Cafe’s win, Marble Mountain led the 2026 standings with 55 points, followed by Sanono Espo on 26 and Kimino Heart on 17. Memoria Cafe may not own the points lead, but her current form makes her one of the sharpest threats in the older mare dirt ranks heading into the next targets.