Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Dozen Juveniles Line Up For Kentucky Derby Points Race in Japan

A field of 12 Japanese-bred 2-year-old colts descends on Kawasaki Racecourse Wednesday evening for the $490,090 Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun, a 1600-meter contest that serves as the second of four legs on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. A total of 42 Derby points are on the line, to be awarded to the first five finishers on a scale of 20-10-6-4-2.

Aigle Noir (Jpn), a son of Eclipse Award winner Bricks and Mortar, looks for his fourth win from five starts overall and will try to remain undefeated on the dirt in the process. Fourth on turf debut at Hanshin in June, the dark bay graduated over 1700 meters at Kokura Sept. 2 and narrowly prevailed in a Tokyo allowance Oct. 14, defeating Amante Bianco (Jpn) (Henny Hughes). Aigle Noir stepped up to stakes company last time, besting the re-opposing Satono Phoenix (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) in the Listed Hyogo Junior Grand Prix Nov. 22 (see below, SC 7), while Amante Bianco further flattered the form with a handy success in the Cattleya S., the first of the Japanese Kentucky Derby points races at Tokyo three days later.

Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) was purchased for ¥98 million ($720,603) as a yearling at the JRHA Select Sale and is flawless in his two starts to date. A son of GII Santa Ynez S. victress Forever Darling (Congrats) and from the family of Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) (Kris S.) , the Yoshito Yahagi trainee opened his account with a stylish four-length victory in an 1800-meter newcomers event at Kyoto Oct. 14 and was the facile winner of the Listed JBC Nisai Yushun at Mombetsu when last seen Nov. 4 (see below, SC 3). Ryusei Sakai rides the narrow second ante-post favorite.

Godolphin homebred Nasty Weather (Jpn) (Pyro) is also two from three on the dirt, while Seltsam (Jpn) (Henny Hughes)–a distant third to Aigle Noir and Satono Phoenix last time–is the lone group winner in the field, having upset the G3 Hakodate Nisai S. on the turf back in July.

None of the participants from the Cattleya S. presses on to this test, meaning that the winner takes over at the top of the standings. The series continues with the Listed Hyacinth S. at Tokyo Feb. 18 and the Fukuryu S. (allowance) at Nakayama Mar. 23.

The 2022 renewal was won by subsequent G2 UAE Derby hero and recent GI Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits).

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Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby Concludes at Nakayama

Sent off the 3-2 favorite, Mitono O (Jpn) (Logotype {Jpn}) led every step of the way en route to a 2 1/2-length victory in Saturday's nine-furlong Fukuryu S. (allowance) at rain-soaked Nakayama Racecourse. The win was worth 40 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and secures connections a berth in the Run for the Roses should they choose to accept.

Soon in front for jockey Takuya Kowata, the blaze-faced chestnut went along comfortably on the lead, cruising through an opening 800-meter split of :49 flat and six furlongs in 1:13.1. Always traveling like a winner, Mitono O cut the corner into the stretch, pinched an unassailable advantage and proved easily best as Mokku Mokku (Jpn) (Danon Legend {Jpn}) closed off well down the center while no threat to the winner. Hero Call (Jpn) (Hokko Tarumae {Jpn}) was third (see below, SC 7).

A maiden winner at first asking going this distance at Chukyo in August, Mitono O was runner-up to future Listed Hyacinth S. hero and G2 UAE Derby entrant Perriere (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) in a seven-furlong allowance at Tokyo Nov. 12. He was a course-and-distance allowance winner when last seen Jan. 7.

A son of multiple Canadian Grade III winner Seductively (Thunder Gulch), who was purchased by Shadai Farm for $535,000 in foal to Bernardini at Keeneland November in 2008, Mitono O was an ¥18,700,000 graduate of the 2021 Hokkaido Selection Yearling Sale. His win Saturday took his earnings to north of ¥36 million.

Should the Derby invite not be accepted by the first-place finisher, the bid will be offered to the second-, third- and fourth-placegetters. Perriere currently sits on 30 points, while fellow UAE Derby entrant Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) has 20 points courtesy of his victory in the Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun in December. The UAE Derby is a Derby qualifier separate and apart from the Japanese series and offers the winner 100 points.

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Mind Your Biscuits Colts Takes Derby Points Race at Kawasaki

Jockey Fuma Matsuwaka conjured up one final late surge from third favorite Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) and was up on the wire to take out Wednesday's Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse, earning 20 points to go to the head of the class on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Settled in mid-division and well off the inside for the run up the backstretch, the chestnut still had several lengths to find as 6-5 favorite Perriere (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) went for home. The latter began to look for the line and was overtaken to his inside by Omatsuri Otoko (Jpn) (Vittorio d'Oro) in the dying yards, but Derma Sotogake finished over the top of that one for the victory.

Derma Sotogake, unplaced in a pair of turf tries, but two-for-three on dirt prior to Wednesday's race, is the second stakes winner for Mind Your Biscuits, who has been represented by no fewer than 27 individual winners from his first crop to the races and is a near lock to be crowned champion freshman sire.

The winner's dam, who took this track's Listed Kanto Oaks in 2013, is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Million Disk (Jpn) (Afleet) and MGSP Request Song (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S). Amour Poesie's weanling filly by New Year's Day fetched $240,138 at this year's JRHA Select Sale and she is due to foal a full-sibling to Derma Sotogake in 2023.

The next race on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby is the Listed Hyacinth S. going a mile at Tokyo Feb. 19.

Wednesday, Kawasaki, Japan
ZEN-NIPPON NISAI YUSHUN (Jpn-G1)-Listed (Second Leg Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby), ¥71,400,000, Kawasaki, 12-14, 2yo, 1600m, 1:43.30, yl.
1–DERMA SOTOGAKE (JPN), 121, c, 2, by Mind Your Biscuits
1st Dam: Amour Poesie (Jpn) (SW-Jpn, $543,569), by Neo Universe (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Happy Request (Jpn), by Tony Bin (Ire)
3rd Dam: April Sonnett, by Dike
1ST STAKES WIN. (¥18,000,000 Ylg '21 JRHAJUL). O-Hiroyuki Asanuma; B-Shadai Farm; T-Hidetaka Otonashi; J-Fuma Matsuwaka; ¥42,000,000. Lifetime Record 6-3-0-1, ¥59,734,000. *Second stakes winner for freshman sire (by Posse).
2–Omatsuri Otoko (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Vittorio d'Oro–Matsuri Bayashi (Jpn), by Smart Boy (Jpn). (¥14,300,000 Ylg '21 HOKSUM). O-Kohei Koreeda; B-Grand Farm; ¥14,700,000.
3–Perriere (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Henny Hughes–Soft Rime (Jpn), by Fuji Kiseki (Jpn). (¥11,000,000 Ylg '21 HOKSUM). O-Yuji Hasegawa; B-Champions Farm; ¥8,400,000.
Margins: HD, 1, 3. Odds : 4.60, 2.40, 1.20.

WATCH: Derma Sotogake gets up late at Kawasaki

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Delicada Beats The Boys in Final Derby Points Race

Delicada (Jpn) (Pyro) went for a gap from between horses in the dying strides and it proved a decisive move, as she was along for a neck victory in Saturday's Fukuryu S. (allowance) at Nakayama Racecourse. Facing no other rivals that had previously accumulated points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, Delicada has the right of first refusal for a berth in the race, having earned 40 points to shoot to the head of the class. She was not an original nominee to the Triple Crown series.

Perfect in two starts at Hanshin last term, each over the same 1800-meter distance, Delicada–the only filly in a field of eight– lined up here as the 7-1 third choice to fellow previously unbeaten Ho O Roulette (Jpn) (Roses In May). Away cleanly from gate four, the gray filly settled three wide and not far from the speed as the rail-drawn 3-10 favorite showed the way. Traveling without cover throughout, Delicada was scrubbed on three deep at the quarter pole, but appeared flat-footed in upper stretch. Ho O Roulette backed out of it abruptly with 150 meters to race, but Delicada responded to jockey Ryuji Wada's urgings and was up in the final few strides (see below). Notturno (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}–Sheikh's Serenade) was second ahead of 241-1 outsider Peisha Es (Jpn) (Espoir City {Jpn}).

The winner, a daughter of Bronx Silver (Jpn) (Kurofune), is unlikely to take up the Derby assignment. The series leader, with 38 points, is Godolphin's Combustion (Jpn) (Discreet Cat), who was to run in Saturday's G2 UAE Derby at Meydan. The homebred was not an original nominee to the Triple Crown and would need to be supplemented for $6,000 at the upcoming second closing stage.

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