The two runners may be more closely matched than it appears on paper. Sol Oriens (Jpn) will start a warm favourite in the world's richest Derby, and deservedly so, having come from a near-impossible position and having overcome his own greenness to decision Tastiera (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}) the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) in very testing ground at Nakayama a month and a half ago. Scary as it could be, that was just the third start of his career and there is likely improvement to come, though the Derby and its full field dictate that there is little to no margin for error. To that end, his conditioner believes he is ready for Sunday's task.

“I think his performance in the Satsuki Sho was good,” said Takahisa Tezuka. “I had had my doubts about whether he could do well over the heavy ground and how he would do with the inside gate and the big field. But he came though well on all points. In his trackwork, he has been taking the bit better with each race and is much more forward than before.

“I think 2400 metres is well within reach. I think the ground and the times will be fast and I think those conditions suit him. I'm not worried. On the contrary, I'm happy to see him race on fast ground.”

Derby Fav 3c SOL ORIENS (Kitasan Black x Skia (Motivator)) still humming (inside)

Takeshi Yokoyama gave him and easy time on the Miho chip yet he rattled off an 11.3 close

Unbeaten in 3, Satsuki Sho winner LS

Good luck beating him! #KitasanBlack pic.twitter.com/NtdK2THglX

— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) May 24, 2023

In the opposite corner is chief market rival Skilfing (Jpn), who overcame a difficult wide trip beneath Christophe Lemaire to defeat the re-opposing Heart's Concerto (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) by a half-length in the G2 Aoba Sho over this course and distance Apr. 29. While the duo drew gates 11 and four last time, respectively, Skilfing leaves from barrier two and Heart's Concerto from 11 this time around.

“After the Aoba Sho, I was glad to see that he came out of the race well, and I consider him to be a very reliable horse,” his trainer Tetsuya Kimura said. “He works well with the rider, listens well and responds well to what the jockey asks of him. I think all his experience at Tokyo should stand him well.”

Satono Glanz (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}) has also already scored over the Derby trip, having improved from his maiden to win a 1-win class conditions at Hanshin in March, and he made it three on the trot with a narrow victory in the G2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai over a mile and three furlongs May 6. He will have to overcome post 18, as Equinox did last year, but has a capable reinsman in the form of Yuga Kawada.

Phantom Thief (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) may not have preferred the soft underfoot conditions in the Satsuki Sho, but managed third all the same, and can improve on a sounder surface Sunday. Farther under the radar is Hrimfaxi (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), the half-brother to the classy Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), who was a well-backed ninth in the Guineas, but was buried down on the worst part of the track for most of the opening mile and seems better than what he showed at Nakayama.

Dura Erede (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), who upset last year's G1 Hopeful S. at 89-1, returns to the turf after finishing runner-up to Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) in the G2 UAE Derby on the dirt at Meydan Mar. 25.

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The legendary Yutaka Take, already five times a winner of the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), gave out an uncharacteristically bullish vibe about the chances of reigning champion 2-year-old male Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) ahead of Sunday's second jewel of the Japanese Triple Crown over 2400 metres of the Fuchu course, about 20 miles due west of the city centre.

And after a little less than a record-breaking 142 seconds on a warm and sunny warm afternoon and with a crowd on that looked and sounded a bit larger than the announced 62,364, the son of US import Dust and Diamonds (Vindication) kicked home down the centre of the track and found the line a neck better than an unlucky Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}). Ask Victor More (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), one of five in the race for the final intake of the 2005 Derby winner–also ridden by Take–was a forward factor throughout and clung on gamely for third.

“This is a truly emotional experience for me and I couldn't be happier,” said Take, 53, who can now boast of Derby victories in his 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. “It's so wonderful to be able to win in front of a packed stand–you couldn't be a jockey and not dream of living this moment.”

Sent away as the 16-5 third choice exiting a wide-trip third behind Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong) and Equinox in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) at Nakayama last month, last year's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity hero was away fairly from gate 13 and drifted back to settle in the latter third of the field, racing with Equinox in his wake, as Desierto (Jpn) (Drefong) cut out the running from Ask Victor More. Switched off nicely and unhurried entering the final half-mile, Do Deuce stalked Geoglyph into the final 600 metres and was pulled out and around that star-faced chestnut rival entering the long Tokyo straight.

Desierto hoisted the white flag not long thereafter, allowing Ask Victor More to inherit the lead, but Take had Do Deuce in high gear, raced up to the front-runner inside the furlong marker and held sway late to score narrowly. Equinox, who drew 18 in the Guineas was unfortunate to do so again Sunday afternoon, was beaten to the punch by the winner and was fractionally short of room in the waning stages before attacking the line for second. His final 600 metres was timed in a race-fastest :33.6, a tenth of a second quicker than the winner. Favored Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) ran on for fourth.

“He had so much left in the tank at the final corner when I asked him for his run–he responded amazingly and took the lead earlier than planned, but held on well to the wire,” Take added. “The [G1] Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe should be a strong option for the owner and will probably be our next target.”

Do Deuce is one of seven Japanese entries for Europe's weight-for-age centrepiece and is the third Derby winner in the last seven years for trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, who saddled Makahiki (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in 2016 and Wagnerian (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) two years later.

Six Tokyo Yushuns for Yutake Take

1998 Special Week
1999 Admire Vega
2002 Tanino Gimlet
2005 Deep Impact
2013 Kizuna
2022 Do Deuce

Get to know Japan's star rider… pic.twitter.com/Dvv7dF0ehm

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) May 29, 2022

Pedigree Notes:

Do Deuce is one of 11 top-level scores for the now-pensioned Heart's Cry, who famously defeated Deep Impact in the 2005 G1 Arima Kinen and gave Japan a notable victory on the world stage when carrying Christophe Lemaire to a barnstorming victory in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at old Nad al Sheba in 2006. Do Deuce is the second Derby winner for Heart's Cry, who also supplied One and Only (Jpn) in 2014. Heart's Cry is also responsible for dual-surface Grade I winner Yoshida (Jpn), now standing at WinStar Farm in the US.

The winner's dam raced as a homebred for Satish Sanan's Padua Stables for the first 10 starts of her career, winning the GII Gallant Bloom H. for trainer Steve Asmussen in 2012 before finishing a clear second in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint with Richard Santulli part of the ownership group.

Sent through the Fasig-Tipton November Sale a few days later, Dust and Diamonds was purchased by Borges Torrealba Holdings for $900,000 and was turned over to trainer Todd Pletcher for whom she won the GIII Sugar Swirl S. in what would be her final racetrack appearance.

Of the three foals the mare produced for Torrealba/Three Chimneys, the most accomplished became Much Better, who went on to be placed twice in graded company. Dust and Diamonds was subsequently sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1 million carrying a full-sibling to Much Better at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale.

Now 14 years of age, Dust and Diamonds is represented by a 2-year-old Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) filly and was most recently covered by Real Steel (Jpn), the full-brother to the ground-breaking GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Loves Only You (Jpn).

$1 million for Hip 175, Dust and Diamonds (in foal to Pioneerof the Nile) at #KeeNov from the @Three_Chimneys consignment pic.twitter.com/hs7Y7WpF4P

— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November 8, 2016

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
TOKYO YUSHUN (JAPANESE DERBY)-G1, ¥418,540,000, Tokyo, 5-29, 3yo, c/f, 2400mT, 2:21.90 (NSR), fm.
1–DO DEUCE (JPN), 126, c, 3, by Heart's Cry (Jpn)
1st Dam: Dust and Diamonds (MGSW & GISP-US, $496,260), by Vindication
2nd Dam: Majestically, by Gone West
3rd Dam: Darling Dame, by Lyphard
O-Kieffers Inc; B-Northern Farm; T-Yasuo Tomomichi; J-Yutaka Take; ¥226,978,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-Jpn, 6-4-1-1, ¥385,771,000. *1/2 to Much Better (Pioneerof the Nile), MGSP-US, $301,131. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Equinox (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Chateau Blanche (Jpn), by King Halo (Jpn) O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm; ¥87,708,000.
3–Ask Victor More (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–
Kartica (GB), by Rainbow Quest. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK-TYPE. (¥170,000,000 yrl '20 JRHAJUL). O-Toshihiro Hirosaki HD; B-Shadai Farm; ¥53,854,000.
Margins: NK, 2, NK. Odds: 3.20, 2.80, 23.70.
Also Ran: Danon Beluga (Jpn), Pradaria (Jpn), Killer Ability (Jpn), Geoglyph (Jpn), Onyankopon (Jpn), Justin Palace (Jpn), Be Astonished (Jpn), Seiun Hades (Jpn), Ask Wild More (Jpn), Matenro Leo (Jpn), Lord Les Ailes (Jpn), Desierto (Jpn), Justin Rock (Jpn), Matenro Orion (Jpn), Piece of Eight (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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The winner of the G3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai S. at two at the end of a three-race, unbeaten 2-year-old campaign, Wagnerian won the Tokyo Yushun at third asking at three. He added the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai before the season was out, and though that would prove to be his last win, Wagnerian was third in the following spring's G1 Osaka Hai S. and the 2019 G1 Japan Cup. He was last seen trailing in last in this year's Japan Cup.

Wagnerian raced as a homebred for Kaneko, who also raced his sire, Deep Impact, and his damsire, King Kamehameha.

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Bred by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm and racing for the Yoshida family's Sunday Racing Co. Ltd., Shahryar was up in the final yards of the 2,400-meter Tokyo Yushun under Yuichi Fukunaga to defeat 7-10 favorite Efforia by a nose. The latter, a colt by Epiphaneia also bred by Northern Farm, finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher, Stella Veloce. All 17 runners seeking the winner's share of the US$4.1 million purse were bred in Japan.

Trained by Hideaki Fujiwara, Shahryar covered the about 1  1/2 miles in 2:22.50, nearly two seconds off the course record of 2:20.60. He was sent off the fourth betting choice at 10-1 odds.

Fukunaga was riding his third Tokyo Yushun winner in the last four years. This was the trainer's second victory in the race.

This was the first G1 for Shahrayi and third win overall from four starts. He came into the Tokyo Yushun off a G3 win at Hanshin in the Mainichi Hai, having previously finished third to Efforia in a G3 at Tokyo.

Shahryar saved ground much of the way, tracking behind Efforia but then ran into traffic problems rounding the far turn and into the stretch. After altering course in midstretch to find clear sailing, Shahryar flew late to win by the narrowest of margins. It was the first defeat in five starts for Efforia, who won the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) to kick off Japan's Triple Crown at Nakayama on April 18 in his most recent start.

Shahryar becomes the seventh Tokyo Yushun winner for Deep Impact, a Japanese Triple Crown winner in 2005 who retired with 12 wins from 14 starts over three racing seasons. Deep Impact has followed in the footsteps of Sunday Silence, who was Japan's leading sire for 13 consecutive years from 1995-2007. Deep Impact has been leading sire every year since 2012. He died in 2019.

Shahryar's dam, Dubai Majesty, is a 2005 foal by Essence of Dubai, a son of Pulpit. Bred in Florida by Harold J. Plumley, Dubai Majesty was a $7,000 buy-back at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale who began her racing career for Plumley and was sold privately after the 10^th of her 34 career starts. Bret Calhoun campaigned Dubai Majesty for the remainder of her racing days for Martin Racing Stable LLC and Dan Morgan, and she won four graded stakes: two renewals of the G3 Winning Colors, the G2 Thoroughbred Club of America, and in her final start the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Dubai Majesty retired with 12 wins from 34 starts and earnings of $1,509,243.

Immediately after her final victory, she was entered in the Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale where Katsumi Yoshida bought her for $1.1 million from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

Shahryar is the second Japanese classic winner produced from the Deep Impact–Dubai Majesty mating. Al Ain won the 2017 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) before finishing fifth in that year's Tokyo Yushun.

With on-track attendance limited at Japan Racing Association tracks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance was just 4,944 at the cavernous Tokyo Racecourse. Wagering on the Tokyo Yushun was US$228 million, with US$356 million wagered on the 12-race program.

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Bred by Northern Farm and campaigned by Katsumi Yoshida, the May foal won two of three starts at two including the Sapporo Sansai S. in September of 2000 before a second-place finish in the Radio Tampa Hai Sansai S. Back in the winner's circle in the Kyodo News Service Hai, he was third in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) before rebounding to take the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in May of 2001. Only third in the Sapporo Kinen that August and fourth in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) that October, he claimed his Group 1 in the Japan Cup by a neck over T.M. Opera O (Jpn) (Opera House {GB}) that November. He was named Japanese Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old of 2001.

Shelved until March of his 4-year-old year, Jungle Pocket ran second in the G2 Hanshin Daishoten and filled the same spot in the Tenno Sho (Spring) in April. His final two runs were off-the-board finishes at Nakayama in the G1 Japan Cup and G1 Arima Kinen. The Katsumi Yoshida colourbearer was retired to stand at Shadai Stallion Station with a mark of 13-5-3-2 and $5,788,198 in earnings.

Besides standing at Shadai in the Northern Hemisphere, he moved to the Breeders' Stallion Station in 2013 and also shuttled to Rich Hill Stud in New Zealand for a few seasons. He sired 29 black-type winners, 16 of them at the group level. Among his best progeny were Group 1 winners Tosen Jordan (Jpn), Aventura (Jpn), Queen Spumante (Jpn), Jaguar Mail (Jpn) and Jungle Rocket (NZ). As a broodmare sire, Jungle Pocket's daughters have foaled 10 black-type winners, six at the group level. Although he does not have a Group 1 winner in that sphere yet, Group 2 winner Mikki Swallow (Jpn) (Tosen Homareboshi {Jpn}) ran third in the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) and fellow Group 2 winner Solveig (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) was third in the G1 Sprinters S.

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The G1 Kikuka Sho (3000m, or approximately 15 furlongs), or Japanese St. Leger, is second only to the spring Tenno Sho Spring as Japan's longest top-level flat race and caps the Triple Crown, which begins in the spring with the G1 Satsuki Sho (2000m, or approximately 10 furlongs) and the G1 Tokyo Yushun (2400m, or approximately 12 furlongs), or Japanese Derby.

Of the 23 horses who have claimed both spring classics, 15 went to the Kikuka Sho gate to claim that final feather in their cap, but only seven succeeded, beginning with St. Lite in 1941.

If any horse can do it again, it's Contrail. This week, his last drill before the race took the colt up the hill course at Ritto under an assistant to trainer Yoshito Yahagi, who is eager to lay claim to his 17th big-race win and first Kikuka Sho victory.

Wednesday morning (Oct. 21), the woodchip surface was heavy and the colt, eager to run, was held back over the first half before slowly being allowed to accelerate. He used his body fully with exemplary form, for top marks and a time of 52.5 seconds for a half-mile with a final 200 meters (approximately one furlong) in 12.9 seconds.

“He's switched on,” said the rider. “So I concentrated on not letting him overdo it. The ground was slow, but there were no problems with either his movement or breathing.”

Contrail's training has gone smoothly, all according to plan. Returning from his spring campaign, he kicked off the fall with a win by 2 lengths over Weltreisende in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai at Chukyo on Sept. 27.

“He broke away from the crowd with stupendous acceleration,” said Yahagi of the race. “I was in the position of not being able to lose that race and, at the same time, not being able to push him too much, so that he'd be ready for the Kikuka Sho. It was quite a conflict and a very difficult race.”

The trainer and Contrail have overcome difficulties and look poised for success.

“Contrail seems to understand what our intentions are. He turns off after a race. He slowly revs up before one. He really is a very clever horse,” said Yahagi.

Contrail has started favorite in all six of his races (three of them Grade 1s), and this Sunday will be no different as he bids to write another page in the history books. There's plenty of confidence from the stable too.

“It was a good win last time and we were relieved by that. That race was enough to get him switched on and so we don't need to worry about anything. He's come out of it well and has been at the stable in the three-week period since,” said assistant trainer Yusaku Oka.

Jockey Yuichi Fukunaga has struck up a good partnership with the horse and will be looking to get the best out of him again here.

No matter how good the chances that Japan will see a second unbeaten youngster capture a Triple Crown in as many weeks, the search is heated for the other two to fill out the winning trio.

G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai runner-up Weltreisende, by 2009 G1 Arima Kinen champ Dream Journey, is one of the most mentioned, as is Babbitt and Satono Flag.

Weltreisende was third in the Derby and has only figured out of the money once, when finishing eighth in the G1 Satsuki Sho. The extra distance of the Kikuka Sho will be a plus for him.

A likely longshot that may be most advantaged by the distance this time out is Black Hole (ninth in the Satsuki Sho, seventh in the Derby), a Goldship colt of stayer stature (978 lb).

Satono Flag looked in fine form with a first-up second in the G2 St. Lite Kinen on Sept. 21 at Nakayama. Satono Flag and Danon Gloire are the two colts nominated for Sunday's race by super mare Almond Eye's trainer, Sakae Kunieda.

Babbitt, by Nakayama Festa (second in the 2010 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe), bypassed the Classics and, racing solely in the 1800-2200m range, has sped to his first G1 on a four-race winning streak that included the G2 St. Lite Kinen last out.

The 81st running of the Kikuka Sho is set for 2:40pm Hong Kong time this Sunday, 25 October.

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