2012 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (G1) - Preview

2011 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (G1)

Tokyo Racecourse

The 79th Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) will be anything but a one-horse race unlike last year when Orfevre dominated as the JRA's brightest 3-year-olds are set to make up a full field of 18 for the most coveted jewel of the Japanese Triple Crown.

Twenty-four colts have been nominated for the 2,400-meter race on May 27 at Tokyo Racecourse where Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) champion Gold Ship will challenge for the first-place check of 150 million yen from a purse of 313 million yen. The four highest finishers in the Satsuki Sho qualify automatically for the Japanese Derby, along with the top two in the TV Tokyo Hai Aoba Sho and the winner of the Principal Stakes.

The inaugural Japanese Derby was held in 1932 at Tokyo's Meguro Racecourse before being moved two years later to Fuchu, where the race has remained since. The distance has been unchanged since the first running, and 2004 champion King Kamehameha still owns the race record of 2 minutes, 23.3 seconds.

Japan Cup Dirt winner Kurofune -- named after U.S. Navy Admiral Matthew Perry's black ship that docked into Japanese harbor in 1853, which marked the end of the nation's isolation policy -- was the first foreign-bred horse to enter the Tokyo Yushun in 2001. The American-born Kurofune, who belonged to Makoto Kaneko, the owner of Grade 1 legends Deep Impact, Kane Hekili as well as Apapane, finished fifth before going on to have a spectacular career as a dirt horse.

The left-handed Japanese Derby starts from the home stretch for a straight run of 400 meters leading into the first bend, which turns for 550 meters ahead of the backstretch. The final straight of 525 meters remains the most punishing in Japan as it rises over the first 225 meters, often inviting lead changes just before the wire.

The following are the early favorites for Sunday's Japanese Derby. Post time is 3:40 p.m.:

Deep Brillante DEEP BRILLANTE: Despite being the favorite in his first four starts and the third choice in the Satsuki Sho, Deep Brillante could even be labeled as an underdog in the Japanese Derby with Gold Ship and World Ace all but set to be the top two picks, coupled by the emergence of the likes of Fenomeno and Historical. Deep Brillante, one of several in the field sired by the race's 2005 champion Deep Impact, finished a respectable third in the Satsuki Sho behind Gold Ship and World Ace but hasn't been given the credit he probably deserves heading into the second leg of the Triple Crown. Trainer Yoshito Yahagi has declared his colt fit and ready for the big race, and jockey Yasunari Iwata – who is still searching for his first victory in the Japanese Derby – will return from his suspension just in time to hopefully guide the horse to yet another Grade 1 win for the cash-flush Sunday Racing team. And unlike some at his age, Deep Brillante needs little caretaking before and during a race. "He's so calm usually it's almost frightening," said groom Katsuichi Kaizawa. "He doesn't need any babysitting whatsoever. He's an intelligent horse, and he always runs his heart out in races."

Fenomeno FENOMENO: The Grade 2 Aoba Sho is held at Tokyo over 2,400 meters, just like the Japanese Derby itself. One would think winning the Aoba Sho would present some advantage for the Tokyo Yushun but ironically, no horse who has won the race has ever gone on to win the Japanese Derby. Even modern JRA legends like Symboli Kris S (2002) and Zenno Rob Roy (2003) came up short, settling for second, and Win Variation also finished runner-up last year. This year's Aoba Sho winner Fenomeno, however, is looking like he could be the one to end the jinx after cruising to victory by almost three lengths. Over the last decade, Fenomeno's winning time of 2 minutes, 25.7 seconds has only been outperformed by Pelusa in 2010, Admire Main in 2006 and Higher Game in 2004. The three ended up sixth, second and third, respectively, but hope floats for the Sunday Racing-owned colt, trained by Hirofumi Toda. "I don't think you could have asked for more out of him in terms of performance," said jockey Masayoshi Ebina, winner of 18 G1 races but has never won the Japanese Derby. "He's been up against the best horses of his generation. I rode him for the first time in his last race, but I could tell there was something different about him the moment we stepped out on the track. He's Stay Gold's son so I thought he would be a little more difficult to ride, but it wasn't like that at all. Like Nakayama Festa, a lot of Stay Gold offspring can be hard to deal with." Fenomeno, out of the Danehill dam De Laroche, wasn't even entered in the Satsuki Sho so he could focus on trying to win the Tokyo Yushun. "He's shown no signs of fatigue after his last race," Toda said. "I think it helped that we farmed him out right after (the Grade 2 Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho, a Satsuki Sho trial in which he finished sixth). You get only the cream of the crop in the Derby, and we couldn't afford to enter our horse in half decent shape. He's ready to be pushed to the limit toward our ultimate goal. The course will be spacious, and I think he'll have an easy time racing there." Fenomeno is 3-for-5 for his career – and all three wins have come at Tokyo. "He ran a heck of a race last time but for all his dominance, I still felt he had plenty of room to grow," Ebina said. "But will he fill out in time for the Derby? Or is his best race further down the road? Only time will tell, but from what I've been told, horses who win the Derby really start improving at around this time of the year. I'm hoping that's the case with our horse."

Gold Ship GOLD SHIP: Gold Ship sailed through rough waters in the Satsuki Sho to win the first Triple Crown race by more than two lengths in good conditions. Despite the convincing performance, the Naosuke Sugai-trained colt may not even be the favorite for the Japanese Derby where he will bid to become just the 15th horse ever to win the first two races of the Triple Crown, which says everything about how close the competition could be this weekend. However jockey Hiroyuki Uchida, who won the Tokyo Yushun two years ago aboard Eishin Flash, says the Stay Gold-sired Gold Ship – with four wins and a pair of second-place finishes from six starts – isn't your average racehorse. Gold Ship went from last to first in the Satsuki Sho, Uchida steering his partner through the cut-up inside portion of the track as the rest of the field opted for the safer, cleaner part of the course on the outside. Few horses in the JRA could have handled the off track the way Gold Ship did on the day of the Satsuki Sho. "He was so strong in the Satsuki Sho. No other horse could have run the race he did," said Uchida, who completed a career Triple Crown with victory in the Satsuki Sho. "I'm sure we'll be marked next time, but you have to expect it which also makes it all the more exciting. Of course it crossed my mind to position him closer to the front given the track conditions that day. But given the way the race started – with Gold Ship coming slow off the blocks – I didn't want to force him or rush him into doing anything. I knew all long he had the stamina to outlast the others in the end." Sugai, who won his first graded race with Gold Ship in the Kyodo News Service Hai in February, believes his horse could even have an easier time in the Japanese Derby, which would be a huge problem for the others in the race. "I think he'll be even better racing at Tokyo," the trainer said. "To run in the Classics is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I do feel the burden and responsibility, and I hope to have him in even better shape than he was for the Satsuki Sho."

Grandezza GRANDEZZA: Regarded by some as the finest creation of the late sire Agnes Tachyon, Grandezza will be praying for good weather and a good draw this weekend after he got neither in the Satsuki Sho. The Shadai-bred, Shadai Race Horse-owned Grandezza went off as the favorite in the Satsuki Sho but disappointed to fifth after drawing the No. 18 barrier and struggling with a rain-slick surface; it was the worst result of his six-start career. Trainer Osamu Hirata, however, is expecting his colt to bounce back in the Japanese Derby in which he will be ridden by last year's winner Kenichi Ikezoe, who guided Orfevre to the Triple Crown. "We drew the outside barrier and we were never allowed in," Hirata said, reflecting on the April 15 Satsuki Sho. "He was a little tired right after the Satsuki Sho, but he's fine now. He may have lost a little too much weight for his last start, but he's put it all back on now." Riding in the Tokyo Yushun can be of immense pressure to most Japanese jockeys, but it's hard to imagine Ikezoe – who will partner Grandezza for the first time – being more pressed than he was a year ago when he was aboard the then Satsuki Sho champion Orfevre. Ikezoe has been working the horse since two weeks ago, and the Triple Crown-winning jockey has come away impressed with Grandezza's form ahead of arguably the biggest race in Japan. "He was fast, but I didn't push him whatsoever," Ikezoe said after a workout on May 9. "He was sharper than he was last week, so I think it's safe to say he's gotten rid of any fatigue he had from his last race." Added Hirata, "The jockey's had an opportunity to ride him, and he just needs to go through the work we've scheduled for him leading up to the race. And the distance (of 2,400 meters) shouldn't be an issue for him."

Spielberg SPIELBERG: Take it from Hiroyuki Uchida, who will be in the saddle of Satsuki Sho champion Gold Ship in the Japanese Derby: Spielberg has what it takes to challenge for the Tokyo Yushun title. Spielberg, yet another colt in the field by Deep Impact, punched his ticket to the second Triple Crown race after winning the 2,000-meter Principal Stakes on May 5 by close to two lengths under Uchida. It was the first victory for the Kazuo Fujisawa-trained colt since his debut last October, and Uchida earmarked him for future success. "We got off to a slow start but didn't panic and just took the shortest route home," Uchida said. "He'll be my competition in the Derby now. As much as I hate to admit it, I reckon he's got every chance to win it because of how he accelerates so fast and depending on the way the race unfolds." No winner of the Principal Stakes has ever won the Japanese Derby, and Fujisawa himself has yet to capture the coveted race. The esteemed trainer had been hoping to qualify through the Kyodo News Service Hai in February but came up short, finishing third despite outrunning first-place Gold Ship down the last three furlongs. Spielberg had to race two more times before the Principal Stakes, but given the way he has held his own against the best of his generation and how he has performed at Tokyo Racecourse in the past, it wouldn't be a shock if we were to see him make a run at the winner's circle. "I had to race him twice more than I really wanted to," Fujisawa said. "Things haven't worked out for him since finishing third in the (Kyodo News Service Hai), but he really came to life at Tokyo in his last start which bodes well for us."

Tosen Homareboshi TOSEN HOMAREBOSHI: Just six races into his career, Tosen Homareboshi is already drawing comparisons to his Tenno Sho (Autumn)-winning brother Tosen Jordan. Tosen Jordan, out of the Northern Taste dam Every Whisper, stunned the Japanese racing fraternity last fall, when the 6-year-old won the 2,000-meter Tenno Sho (Autumn) in a national record of 1 minute, 56.1 seconds, taking an incredible 1.1 seconds off the old mark. After his record-breaking performance, Tosen Jordan went on to take second in both the Japan Cup and the Tenno Sho (Spring) and finished fifth in the Arima Kinen for good measure. Ahead of his G1 debut in the Japanese Derby, Tosen Homareboshi shattered a JRA record of his own in the May 5 Kyoto Kinen, clocking 2 minutes, 10 seconds flat in the 2,200-meter race. While his Yasutoshi Ikee stablemate World Ace continues to get more of the press, Tosen Homareboshi is flashing just as much in terms of potential. As a 3-year-old, Tosen Jordan missed the Classics campaign because of injury but his Deep Impact-sired younger brother could end up scoring one for him in the Japanese Derby. "Finally, I think he had a race that brought out the best in him," Ikee said, referring to the Kyoto Shimbun Hai, a popular stepping stone out west for the Japanese Derby. "I asked the jockey (Craig Williams) to keep him away from traffic because he's got such long legs and a big stride. And I also asked him to make his move early because he's definitely got the stamina to outlast the others, and he did everything I asked for. Even when you take into account how fast the track is in Kyoto at the moment, it's pretty scary to see a 3-year-old put up the time he put up. He ran a heck of a race, but the horse seems fine."

World Ace WORLD ACE: Things couldn't have gone worse for World Ace, trained by Triple Crown winner Yasutoshi Ikee and owned by Sunday Racing, in the Satsuki Sho. Perhaps the most talented of Deep Impact's eight sons entered in the Japanese Derby, World Ace stumbled and nearly threw off Yuichi Fukunaga shortly after the start of the Satsuki Sho, not to mention the poor track conditions that took away from his razor-sharp closing rush which still managed to land him second place in the end. Ikee, who has already been losing sleep this spring over the underperformance of last season's Triple Crown champion Orfevre, isn't asking for a lot going into the Tokyo Yushun. Just some decent weather and a clean race that should be enough to crown World Ace the 79th champion of the Japanese Derby. "I've been watching the Satsuki Sho for a long time, but I can't recall the last time I saw the track in that bad of shape," Ikee said, looking back on the first leg of the Triple Crown. "He's been moving well and he just looks really sharp at the moment. He should shape up fine once the jockey works him from the week before. The distance is probably just right for him. All we're asking for is a normal race on normal going. If we get that, we shouldn't have any problems whatsoever." Fukunaga, the JRA's leading jockey last season, is still chasing his first Japanese Derby win after 12 tries but reckons World Ace could finally be the one to help him join a select group of eight active riders who have won the Tokyo Yushun. World Ace has yet to even race at Fuchu, but his racing style – reminiscent of that of his legendary father – should make him suitable to the 2,400 meters at Tokyo. "To finish as high as he did speaks everything about the talent he has," Fukunaga said, referring to his partner in the Satsuki Sho. "You have to remember that Gold Ship ran near the rail pretty much for the entire race. I can't say for sure because (World Ace) has never run at Tokyo before, but a longer straight will be better for him for sure. If you look strictly at the race conditions, the Derby is a better race for him. I didn't have the best of races with him last time but I've been given another chance. I'm hoping I can pull it off somehow this time. There's no denying the quality, and there aren't too many horses who can finish a race the way he can. I just hope I can get the most out of him."