2017 News

NAR's Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun added to "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" series

The National Association of Racing (NAR) and Churchill Downs announced on Sept. 1 that the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun, traditionally the 2-year-old dirt champion deciding race held in December, has been added to the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" series starting this year.

The series, now in its second season, will now be comprised of three races – two under JRA and one with NAR, all over a mile on dirt. The series will begin with the JRA's Cattleya Sho on Nov. 25 at Tokyo Racecourse, followed by the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun on Dec. 13 at Kawasaki Racecourse. The series will conclude with the Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse in mid-February next year.

The Cattleya Sho and Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun will be contested under the same points system, with the Top 4 finishers given 10-4-2-1 points, respectively. The Hyacinth Stakes will carry a point value of 30-12-6-3 points. One spot in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, to be run at Churchill Downs on May 5, will be awarded to the horse that accumulates the most number of points in the three-race series. If two or more horses have the same number of points, the horse with higher lifetime earnings will receive the invite.

"It is with great pleasure to receive the news that our featured 2-year-old race, the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun, will be included in the 'Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby,' a series of races which provides an entry to the Kentucky Derby for a horse from Japan," said Masanobu Nakajima, President of Kanagawa Prefecture Kawasaki Racing Association, via the Churchill Downs press release. "The Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun is a domestic exchange race in which both JRA and NAR horses can run and it is a race to decide the champion 2-year-old dirt horse in Japan. I am sure that with the inclusion of our race in this series, it opens the door for horses on the NAR circuit not only to the Kentucky Derby but also to the world. It is my earnest wish for this race to be a high-profile race and for our racing association to further promote NAR racing."

Only two Japan-based horses in the past have run in the Kentucky Derby: Ski Captain (14th in 1995) and Lani (ninth in 2016).

For more information, please refer to the Churchill Downs press release.