Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby

Danox Co. Ltd's Danon Bourbon (Maxfield), a $450,000 Keeneland September yearling, began to chip away at that outlay when powering home to graduate by 10 lengths at first asking over a muddy main track at this venue last Oct. 26 and was a warm item to pick up where he left off making his 3-year-old debut in a first-level allowance over 1900 meters at Kyoto Racecourse on Feb. 15. Favored at 9-10 despite the absence and drawn one from the outside in a field of nine, the dark bay was...

Pyromancer (Jpn) (Pyro) extended his career record to three wins from as many starts with a narrow victory in Wednesday's $458,745 Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse, earning 20 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby in the process. Content to stalk the early pace just outside of Idaten Shacho (Goldencents), the 13-10 second pick had favored and previously unbeaten Best Green (Jpn) (Smart Falcon {Jpn}) just off his flank and was outmoved by the 9-10 chalk nearing the straight. Boxing on gamely from between horses, Pyromancer...

Having already conquered trips of 1200 meters and 1400 meters on the dirt, owner Hajime Satomi's immaculately bred Satono Voyage (Jpn) (Into Mischief) successfully negotiated a stretchout to the metric mile and reported home a comfortable 1 1/2-length winner of Saturday's $194,621 Cattleya Stakes, good for 10 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. The 1600-meter contest is run under allowance conditions around a left-handed bend at Tokyo Racecourse. The son of Brazilian Horse of the Year and three-times North American graded winner Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) had...

The 2026 Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby kicks off Saturday afternoon with the running of the $196,541 Cattleya Stakes, an allowance race over the one-turn 1600-meter configuration at Tokyo Racecourse. And if the ante-post market is anything to go by, horses bred in and/or sourced out of American bloodstock markets should have a giant say in the outcome with the first Saturday in May just over five months away. The cat was very much out of the bag when Magna Victor (Maxfield) made his first trip to the races...

The 2025-2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby kicks off this weekend with the running of the GIII Iroquois Stakes going the one-turn mile at Churchill Downs on Sept. 13. The Road to the Kentucky Derby, launched in 2013, awards a scale of points to the top five finishers in selected qualifying races between September and April. The leaderboard determines the preference list for entry into the GI Kentucky Derby, limited to 20 runners. Up to three horses from overseas may qualify for the Derby. In addition to the 36-race Road...

A very impressive winner of the Listed Hyacinth Stakes going Tokyo's one-turn mile on Feb. 23, Koichi Nishikawa's Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah) was even more eyecatching when taking out Saturday's $228,217 Fukuryu Stakes (allowance) at Nakayama by five dominating lengths over the metric nine furlongs. The 40 points earned for the victory took his Kentucky Derby points total to 70, good for the automatic berth on the first Saturday in May, should connections opt to take up the assignment. Favored at 3-10 with Joao Moreira taking over from the record-setting...

A field of 11 3-year-old colts is set to face the starter for Saturday's $226,404 Fukuryu Stakes, an 1800-meter allowance contest at Nakayama Racecourse that serves as the last of four legs on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and offers points on a 40-20-12-8-4 scale. Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah) currently sits in pole position in the series, having earned 30 points when proving best in the Listed Hyacinth Stakes over Tokyo's one-turn, 1600-meter configuration on Feb. 23. A full-brother to dual G1 February Stakes winner Cafe Pharoah and...

Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah) held off a late surge from the slow-starting and previously unbeaten Promised Gene (Jpn) (Nadal) to take out Sunday's $244,745 Listed Hyacinth Stakes over the one-turn mile at Tokyo Racecourse. The victory was good for 30 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby in a race that was won by the colt's champion full-brother Cafe Pharoah some five years ago. The $1.80 (4-5) favorite had the services of Rachel King, runner-up in Friday's International Jockeys' Challenge in Saudi Arabia, and was away fairly before...

In the last two years in particular, the $468,241 Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun--the second of four legs on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby--has been won by horses that went on to become significant players on the world stage. The 2022 renewal was taken by Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), subsequent winner of the G2 UAE Derby, a participant in the 2023 GI Kentucky Derby and cracking second in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at season's end. Last year's running was won by Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel...

Making his first start since breaking his maiden impressively over 1700 meters (about a mile and a sixteenth) at Sapporo Racecourse in July, Natural Rise (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) swept widest of all into the long Tokyo straight and held off a late bid from Clay King (Jpn) (Nadal) to take out Saturday's Cattleya Stakes (allowance), the first of four races that comprise the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. Natural Rise picks up 10 Kentucky Derby points for the victory. Sent off the 13-5 second betting favorite behind fellow impressive...

A field of 16 juveniles--13 colts and a trio of fillies--will head to the Tokyo 1600-meter start for Saturday's $199,488 Cattleya Stakes (allowance), a contest that serves as the first of four legs on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and offers points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale. American-breds comprise a quarter of the field and Godolphin homebred Snappy Dresser (Union Rags) is the best-backed of the foursome at just over 5-2 in early wagering. A full-brother to MGSW & GISP Caramel Swirl, the May 19 foal debuted in a...

Koji Maeda, whose homebred Lani (Tapit) finished ninth to Nyquist in the 2016 GI Kentucky Derby, could have another Classics contender on his hand after Ramjet (Jpn) (Majestic Warrior) turned on the afterburners in the final 300 meters to post a convincing victory in Sunday's Listed Hyacinth S. at Tokyo Racecourse. Having earned 30 Derby points as a result, the dark bay now leads the Japanese series with one race remaining. Clearly last away from the stalls, Ramjet had only one rival behind as he came under a ride at...