Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (G1) - Preview

2009 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)

The 77th Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) is shaping up to be one of the best ever in the race's history with a superb cast set to fill the 18 gates on May 30 at Tokyo Racecourse. Twenty-one of the Japan Racing Association's top 3-year-olds have been nominated for the 2,400-meter race with a purse of more than 317 million yen, 150 million yen of it which will go to the winner. The top four finishers in the Satsuki Sho have qualified automatically, as have 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 to Fuchu two years later, where the race has stayed since. The distance has not changed since the first running, and 2004 champion King Kamehameha owns the race record at 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 to mark 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, owner of Grade 1 champions Deep Impact and Kane Hekili, finished fifth in the race before going on to big and better things in a career on dirt.

Tokyo Racecourse

The race starts from Tokyo's home stretch for a straight run of 400 meters, before leading into the first lefthanded bend. A turn of 550 meters invites the backstretch ahead of the last two turns. The first 225 meters on the final straight of 525 meters slopes upward.

The following horses are the early favorites for the second leg of the Japanese Triple Crown. Post time is 15:40 p.m.:

Aliseo ALISEO: The third choice under Norihiro Yokoyama finished fifth in the Satsuki Sho, a very respectable result considering that he took the race right to the big boys after breaking from the outside post, a huge disadvantage at Nakayama. Aliseo, by Symboli Kris S, will get a huge boost for the Japanese Derby, though, with Australian rider Craig Williams set to take the reins. After ushering Aliseo's stablemate Jaguar Mail to victory in the Tenno Sho (Spring) with a masterful performance in the saddle – the horse's first graded title of his career – the Aliseo team will be counting on Williams to work similar magic to their colt, who could end up setting the pace this weekend. Trainer Noriyuki Hori says at the very least, he expects his Fuji TV Sho Spring Stakes winner to be in better form than he was for the Satsuki Sho, a clear sign of optimism. "I thought he ran a tough race in the Satsuki Sho given that he helped drive up the pace after drawing the outside barrier," said Hori, who also won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen this season with Kinshasa no Kiseki. "He looks fresh, and I hope to take him to another level in time for the big race."

Danon Chantilly DANON CHANTILLY: The Fuji Kiseki colt turned in a performance for the ages in the NHK Mile Cup on May 9, setting a national record at 1,600 meters with a winning time of 1 minute, 31.4 seconds. The Kunihide Matsuda-trained Danon Chantilly is looking to follow in the footsteps of a former star at the stable, King Kamehameha, who became the first horse ever to complete the NHK Mile Cup-Japanese Derby double in 2004. Danon Chantilly's jockey Katsumi Ando knows the way there as it was the savvy veteran who rode King Kamehameha to glory six years ago. And here's a warning shot from the trainer to the 17 other horses in the field: Danon Chantilly has actually been saving himself for the Tokyo Yushun. "He's kept his appetite since the last race, and physically, he is as sound as he could be," Matsuda said. "We've had the Derby in mind all long so we've been holding him back, making sure to leave enough in his tank for the big race. We only have two weeks in between races so there hasn't been the need to work him fast."

Hiruno d'Amour HIRUNO D'AMOUR: The Manhattan Cafe colt may not be a name – yet – but his chances of reaching the winner's circle are as good as any. Hiruno d'Amour has just two wins from six starts, but he has been a narrow runnerup to three of the prerace favorites – to Victoire Pisa in the Satsuki Sho, to Pelusa in the Wakaba Stakes and to Aliseo in the newcomer race. It could be argued that Hiruno d'Amour may be lacking the killer instinct to finish off opponents, but he will have to be given serious consideration for the Japanese Derby with the distance almost certain to work in his favor. "The amazing thing about this horse is that we've been saving him some for the Derby, spacing out his races as much as possible," said Mitsugu Kon, the 2008 Tokyo Yushun-winning trainer with Deep Sky. "But he still managed to finish second in the Satsuki Sho to qualify for the Derby. And judging by the way he closed out the Satsuki Sho, you have to think he's suited to the Derby."

Pelusa PELUSA: If Kazuo Fujisawa doesn't win the Japanese Derby with this son of Zenno Rob Roy, the star trainer may never win it; that's how good Pelusa is. Pelusa blew away the competition in the TV Tokyo Hai Aoba Sho trial by four lengths, winning the Grade 2 race in a time of 2 minutes, 24.3 seconds. He remains perfect after four starts, and Fujisawa's prized colt could become the first unbeaten Tokyo Yushun winner since Deep Impact five years ago. A point to keep in mind is that of all the mounts Norihiro Yokoyama could have chosen from for this race, the leading jockey picked Pelusa, which says a lot about the horse's upside and chances of rising to the top of his class. "He breezed through the Aoba Sho, making it look real easy coming up the hill on the straight," Fujisawa said. "He ran a lot better than we expected and after the race, he had some time to unwind a bit on the farm. There's no question the horses from the Satsuki Sho are strong, but we like our chances especially after the way he won his last race."

Rose Kingdom ROSE KINGDOM: That Rose Kingdom, the reigning 2-year-old champion trained by Kojiro Hashiguchi, may not even be a top five pick says everything about the depth of this Japanese Derby. After winning the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, the King Kamehameha colt has finished third and fourth in the Spring Stakes and Satsuki Sho, respectively, leading some to believe Rose Kingdom's growth spurt has ended and question his ability beyond the mile. The Tokyo Yushun could be crucial in determining how the career of Rose Kingdom unfolds from here. "He's come along fine so far," Hashiguchi said. "He did some fast work last week, and this time, we won't be one of the favorites which takes the pressure off us. We can afford to take it easy here and we'll try to enjoy the race."

Rulership RULERSHIP: Satsuki Sho champion Victoire Pisa's biggest threat could come from within the Katsuhiko Sumii stable. Pretty much born a star, Rulership, by King Kamehameha out of Air Groove, comfortably won the 2,000-meter Principal Stakes trial by four lengths in a time of 1 minute, 59.1 seconds at Fuchu. He only made his debut in late December, and it would not be farfetched to think Rulership will blossom in the Japanese Derby, his sixth start. "He's been here at the stable since the last race, where we've been trying to keep him fit," assistant trainer Hiroaki Kiyoyama said. "We've always felt he was capable of putting on a performance like he did in his last race. The jockey [Norihiro Yokoyama] rode him with patience, and we managed to get the result we were looking for. To be able to experience that race will do him a lot of good on the big stage this weekend."

Victoire Pisa VICTOIRE PISA: Pinch-hitting jockey Yasunari Iwata was so happy he was in tears after leading Victoire Pisa to the Satsuki Sho title – his fifth straight victory. Iwata, though, will get the opportunity to make it six in a row after injured chief rider Yutaka Take (left shoulder) announced that he will not be fit enough to ride in the Tokyo Yushun. All things considered, Victoire Pisa, by Neo Universe out of Whitewater Affair, should be the top pick at post time, and it's hard to spot any flaws in the Katsuhiko Sumii-trained colt. Victoire Pisa has the pace, power, temperament and intelligence a racehorse needs, and the terms of the Japanese Derby – the 2,400 meters at Fuchu – could bring out the absolute best in him. It all comes down to how he matches up against the trial horses like Pelusa and Rulership. "We've had a lot of time since the last race, so not only is he fully recovered from the Satsuki Sho, but he's also been able to get some additional work in," said assistant Hiroaki Kiyoyama. "We're excited because the field looks outstanding, and I think our colt will be in very good form for the big race."