The Kentucky Derby is undoubtedly the biggest Thoroughbred racing event in America. However, adding an international flair makes the race even more fascinating.
In recent years, the Japanese Thoroughbred industry has set their sights on some of the world’s biggest international races. In just a few short years, they’ve gone from being a fairly isolated racing nation to capturing races during prestigious worldwide events such as the Breeders’ Cup series and the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
Their biggest goal, however, is the Run for the Roses. You can find more information about the contenders in the Derby here: twinspires.com/kentuckyderby/
So far, none of the Japanese-based horses sent over to Louisville have managed to finish in the top three. Japan hopes to ameliorate this with their impressive, undefeated colt Forever Young.
Japanese Performances In The Kentucky Derby
1995
Ski Captain was bred in the United States but was owned and trained by Japanese interests and began his career in Japan. The colt, who was by European champion Storm Bird, had won the Grade III Kisaragi Sho and placed in the Grade I Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes, which gave him enough graded stakes earnings to qualify for entry into the Kentucky Derby (the points system was not put in place until 2013).
Ski Captain was a part of the mutuel field (a group of horses put together as a single betting interest, which was a common practice in the Kentucky Derby until disallowed prior to the 2001 running) and finished 14th out of 19 runners.
2016
Like Forever Young, Lani was bred in the United States but was based in Japan. He was a son of Tapit, but his dam, Heavenly Love, was Japanese-bred and sired by the legendary Sunday Silence.
The winner of the prestigious Cattelya Sho as a two-year-old, Lani qualified for entry into the Kentucky Derby with a win in the Grade II UAE Derby, worth 100 points in the Road To The Kentucky Derby series.
Lani finished ninth in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Preakness Stakes, but finished third in the Belmont Stakes, making him the first Japanese-based horse to finish on the board in an American Triple Crown race.
2019
Master Fencer (JPN) was the first Japanese-bred competitor in the Kentucky Derby, and the first to qualify for the race via the Japan Road To The Kentucky Derby.
He had actually been fourth in the series, but the connections of the three highest points earners (Der Flug, Oval Ace, and Nova Lenda, respectively) declined the invitation. Master Fencer, a son of the Japanese stallion Just A Way, finished a fast-closing sixth in the Kentucky Derby.
Master Fencer went on to place fifth in the Belmont Stakes and 13th in the Grade I Belmont Derby on turf before returning to his native Japan, where he won several more stakes races over the next two years.
2022
Crown Pride (JPN), a son of Reach the Crown (JPN), was widely regarded as the first Japanese Kentucky Derby competitor to have a legitimate chance in the race. The winner of the Mochinoki Sho in 2021, like Lani, Crown Pride came into the Derby as the winner of the UAE Derby.
Crown Pride and UAE Derby runner-up Summer Is Tomorrow engaged in a shocking speed duel in the Kentucky Derby, setting record fractions for the race and burning themselves out on the lead.
He faded to 13th and never returned to America, but has continued racing successfully in Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
2023
Two Japanese entrants went into the gate for the 2023 Kentucky Derby, with a third having to scratch the week of the race. Continuar (JPN), by Drefong, had earned the most points in the Japan Road To The Kentucky Derby, but was withdrawn by his trainer when he did not feel the horse was performing at his best. He returned to racing in Japan after a years’ layoff.
Mandarin Hero (JPN) was the first Japanese-based Kentucky Derby entrant to have previously raced in America. The son of Shanghai Bobby earned his way into the Kentucky Derby with a nose loss in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby. Mandarin Hero was twelfth in the Derby following a “solid bump” with Tapit Trice. He has continued racing in Japan over the past year.
Most of the Japanese hopes were placed squarely on the withers of Derma Sotogake, however, who absolutely dominated the UAE Derby. A son of Mind Your Biscuits, Derma Sotogake had also raced in Japan and Saudi Arabia before traveling to Meydan. Derma Sotogake unfortunately hit the gate at the start of the Kentucky Derby and struggled to recover, but finished sixth, well ahead of many other accomplished runners. He later finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Forever Young
How does Forever Young compare to his fellow Japanese Kentucky Derby competitors? Let’s take a look.
Breeding
Forever Young is a son of Real Steel (JPN), who as a racehorse was most known for winning the 2016 Grade I Dubai Turf. That race is approximately 1 ⅛ miles, a furlong less than the Kentucky Derby, but Real Steel also finished second in the Grade I Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), which is run at approximately 1 ⅞ miles. Real Steel is also a son of Deep Impact (JPN), a noted source of stamina.
Forever Young’s dam, Forever Darling, is a graded stakes winner, having won the Grade II Santa Ynez Stakes in 2016. Unlike Real Steel, she had her greatest successes at races under a mile in distance, providing Forever Young with speed in his pedigree in addition to the ability to run distance races. Interestingly, Forever Darling is a half-sister to the grade I winning mare Heavenly Love, making Forever Young a “cousin” to her son, leading Kentucky Derby contender Sierra Leone.
Racetrack Performance
There is no fault to find in Forever Young’s performances on the track so far; the colt is undefeated. He has five wins from five starts. His first three races came as a two-year-old in Japan, and they included the prestigious Zen-Nippon Nisai Stakes.
He then shipped to Saudi Arabia, where he overcame a troubled trip to win the Grade III Saudi Derby, and secured his spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate with a confident win in the UAE Derby.
This globe-trotting superstar may be Japan’s best chance yet to attain Kentucky Derby glory!
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