Japan Road: Budding stars entered in Hyacinth Stakes

Feb 20, 2025 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Ramjet winning the 2024 Hyacinth S. on the Japan Road (Photo by Tomoya Moriuchi/Horsephotos.com)

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby resumes in the Hyacinth S. over a metric mile at Tokyo. Set for 12:25 a.m. ET late Saturday night, the Hyacinth will furnish an overhaul of the leaderboard by offering points on a 30-15-9-6-3 scale to the top five finishers.

Eight of the entrants are Triple Crown nominees, but Happy Man is the only one with experience on the Japan Road. He picked up 10 points as the runner-up in the Dec. 11 Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun. The winner of that race, the Kentucky Oaks (G1)-nominated filly Myriad Love, has left the Japan Road to run in Saturday’s Saudi Derby (G3).

Happy Man was himself expected to venture to Saudi Arabia before opting to stay home. The grandson of 2000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) champion Macho Uno will face serious challenges from up-and-comers in the Hyacinth.

His principal rivals include fellow Triple Crown nominees Luxor Cafe and Taisei Dorado, a dynamic duo by 2015 Triple Crown sweeper American Pharoah.

Luxor Cafe is a full brother to 2020 Hyacinth hero Cafe Pharoah, who went on to become Japan’s champion dirt horse in 2022. Trainer Noriyuki Hori has developed both brothers. Luxor Cafe broke his maiden on Nov. 23, edging Admire Daytona in record time for a juvenile at this track and trip, and subsequently romped in a Jan. 11 allowance at Nakayama.

Taisei Dorado is out of multiple Grade 1-placed Miss Besilu, herself a half-sister to 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam from the immediate family of Hall of Famer Gun Runner. In his Dec. 22 unveiling at Kyoto, Taisei Dorado drew off by 9 1/2 lengths as the odds-on favorite.

Danon Figo, a close runner-up to Myriad Love in their mutual debut, came back to break his maiden by six resounding lengths at Kyoto Oct. 6. The Triple Crown nominee, a son of leading sire Into Mischief and Grade 1 vixen Ollie’s Candy, hasn’t raced since.

Triple Crown-nominated Ecoro Azel competed in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, where he tired to eighth behind champion Citizen Bull. Trained by the trailblazing Hideyuki Mori, the first Japanese horseman to try the Kentucky Derby, Ecoro Azel rebounded in a Jan. 19 Nakayama allowance. But that came at about six furlongs, and the son of classy sprinter Shancelot is a question mark at the distance.

Undefeated fillies Promised Gene and Vilja Lied are both Triple Crown nominees from the first crop of Nadal, who was a main player on the 2020 Derby trail. Perfect in all four starts, Nadal captured a division of the Arkansas Derby (G1) before injury cut short his career.

Triple Crown-nominated Dragon placed second in his debut on turf, but thrived on the switch to dirt in a nine-length maiden rout at Chukyo. His sire, Mind Your Biscuits, is also responsible for 2023 UAE Derby (G2) winner and Kentucky Derby sixth Derma Sotogake.

The two non-nominees are Admire Daytona, who just won a course-and-distance maiden in his fourth attempt, and Don in the Mood, who’s 2-for-3 so far despite being a longshot in all of his outings.

The Hyacinth serves as a supporting stakes for the featured event, the February (G1), that goes off as the 11th race at 1:40 a.m. ET. Likewise conducted around the one-turn metric mile, the February is a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Emperor Wakea, Mikki Fight, Dura Erede, Sunrise Zipangu, Sunday Funday, Costa Nova, Ammothyella, last year’s upsetter Peptide Nile, and Derby alum Derma Sotogake are among the contenders.

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