When things are going in the right direction, they will go in the right direction. And these days, things are really going right in horse racing in Japan — none more so at the Nakheel (G2)-sponsored Godolphin Mile at Meydan Racecourse like Bathrat Leon an out-of-place player in global betting, led to a 1/4 win.
Desert wisdom crossed the distance to finish second, two more miles than Storm damage in part three.
Another Japanese horse, Soliste Thunderis Wednesday.
Bank Runs best among American horses in the race, finishing sixth.
It was only Bathrat Leon’s second start and he finished 13th in the previous attempt. This is also his first time participating in a group race. In Miles, jockey Ryusei Sakai shot a 4-year-old boy Kizuna colt takes the lead from the inner gate, commands a fast pace and is unchallenged afterwards.
“He jumps well and gets into the race,” Sakai said of Bathrat Leon, adding that the foal appreciates Meydan’s surface.
“He likes these. It’s a bit tighter (compared to the Japanese track).”
Former good coach Yoshito Yahagi, wearing a colorful floppy hat in the victor’s ring, gave his racer full credit, saying Sakai “drives very well. Excellent.”
When asked the secret of his recent global success, Yahagi laughed and said, “I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Bathrat Leon paid $123.70 to win in a simulcast bet made in the US.
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