When the Triple Crown’s initial nominations were made in early February, of the 312 horses there were 21 Japanese horses, including a record 2v2 foal named Crown Pride .
Although Crown Pride disappointed a few weeks later, finishing sixth at the Hyacinth Stakes on February 20 in Japan, he showed on March 26 at Meydan Racecourse why he qualified. competed in the American classics, beating an international arena in the $1 million UAE Derby sponsored by Mubadala (G2). 3 year old son of Reaching for the crown launched a sweeping rally on the second turn and caught the pacesetting Summer is tomorrow in the road for victory length 2 3/4.
The UAE Derby, the only international race on the main road to the Kentucky Derby series, gave qualifying scores on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the top four finishers, provided they were the winners. nominated Triple Crown or eventually become so.
So with 100 qualifying points for the May 7 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs, Crown Pride essentially secured the often oversubscribed race right. A representative for the owner of Crown Pride has expressed an interest in pursuing the Derby on Saturday.
If he goes to Kentucky, he won’t be the first Japanese horse to compete for the Triple Crown. Lani from Japan finished ninth in the 2016 Kentucky Derby, fifth in Preakness Bets (G1), and third in NYRA Bets’ Belmont Bets (G1).
Then in 2019, Master Fencer ranked sixth after being eliminated by Maximum Security in the 2019 Derby and then fifth in Belmont.
Master Fencer, son of Just a road , was the first Japanese hybrid to run in the Derby. Lani, by Tapit is a pony in Kentucky.
While Master Fencer competed in the Japanese races right before the 2019 Third Crown, Lani, like Crown Pride, caught the UAE Derby before the US tour.
It seems Crown Pride is just as talented as Master Fencer and Lani, if not better, based on his performance in the UAE.
Squeezed into Saturday night’s halftime, he quickly recovered under Australian driver Damian Lane to race about three to four segments above the pace originally set by Summer Is Tomorrow, with American Pinehurst pursued in second place with a close attendance rate. Three wide on the first turn and four wide on the second, Crown Pride then closes on the sixth turn to sweep most of the people in front of him.
That is, all but Summer which is tomorrow, who still has a clear lead with 300 meters remaining in the 1,900 meter competition (about 1 3/16 miles). But the lead began to wane midway through, and rising under left-handed prompting from Lane, Crown Pride proved dominant in the final 200 metres.
Lane for the first time riding a horse on the night of the Dubai World Cup said: “I was very confident when I turned from the distance (600 meters left). “He just leveled off when I turned 300 – I started to worry but when (Summer is tomorrow) was tired, he didn’t.”
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The runners-up and winner are being considered for the Kentucky Derby, their connection being shown shortly after the UAE Derby.
Bhupat Seemar, coach of the Summer Is Tomorrow runners-up, said: “I will definitely look at the Kentucky Derby, but first I have to see if he gets a nomination. That’s the most important thing. There’s some good horses behind him, a couple of level 1s from America, so now that he’s running like that, I think we’ll have to think about it.”
Summer Is Tomorrow was not the original Triple Crown contender, although he could be selected as one with a late payment of $6,000, due on March 28.
UAE favorite Derby matches, Burn and Pinehurst has no place. The back handicap was loosened by rider Flavien Prat after weakening in the second round.
When explaining his resilience from Hyacinth, winning coach Koichi Shintani said the longer UAE distance is more suitable for the pony owned by Teruya Yoshida.
“The distance is a bit too short,” he said of the mile-long Hyacinth.
When asked about his feelings on the night of the Dubai World Cup, which featured a series of winning attempts from Japan’s junior athletes, Sintani replied with a smile, “It was perfect.”
Lane expressed gratitude when asked to carry Sintani.
“I mean, to come here from Australia and join the Japanese, it’s a bit bizarre,” he said. “I’m just grateful to be a part of their race and especially to be able to travel with their horses.”
Bred in Japan by Shadai Ranch, Crown Pride was the first foal to race from King Kamehameha mare Emmy’s Pride . Colt’s second dam, Emmy’s smile is an equity winner in Japan.
🇯🇵 Japan – the land of the rising sun is ruling #DubaiWorldCup night
A great performance from Crown Pride who scored for @LaneDamian & Koichi Shintani in the UAE Derby Sponsored by Mubadala# DWC22 | #RacingDubai | # | # pic.twitter.com/qpfJtbaz5Z
– Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) March 26, 2022
