Ramjet took the top spot on the “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby” leaderboard with a victory in the Feb. 18 Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse while previous leader, Forever Young , prepares for the $1.5 million Saudi Derby (G3) Feb. 24 in Riyadh.
Ramjet, a Majestic Warrior colt, stepped into the series for the first time while making his 2024 debut after winning two of four starts as a juvenile. The 1,600-meter (about 1 mile) Hyacinth also was his first effort at anything beyond 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs) and he seemed to enjoy the added distance.
After hopping at the start, Ramjet and jockey Kosei Miura raced last of 11 down the backstretch and around the sweeping turn. Straightening out, Ramjet still had only one rival behind him. By the 200-meter mark, though, he had found another gear and began gobbling up ground.
Alone with some 50 meters left, he drew off to win by 3 lengths at long odds while the favorite, Unquenchable , barely edged another long shot, Habire for second. Ramjet finished in 1:36.3.
RAMJET wins the Hyacinth Stakes on the Japan Road to the #KyDerby and earns 30 points! 🌹 pic.twitter.com/hNigKVl7le
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) February 18, 2024
He earned 30 points for the victory, jumping him to the No. 1 spot in the Derby standings, 10 ahead of Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun winner Forever Young. Unquenchable earned 15 points which, added to the 3 points he gained by finishing third in the series opener, to put him in third place.
Churchill Downs grants a guaranteed invitation to the Kentucky Derby (G1) to the winner of the series. If those connections decline, the offer passes to those next in line. The competition was started in 2017. While it has yet to produce a placegetter in the Run for the Roses, it has helped stimulate interest in dirt racing in Japan.
The series concludes March 23 with the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse. The winner of that receives 40 points and the runner-up gets 20 so the outcome is still in some doubt. Last year’s series winner, Continuar, was sent to the United States to contest the Kentucky Derby but withdrew two days before the race.
Ramjet is among the early nominees to the U.S. Triple Crown and his owner, Koji Maeda, has a history with the American series so the colt is a potential acceptor.
Master Fencer finished sixth in the 2019 Derby. Crown Pride was 13th in the 2022 edition after chasing a suicidal pace. In 2023, Derma Sotogake reported sixth, and Mandarin Hero was 12th.
