Don Erectus

Danox Co. Ltd's Danon Bourbon (Maxfield) validated 11-10 favoritism with a convincing victory in Saturday's $227,900 Fukuryu Stakes (allowance) at Nakayama Racecourse, easily defeating pacesetting Don Erectus (Jpn) (Danon Legend), who was finishing runner-up for the third time in the four-race series. The pair has each amassed 40 points towards the automatic Japanese berth at Churchill on the first Saturday in May and because he is an original nominee to the Triple Crown, Danon Bourbon is--for the time being--on the top line. Per Churchill Downs rule, any ties are broken...

The Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby remains a wide-open affair, but the fourth and final leg of the series, Saturday's $226,736 Fukuryu Stakes (allowance) at Nakayama Racecourse, will be the final piece to the puzzle, with a field of 10 set to face the starter. The 'most valuable' of the races, with a total of 84 points on a 40-20-12-8-4 scale, technically any of the entrants can emerge with the automatic berth, some control their own destiny while others will need some luck. Though he has yet to participate...

Godolphin homebred Lucky Kid (Jpn) (Discreet Cat) went on the attack in the stretch and held off a flying finish from Don Erectus (Jpn) (Danon Legend) to register a 22-1 upset in Sunday's Listed Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse. The second winner of the race in the last five years for Sheikh Mohammed's worldwide operation and also second for his Darley Japan-based sire, Lucky Kid earned 30 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby to rise to the top of the table. A three-length debut winner over this...

The Euro/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby and the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby continue Friday and Sunday, respectively, with the $217,760 Listed Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby over 1900 meters and the $245,100 Listed Hyacinth Stakes going a one-turn mile at Meydan Racecourse and Tokyo Racecourse. The seventh race on an eight-race card under the Friday night lights at Meydan, the Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby lacks the presence of G3 UAE 2000 Guineas hero Six Speed (Not This Time), who is training up to...

Having already conquered trips of 1200 meters and 1400 meters on the dirt, owner Hajime Satomi's immaculately bred Satono Voyage (Jpn) (Into Mischief) successfully negotiated a stretchout to the metric mile and reported home a comfortable 1 1/2-length winner of Saturday's $194,621 Cattleya Stakes, good for 10 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. The 1600-meter contest is run under allowance conditions around a left-handed bend at Tokyo Racecourse. The son of Brazilian Horse of the Year and three-times North American graded winner Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) had...