Contrail Remains Unbeaten in Winning Japan's Hopeful

Contrail sprinted to the lead turning for home in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) Feb. 28 at Nakayama Racecourse and was in command through the stretch, winning by 1 1/2 lengths over Weltreisende.

Wakea, Rhinebeck, and Authority followed in that order in the final test of the year for Japan's top 2-year-olds. All of the first three finishers and four of the first five entered the race undefeated and all of those acquitted themselves well enough to promise spirited competition for the 2020 Japanese Classics.

Contrail, a son of Deep Impact from the Unbridled's Song mare Rhodochrosite, was away to his typical clean start as the field passed the stands for the first time on the 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4 mile) journey. With Yuichi Fukunaga at the controls, the colt ran just behind the leading trio down the backstretch, made up several lengths quickly entering the final turn and wasn't challenged thereafter.



Weltreisende, a Dream Journey colt with Oisin Murphy in the irons, shadowed the winner around the bend but couldn't match strides in the closing yards. Wakea rallied from farther back, then ran out of real estate while making late gains for Christophe Lemaire.

Contrail, bred by North Hill Farm and owned by Shinji Maeda, finished in 2:01.4 over firm going in the final group 1 of the year in Japan.

"He was really strong," Fukunaga said. "I didn't have to do anything but just sit on him. He's always been a good starter and I didn't want to pull him back too much but was able to settle him behind another runner. Although he was racing well up front I was confident that we could make it through to the end.

"He really changed his gear effortlessly but did show a little lost once up front. Still a little green, and no wonder Ryan (Moore) drove him the way he did in his last run," the rider added.

Contrail won at first asking in September, going 1,800 meters (about one mile). He followed that with a convincing five-length score in the Nov. 16 Tokyo Sports Hai Hisai Stakes (G3), in which the lowered the course record for the distance. That performance was sufficient to make him the post-time favorite for the Hopeful.

The Hopeful showing was enough to boost him to the top of the charts for the 2020 Classics, with trainer Yoshito Yohagi firmly focused there.

"I'm hoping for a good showing," Yohagi said before the Hopeful. "And if he runs well here, he might go directly to the Satsuki Sho next year."

The Satsuki Sho (G1-Japanese 2000 Guineas) is set for April 14 over the same course and distance as the Hopeful.

"The colt really showed his potentials towards his 3-year-old campaign next year," Fukunaga said.

Even before being elevated to grade 1 status in 2017, the Hopeful produced some future stars, including Victoire Pisa, Epiphaneia, and Rey De Oro.