Danon the Kid Preserves Perfect Record in Hopeful

Danon the Kid heads for the 2021 Japanese classics with a perfect record and full of promise after besting 14 rivals, several of them previously undefeated, in the Dec. 26 Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Nakayama Racecourse.

The 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) Hopeful is the final chance for Japanese 2-year-olds to make a mark before their birthday. Since becoming a grade 1 event in 2017, it quickly has become a harbinger of later success.

With Yuga Kawada aboard, Danon the Kid assumed a stalking position during the first journey through the stretch. The Just a Way colt held that spot until the field reached the end of the backstretch.

Midway around the turn, pacesetter Land of Liberty suddenly bolted to the outside rail, opening up room for a quartet of rivals to spread out across the track in search of the lead. Danon the Kid found the needed extra gear as he charged up the sharp rise toward the finish, dominating the final 100 meters for a 1 1/4-length victory.

Orthoclase, an Epiphaneia colt, finished second, trailed by Yoho Lake, a son of Deep Impact. Both suffered their first defeat after two wins. Titleholder and Chevalier Rose finished fourth and fifth. Danon the Kid, trained by Takayuki Yasuda for owner Danox Co. Ltd., finished in 2:02.8 over firm going.

Kawada said Danon the Kid's improvement over his three starts bodes well for his chances as a 3-year-old but added that further development is needed.

"The stable staff did a great job in tuning up the colt and he ran much better than he did in his previous start," the rider said. "But still, he couldn't find a good rhythm and was not steady in the last two corners today.

"There is still a lot of room for improvement and we intend to work hard so he can kick off a good 3-year-old campaign."

Last year's Hopeful winner, Contrail, also was undefeated at the end of his juvenile season and went on to sweep the 2020 Triple Crown. He logged seven wins in a row before finishing a game second to Almond Eye in the Nov. 29 Japan Cup (G1). The 2018 winner, Saturnalia, won the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) before finishing fourth in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1).

While several of the starters in the Hopeful entered with unblemished records, Danon the Kid, produced by the Dansili mare Epic Love, was sent off the favorite as the only one with a graded win to his credit.

He won at first asking June 28 at Hanshin Racecourse, going 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles), then was idle for nearly five months before winning the Nov. 23 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G3), also as the favorite. After that effort, Yasuda said he felt Danon the Kid was sitting on a good effort in the Hopeful.

Both Kawada and Yasuda have had success at the top level of Japanese racing. Yasuda trained the fabled sprinter Lord Kanaloa and Kawada just a week earlier scored his 14th grade 1 win on Grenadier Guards in the Asahi Hai Futurity (G1). They had not, however, jointly won a grade 1.

"I'm just so happy that I have at last been able to win on one of my mentor and teacher Mr. Yasuda's runners," Kawada said.