Off They Go in the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby"

The "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaves the starting gate Nov. 27 at Tokyo Racecourse with 13 2-year-old colts and two fillies set for the Cattleya Stakes—first of a four-race series that offers a guaranteed spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate.

There's little to go on in handicapping the Cattleya. Most of the runners are lightly raced and dirt racing in Japan is quite secondary to the turf program. Early wagering by the astute Japanese fans also failed to produce a solid favorite.

The three most-fancied all are drawn in the outside half of the field for the 1,600-meters (about 1 mile) left-handed journey around one sweeping turn.

Consigliere, a Defrong colt, won his only previous start going 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) at Nigata Racecourse. His support likely comes as much from his connections as from that record as he's bred by Northern Farm, owned by Kazumi Yoshida and will be ridden by Japan's leading jockey, Christophe Lemaire.

Connections also will be partly responsible for early wagering on World Connector. The colt, by Connect  , picks up the services of Ryan Moore, in town to ride in the Japan Cup (G1) the following day. World Connector entered the win column in a dead heat in his second start Oct. 31 at the same course and distance as the Cattleya. He is drawn in the outside gate.

Café Karma, a Henny Hughes  colt owned by his breeder, Koichi Nishikawa, has some backing after entering the win column in his second start going 1,600 meters in Tokyo Oct. 24. He will go from stall 11 with Hiroyuki Uchida in the irons.

The fillies in the race, Clos de Mesnil, by Practical Joke  , and Love Pyro, a daughter of Pyro , were politely installed in gates No. 2 and 4 respectively. Clos de Mesnil won her only previous start and has her supporters. But the favorable draw wasn't much of a boost for Love Pyro, whose record is 1-for-4 and whose odds remain at triple digits.

The winner of the Cattleya Stakes gets 10 points toward a start in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) with the minor placings worth four, two, and one point. The series moves to Kawasaki Racecourse Dec. 14 for the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun, where the points are doubled.

The Hyacinth Stakes Feb. 7 back at Tokyo Racecourse offers 30, 12, six, and three points. The finale is the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama where the stakes go up again to 40, 16, eight, and four points.

The series is designed by Churchill Downs primarily as an effort to generate Derby interest and wagering in Japan. It has not had a significant impact on the Run for the Roses itself.

Lani  won the Cattleya in 2015, then finished third in the 2016 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) after off-the-board efforts in the first two legs of the American Triple Crown.

Master Fencer  finished fourth in the series and accepted the invitation to the 2019 Kentucky Derby when the top three points-earners declined. The Just a Way  colt finished seventh, placed sixth after the disqualification of Maximum Security.

Master Fencer went on to finish fifth in the Belmont Stakes and 13th in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) in July when he was switched to the turf.