Notturno Wins Japan Dirt Derby, Points to Grade 1 Race

Notturno  fought his way to the lead at the top of the stretch in the Japanese Dirt Derby July 13 and battled on resolutely over the sloppy Oi Racecourse track to win by three-quarters of a length from Eisha Es.

The Dirt Derby currently is a listed race conducted under the auspices of Japan's local governments' National Association of Racing. It is slated for an upgrade during the next two years to become the anchor leg of a new "Dirt Triple Crown" recognizing the country's recent successes on that surface in big international races.

As the race itself moves up in importance, Notturno's performance could move him up among the nation's dirt contenders. None of Japan's dirt stars was involved in the Oi affair but Notturno, a Heart's Cry  colt out of the Unbridled's Song  mare Sheikh's Serenade , showed potential in victory and his trainer said bigger things are on the horizon.

Parked outside rivals' flying mud, jockey Yutaka Take kept Notturno close enough down the backstretch and moved up as he hit the second turn. The colt advanced willingly, then edged clear in the final 100 meters. He finished the 2,400 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in 2:04.06.

"In the gate, I could feel that the condition of the horse was better than ever so I was able to ride with confidence," said Take, who won the race for the first time in 17 years.

The NAR traditionally asks the winning jockey of stakes races to address the fans and Take said:

"Thank you for coming in the rain. I myself am very happy to win the Japan Dirt Derby for the first time in a long time ... I'm 53 years old, but the horse is only 3 years old, so I hope we can continue to work hard together in the future."

Notturno won twice earlier this season at Hanshin on the Japan Racing Association circuit. He then finished second in the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse—the final leg of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Returning to the NAR circuit, he then was second in the listed Hyogo Championship at Sonoda Racecourse. The Dirt Derby was his first race at 2,400 meters.

"I'm thinking about heading to the Champions Cup in the future," said winning trainer Hidetaka Otonashi. "We will inform everyone as soon as it is decided."

The Dec. 4 Champions Cup (G1) is run at 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8) miles on the Chukyo Racecourse dirt track. Chuwa Wizard  won that event in 2020 and placed second in 2021 and moved on to finish second, then third, in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) at Meydan in 2021 and 2022.