Mind Your Biscuits Colt Leads in "Japan Road" to Derby

Derma Sotogake, a Mind Your Biscuits  colt, vaulted into the lead in the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" with a victory Dec. 14 in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse.

The race was the second in a four-race series with the ultimate points leader guaranteed a spot in the 2023 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). Derma Sotogake, trained by Hidetaka Otonashi, earned 20 points, overtaking the winner of the first race, Continuar, who has 10 points.

Derma Sotogake rallied outside rivals in deep stretch for jockey Fuma Matsuwaka to win by a head over Omatsuri Otoko, a Vittorio d'Oro colt who burst to the front midway down the lane and looked like a winner until the final strides. Perriere, by Henny Hughes , was close from the turn to the wire but settled for third, another neck back.

"I wanted to stay a little forward in the going," Matsuwaka said. "I kept my sight on Perriere from behind and moved to catch him and it worked. I am very happy with a big win, with (his) third straight victory."

The top three finishers are all horses affiliated with the Japan Racing Association. Kawasaki is a local track under the jurisdiction of the National Association of Racing, which fielded nine of the 14 starters. The NAR tracks conduct most of the nation's dirt racing, including the major stakes on that surface, and are putting new emphasis on that product as Japanese horses perform well in dirt racing around the world.

Derma Sotogake, out of the Neo Universe  mare Amour Poesie (JPN), made his first two starts on turf, finishing sixth and fourth. Switched to dirt, he was third in a maiden event at Kokura Sept. 3, then got his first win a month later at Chukyo Racecourse. He backed that up by winning a minor stakes race at Hanshin Racecourse Nov. 6 and now has a three-race win streak.

The form of the early dirt races is a tad difficult to assess, especially as none of the 14 runners in the Zen-Nippon participated in the first "Japan Road" race, the Cattleya Sho at Tokyo Racecourse. However, the runner-up in the Nov. 6 race won by Derma Sotogake, Continuar, returned to win the Cattleya.

Last year's Zen-Nippon winner, Dry Stout , by Sinister Minister , has raced only twice since, most recently winning a 1,400-meter (about 7 furlongs) sprint on the Tokyo dirt.

The series continues with the Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse Feb. 19 and concludes with the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse March 25.

The points on offer escalate throughout the series, so the results usually are not known until after the final leg. The Hyacinth winner gets 30 points with 12, 9, 6 and 3 to the minor placings. The Fukuryu normally is the determining heat with a points scale of 40-16-12-8-4.

The series to date has not had a significant impact on the Kentucky Derby and Otonashi said he will consult with the owners but personally would favor taking a shot at big-money races for 3-year-olds in Saudi Arabia and Dubai before considering the Kentucky Derby. Continuar's trainer, Yoshito Yahagi, had a similar plan in mind after the Cattleya Stakes.

"I think I want to take him to Saudi, then Dubai and then maybe Kentucky," Yahagi said.