Rey de Oro wins Japanese Derby

Rey de Oro (JPN) settled briefly behind a slow pace in the May 28 Tokyo Yushun (G1), or Japanese Derby, moved up when jockey Christophe Lemaire realized action was required and powered through deep stretch to win by three-quarters of a length at Tokyo Racecourse.

The win gave Lemaire and trainer Kazuo Fujisawa rare Classic doubles as they joined forces a week earlier to send the Frankel filly Soul Stirring to victory in the Yushun Himba (G1) or Japanese Oaks.

LaRue: Soul Stirring Frankel's First Classic Winner

It was the first time in 42 years that a jockey had turned that double and the first time in 13 years for a trainer.

Suave Richard was a game second in the 2,400-meter (1-1/2 mile) Tokyo Yushun with the favorite, Admirable, third. The final time was 2:26.90 over the firm turf. 

Rey de Oro, a King Kamehameha colt, made amends for a fifth-place finish in the Satsuki Sho, or Japanese Two Thousand Guineas (G1) April 16. He had been undefeated in three previous starts.

"The pace was slow so I started to move forward in the backstretch," Lemaire said. "He was very relaxed and responding well in the stretch so I knew in the last 100 meters that we would win."

Rey de Oro, owned by U Carrot Farm, was bred by Northern Racing. His dam, La Dorada, is by Symboli Kris S, an American-bred son of Kris S. Symboli Kris S was a multiple group 1 winner in Japan in 2002 and 2003. King Kamehameha is by Kingmambo.

The Yushun Himba is one of the most popular races on the Japanese calendar. A crowd of 123,779 packed Tokyo Racecourse and wagering on the Derby alone was approximately ¥25 billion (US$225 million).