Japan's Derma Louvre to Prep for Derby in Dubai

In its third season, the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby may finally end in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.

Trainer Hirofumi Toda said Derma Louvre, the points leader among Triple Crown nominees in the Japanese prep races, is targeting the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and will likely ship to the United States if all goes well after a final prep in the March 30 UAE Derby Sponsored by The Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (G2) in Dubai.

"From the UAE Derby, we hope to go on to the Kentucky Derby. Depending on how we do in Kentucky, we have left the door open to consider the other Triple Crown races as well," Toda said.

If owner Hiroyuki Asanuma's 3-year-old son of Pyro makes it to Churchill May 4, he would become the third Japan-based runner to compete in the Kentucky Derby and the first since Lani finished ninth in 2016.

"We would be very excited to get a Japanese horse in the Kentucky Derby. The ultimate reward, though, would be for the racing public and the bettors as we continue to make the Derby a bigger international event, and the eyes of the world are focused on the most important race in the United States," said Churchill Downs president Kevin Flanery, who met with leading Japanese horsemen and officials during a November visit to Tokyo for the Japan Cup. "The fans warmed to Lani when he was here and raced in all three Triple Crown races. It adds a level of excitement for everyone."

Churchill Downs can extend an invitation to start in the Run for the Roses to one Japanese 3-year-old, with preference to Triple Crown nominees, that earned the most points in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby series.

Though the Japanese-bred Derma Louvre is currently third on the points list with 14, he has the most points among Triple Crown nominees through three of the four races in the series. The points chase ends March 31 at Nakayama Racecourse with the Fukuryu Stakes, which awards 40-16-8-4 points to the top four finishers. At the moment, however, it's unlikely anyone from that race will come down with Derby Fever and head to the United States.

The UAE Derby also could ensure Derma Louvre a ticket to Churchill Downs another way, as it is one of seven races offering 100-40-20-10 points in the main Road to the Kentucky Derby series, giving the winner more than enough points to qualify for one of the 20 starting spots in the Run for the Roses.

A US$105,360 buy at the 2017 Japan Racing Horse Association Sale of Yearlings and Weanlings, Derma Louvre has won three of his six career starts—all on dirt—but is winless in two tries in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby series. He finished third most recently in the Feb. 17 Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse, picking up six points, and received eight points for finishing second in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse Dec. 19.

Bred by Bando Bokujo, Derma Louvre is out of the Commands mare Caribbean Romance.

Though final approvals will be needed, Japan Racing Association officials believe simulcast wagering on the Kentucky Derby will be available in Japan if Derma Louvre runs in the 1 1/4-mile classic.

"We would love to give the Japanese public a chance to wager on a Japanese horse in the Kentucky Derby," Flanery said.

Flanery added that Churchill is also hopeful of landing international horses for other stakes during Kentucky Derby Week, with the $1 million Old Forester Turf Classic (G1T) May 4 topping that list.

"We want people in Japan to know we have an exciting racing program that entire week," Flanery said. "The Derby is the pinnacle, but we are trying to educate trainers around the world—not just in Japan but in Europe as well—about the other races that week, including those like the Old Forester on turf, in particular, on Derby Day. That's a race that can attract a lot of international runners. We have a lot of balls in the air and there's a lot of connections we're keeping our eye on, and we're hopeful something will happen with the Derby and the other races as well."