Trainer Koichi Tsunoda spent much of the winter with only passing thoughts of sending Master Fencer to the United States to compete in the American Triple Crown.
He kept waiting for the homebred 3-year-old to signal he was ready for such an imposing challenge. Instead, the son of Just a Way finished fourth in the Hyacinth Stakes and then second in the Fukuryu Stakes, two of the four races in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby series.
That put Master Fencer fourth on the list of qualifiers, with only one available spot in the Run for the Roses. The prospect left Tsunoda with little hope of dusting off his passport for a trip overseas.
"I was thinking I could win a prep race and then advise my owner to run in the Kentucky Derby, but that didn't happen," Tsunoda said through an interpreter.
Instead, fate and a grand sporting gesture by Master Fencer's owner intervened.
The three Japanese horses ahead of Master Fencer passed on their invitation, and the colt's owner, Katsumi Yoshizawa, jumped at the opportunity to compete in the American classics.
"The owner himself, Mr. Yoshizawa, decided. He said that if he had a chance, he wanted to race in the United States," Tsunoda said. "I am so appreciative that he made such a courageous decision, and I hope we can meet his expectations."
To date, the adventure has been rewarding for Master Fencer and his connections as the Japanese runner finished a fast-closing sixth at odds of 58-1 in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and was impressive enough in the Bluegrass State that he was listed as the morning-line 8-1 third choice for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) June 8 at Belmont Park.
"This could be huge news in Japan," Tsunoda said.
Indeed, it could. A Japan-based or -bred horse has yet to win an American Triple Crown race, but two of them, Sunday Break in 2002 and Lani in 2016, finished third, giving off hope that Master Fencer will feel equally at home on Belmont Park's sandy 1 1/2-mile surface that is comparable with certain Japanese tracks.
"Belmont's main track plays as close to a Japanese track as they'll find in the United States," said Martin Panza, the New York Racing Association's senior vice president for racing operations. "They run on deep, sandy tracks, and you will get as close to emulating their surfaces as you can here. I would think a Japanese horse will run their best race here."
That was certainly the case with Lani, who improved with each start in the Triple Crown. The Kentucky-bred son of Tapit was ninth in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) before his breakthrough third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes, finishing less than two lengths behind the victorious Creator.
While Master Fencer is less rambunctious than Lani, he possesses the same type of late kick that could work in his favor as he stretches out from the 1 1/4 miles of the Kentucky Derby to the demanding 1 1/2-mile distance of the "Test of the Champion" while trying to secure a $1 million bonus for Yoshizawa should he triumph Saturday.
"Lani is a similar type of horse," said Tsunoda, a former rider on the Japan Racing Association circuit who won 10 grade 1 stakes in a 22-year career. "He came from behind and used a late kick. For Master Fencer, he always makes up ground in the last two or three furlongs, and I hope he will do the same thing in the Belmont Stakes."
Master Fencer turned in his last major work June 5 for the Belmont Stakes, going five furlongs in 1:01.28 over the main track. It was the slowest of three works at the distance but only .11 slower than two horses who were clocked in 1:01.17. Jockey Julien Leparoux, who also rode the colt in the Kentucky Derby, was pleased.
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"He breezed good, which is a change from Churchill Downs. I breezed him there and he was on the lazy side. Today he was in the bridle, which is a good sign," Leparoux said about the 3-year-old with two wins in seven starts. "I like him. He's third choice, better than the Derby."
The 1 1/2-mile distance of the Belmont Stakes looms as the key factor for Master Fencer. Stamina is a common element in many Japanese pedigrees, and Master Fencer seems to have that in his bloodlines. His sire, Just a Way, is a son of Heart's Cry who won the 1,800-meter (about 1 1/8-mile) Dubai Duty Free (G1) in 2014 (now the Dubai Turf), setting a stakes record of 1:45.52, and the 2013 Autumn Tenno Sho (G1) at 10 furlongs. In 2014, he was honored as the Longines World's Best Racehorse.
Just a Way's dam, Sibyl, is a daughter of 1984 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Wild Again out of Charon, who captured the 1990 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at 1 1/4 miles.
"Japanese breeding is more stamina-based than unfortunately what ours is," Panza said. "I think a mile and a half suits their horses better than ours. We have bred for the first Saturday in May for far too many years now."
While Master Fencer was not directly involved in the bumping incident that led to Maximum Security becoming the first horse to be disqualified for a foul in the Kentucky Derby's 145-year history, it did create a problem for Leparoux, who was 19th and last, 23 lengths behind the leader, early in the race.
"It was a fast pace in the Kentucky Derby (:22.31 for the first quarter-mile) and he was last, but he was enduring it very good and traveling nicely," Leparoux said. "When I saw the incident on the turn, for me it was, 'Where am I supposed to go?' The horses were spread out, so I had to wait a little more than I would have liked."
Once a hole on the rail opened, Master Fencer unleashed an eye-opening rally on the sloppy track.
At the quarter pole he was still 19th, and 10 1/4 lengths behind, and by the eighth pole he was 12th. But in that final furlong, he made up 6 3/4 lengths and crossed the line seventh. Elevated to sixth after the disqualification, he was about a length behind Tacitus, who was fourth (placed third) and finished a half-length in front of War of Will, who went on to win the Preakness.
With Tacitus the 9-5 morning line favorite in the Belmont Stakes and War of Will next at 2-1, that performance at Churchill Downs would seem to make Master Fencer a major player in the quarter-mile-longer Belmont Stakes.
"The added distance will be good for him," Leparoux said. "I think everyone was a little surprised at how he ran. Even when he breezed in (1:05 1/5 May 1) at Churchill Downs, he closed in 24 and change, so I knew he would have some late kick, and he finished very strongly in the Derby like we thought he would. The added distance will be good. It all depends on how the track is playing on Saturday and the pace. After that—it's racing luck."
Beyond pace, running styles often come into play in the final leg of the Triple Crown. Despite its distance, the Belmont Stakes usually does not cater to horses who close from last.
In the last 24 years, only six winners of the Belmont have been eighth or worse after the opening half-mile, and only two of them were 10 lengths or more behind at that point in the race.
Staying close to the lead is the preferred path to victory as 18 of the last 24 winners were either on the lead or within 4 1/2 lengths of it after the initial half-mile, but that could be a tough assignment for Master Fencer.
"I wish I could keep him closer, but he doesn't have that much speed from the gate," Leparoux said. "Even though I wish I could ride him differently, you don't want to change the style of your horse, either."
So barring a change once the starting gates pop open at approximately 6:35 p.m. ET Saturday, Belmont Park's stretch will be the proving ground for what could make Master Fencer—and his owner—heroes in their homeland and well beyond.
"We traveled a lot on business since early May, and everywhere we went, all the people gave us positive comments about how well Master Fencer performed in the Kentucky Derby," said Takahiro Uno, general manager of the JRA's New York-area office. "It is just amazing. The effort by the horse and his connections has been well received and highly praised."