Al Ain by a neck in Osaka Hai

Al Ain won his first Grade 1 race in nearly two years with a 21-1 upset in Sunday’s $2.09 million Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan.

Ridden by Yuichi Kitamura, Al Ain, a 5-year-old by Deep Impact, finished a neck in front of 3-1 Kiseki, who was a neck in front of 7-1 Wagnerian.

Kiseki was second to Almond Eye in the Japan Cup last November. Almond Eye won Saturday’s Group 1 Dubai Turf in the United Arab Emirates. Wagnerian won the 2018 Japanese Derby.

Blast Onepiece, the 2-1 favorite, finished sixth of 14 in the Osaka Hai.

Al Ain won the Grade 1 Japanese 2000 Guineas in 2017 but lost his next seven appearances in Grade 1 or Group 1 races in Japan and Hong Kong, including a third in the 2018 Osaka Hai. In Sunday’s race, Al Ain closed from fourth with a rally between horses to take the lead in the final furlong.

Al Ain, who has won 5 of 16 starts, races for Sunday Racing Co. and trainer Yasutoshi Ikee.

On Sunday at Nakayama Racecourse, Der Flug remained unbeaten in three starts with a win in the $310,590 Fukuryu Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles, taking the lead in the Japan division of the Kentucky Derby qualifying system.

Der Flug has 40 qualifying points but has not been nominated to the Kentucky Derby. A $6,000 supplemental nomination can be made Monday.

By Behkabad, Der Flug won the Fukuryu Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths over Master Fencer, who leads the list of nominated horses with 19 points. The Fukuryu Stakes was the last of four qualifying races. One berth in the Kentucky Derby is available for a Japan-based runner.

Master Fencer, by the Heart’s Cry stallion Just a Way, has won 2 of 6 starts. He was fourth in the Hyacinth Stakes at a mile at Tokyo Racecourse on Feb. 17, earning three qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. Master Fencer earned 16 points from Sunday’s race.

Hyacinth winner Oval Ace and Nova Lenda, who won the Zen-Nippon Nisia Yushun last December, have 30 and 20 qualifying points. Similar to Der Flug, they were not nominated for the Kentucky Derby in January but could be nominated on Monday.

Nova Lenda was fifth in the Fukuryu Stakes.