Contrail bids for Japanese Triple Crown in St. Leger

Contrail will take an unbeaten record into Sunday’s Grade 1 Japanese St. Leger for 3-year-olds at Kyoto Racecourse, his final start against his own age group.

With six wins in as many races, Contrail will be a massive favorite to complete a sweep of the Japanese Triple Crown, having won the Grade 1 Japanese 2000 Guineas in his 2020 debut in April, and the Grade 1 Japanese Derby in May.

As a prep for the Japanese St. Leger, Contrail won the Grade 2 Shimbun Hai at 1 3/8 miles at Chukyo Racecourse on Sept. 27, prevailing by about a neck over Weltreisende, his leading rival on Sunday.

Trained by Yoshiti Yahagi for owner Shinji Maeda, Contrail is by Deep Impact and is out of Rhodochrosite, an Unbridled’s Song mare who was sold for $385,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in 2011. Rhodochrosite, who was winless in seven starts in Japan in 2012 and 2013, is out of Folklore, who won the Eclipse Award as the champion 2-year-old filly of 2005.

The Japanese St. Leger is run at 1 7/8 miles and drew a full field of 18.

Weltreisende was a stakes winner at 2 and has finished second or third behind Contrail in four stakes since late December. The loss in the Shimbun Hai was the closest Weltreisende has come to beating Contrail this year.

The field consists of 17 Japanese-breds and the Irish-bred Turkish Palace, by Golden Horn. Owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing, Turkish Palace was fifth in the Shimbun Hai in his graded stakes debut.

Robertson Quay and Deep Bond, third and fourth in the Shimbun Hai are part of the Japanese St. Leger field.

The Japanese St. Leger has a post time of 2:40 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, or 11:40 p.m. Pacific on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.