Eishin Flash rallies in Japanese Derby

Eishin Flash rallied to win the $3.7 million Tokyo Yushun, or Japanese Derby, at Tokyo on Sunday, paying off his backers in the crowd of 125,746 to the tune of 30.90-1 despite having finished a close third last time in the Japanese 2000 Guineas.

Ridden by Hiroyuki Uchida, the Hideaki Fujiwara-trained son of English 2000 Guineas winner King's Best reversed the form of the 1 1/4-mile Japanese Guineas as he won for the fourth time in seven career starts. Eleventh entering the 2 1/2-furlong stretch, he covered the final three furlongs in 32.70 seconds to defeat Guineas fourth and Japanese juvenile champ Rose Kingdom by a neck, with Guineas winner and 1.10-1 favorite Victoire Pisa third, 1 3/4 lengths further back. The 8-5 Pelusa had his 4-for-4 undefeated record snapped when he missed the break and could only get up for sixth, while the highly regarded Danon Chantilly was a late scratch due to an unspecified injury.

In covering the 1 1/2 miles on firm turf in 2:26.90, Eishin Flash was fulfilling the promise he had shown when winning his 1 1/4-mile Guineas prep, the Grade 3 Keisei Hai at Nakayama on Jan. 17. He was, perhaps, not fully wound up for the Guineas three months later, but his run in that race set him up perfectly for the Derby. Owned by Toyomitsu Hirai, Eishin Flash was bred by Teruya Yoshida's Shadai Farm. Yoshida also bred runner-up Rose Kingdom at his Northern Farm and third-place finished Victoire Pisa at Shadai. Either Shadai Farm or Northern Farm has been the leading breeder in Japan in each of the last nine years.