Danon Kingly was good enough to finish second or third in three Grade 1 races in 2019 and 2020 in Japan. On Sunday, in his first start of the year, Danon Kingly won his first Grade 1 race in the $2.3 million Yasuda Kinen for milers at Tokyo Racecourse, playing the role of 57-1 spoiler. Ridden by Yuga Kawada, Danon Kingly finished a head in front of 1-2 favorite Gran Alegria, who did not have an ideal run through the stretch. Danon Kingly raced in the middle of the field of 14 for the first five furlongs and was in front of Gran Alegria when the field entered the stretch. Kawada moved Danon Kingly wide and reached contention with a furlong remaining. Danon Kingly took the lead in the final sixteenth, and held off a late run from Gran Alegria, who rallied through traffic between horses and finished well. Schnell Meister, the lone 3-year-old in the field, was prominent through the stretch and finished a half-length behind Gran Alegria. :: DRF Bets players get FREE Daily Racing Form Past Performances and up to 5% weekly cashback. Join Now.  Gran Alegria won the 2020 Yasuda Kinen. A 5-year-old mare, Gran Alegria was the champion 3-year-old filly of 2019 in Japan and won the combined title of champion sprinter and miler in 2020. Danon Kingly, a 5-year-old horse by Deep Impact, has won 6 of 12 starts, including four stakes. Trained by Kiyoshi Hagiwara for Danon Co., Ltd., Danon Kingly was ridden for the first time in the Yasuda Kinen by Kawada. “He responded just as I hoped turning the last corner and ran well after that,” Kawada told Japan Racing Association publicity. “Although he hasn’t been able to put in the best results in the past, he has definitely demonstrated his true strength today, and I’m happy to have been part of it in my first time in the saddle.” Danon Kingly paid $116 in American pools. Danon Kingly was seventh behind Gran Alegria in the 2020 Yasuda Kinen. Danon Kingly had one more start in 2020, finishing 12th in the Grade 1 Tenno Sho Stakes at Tokyo last November. Sunday’s race ended a three-race losing streak for Danon Kingly since the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen at 1 1/8 miles in March 2020. A month later, Danon Kingly was third in the Grade 1 Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles at Hanshin Racecourse. In 2019, Danon Kingly finished third in the Grade 1 Japanese 2000 Guineas and second in the Grade 1 Japanese Derby. For the win on Sunday, Danon Kingly received a fees-paid berth for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 6.  Gran Alegria holds an automatic berth for the $2 million BC Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 6 for her win in the Grade 1 Victoria Mile for fillies and mares at Tokyo on May 16. Those runners could have a conflict between the Breeders’ Cup and the Grade 1 Mile Championship at Hanshin Racecourse on Nov. 21. The $2.5 million Mile Championship is the top stakes at the distance in the autumn in Japan.