Japan: Natural Rise looks sharp, gains Derby points with Cattleya Stakes

Natural Rise remained unbeaten after two starts with a smart win in Saturday’s $199,600 Cattleya Stakes at a mile on dirt for 2-year-olds at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.

The Cattleya Stakes is the first of four qualifying races in Japan for the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Natural Rise received 10 qualifying points. The series continues in December and additional races are run in February and March.

Natural Rise, the 5-2 second choice in Japan in a field of 16, was confidently ridden by jockey Takeshi Yokoyama. Starting from post 12, Yokoyama kept Natural Rise on the outside for the first six furlongs. Natural Rise moved closer to the front entering the stretch and took the lead with slightly less than two furlongs remaining.

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Clay King (5-2) closed with interest to finish second, three-quarters of a length behind Natural Rise. T O Elvis, a Kentucky-bred colt by Volatile, finished third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths.

Snappy Dresser, a Kentucky-bred colt by Union Rags, finished fourth as the 8-5 favorite in his stakes debut. Snappy Dresser won his debut in a seven-furlong race for first-time starters at Tokyo Racecourse on Oct. 20.

Natural Rise, a Japanese-bred colt by Kizuna, won his debut in a race for first-time starters at 1 1/16 miles at Sapporo Racecourse in July.

The horse with the most qualifying points from the Japanese series is granted a berth in the Kentucky Derby. In recent years, some Japanese-based 3-year-olds have earned berths in the Kentucky Derby by winning or placing in stakes in the United Arab Emirates or California, though.

Earlier this year, T O Password was fifth in the Kentucky Derby at 48-1 after winning the final qualifying race of the Japanese series in March.

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