Japan: With title on the line, battle of unbeatens in Asahi Hai Futurity
The undefeated colts Arte Veloce and Total Clarity will dominate the betting in Sunday’s Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity at Kyoto Racecourse in Japan with Arte Veloce expected to go favored.
Both Arte Veloce and Total Clarity have won twice, in races for first-time starters in the summer and Grade 3 stakes.
Arte Veloce won the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup at a mile at Tokyo on Oct. 5 in his last start, while Total Clarity won the Niigata Nisai Stakes at a mile at Niigata Racecourse on Aug. 25 in his most recent appearance.
Both runners tend to race from off the pace and have favorable starting positions in the $882,500 Asahi Hai Futurity, which is run at a mile. Arte Veloce will break from post 8, while Total Clarity starts from post 10.
The winner is expected to be named champion 2-year-old male. The Asahi Hai Futurity is the lone Grade 1 race for the division.
The race drew a field of 16, all Japanese-breds.
Aside from Arte Veloce and Total Clarity, Museum Mile is held in high regard for winning his last two starts in a maiden race on Oct. 5 and an allowance race on Nov. 10. Museum Mile was third in his debut in August.
The Asahi Hai Futurity has a post time of 1:40 a.m. Eastern on Sunday or 10:40 p.m. Pacific on Saturday.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.

