Just a Way brings winning streak into Yasuda Kinen

Just a Way, the winner of the $5 million Dubai Duty Free at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in March, will be favored to win Sunday’s $2,031,250 Yasuda Kinen for turf milers at Tokyo Racecourse.

A 5-year-old horse by Heart’s Cry, Just a Way has been in the best form of his career in recent months, winning the autumn running of the Grade 1 Tenno Sho last October and the Grade 2 Nakayama Kinen over 1 1/8 miles on March 2. He seeks a fourth consecutive win in the Yasuda Kinen.

In the Dubai Duty Free over 1 1/8 miles on turf, Just a Way closed from the back of a field of 13 to win by 6 1/4 lengths over Vercingetorix. Owned by Akatsuki Yamatoya and trained by Naosuke Sugai, Just a Way has won 5 of 18 starts in his career.

There are 17 runners in the Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen, including Glorious Day, who won the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile last December. Glorious Day was 14th in the 2012 Yasuda Kinen and 11th in the race last year.

Other top runners are Mikki Isle, who won the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo on May 11; Red Spada, who won the Grade 2 Heio Hai Spring Cup at Tokyo on May 17; and Tosen Ra, who won the Grade 1 Mile Championship at Kyoto last November.