LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In the last two years, horses based in Japan have captured some of the biggest international prizes in Thoroughbred racing. In 2021, at Del Mar, there were victories by March Lorraine and Loves Only You in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Filly and Mare Turf, respectively. This year, Panthalassa led a 1-3-4-5 finish by Japan horses in the $20 million Saudi Cup. Ushba Tesoro won the $12 million Dubai World Cup and Equinox was devastating winning the $6 million Dubai Sheema Classic. Now, Japan has Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious prize – the Kentucky Derby – on its radar. There are three Japan-based horses entered, though only two are likely to make the starting gate, in Saturday’s 149th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs. Derma Sotogake and Continuar are in the field. Mandarin Hero, a nose loser of the Santa Anita Derby in his U.S. debut, is on the also-eligible list. If he doesn’t get in, it is expected he will run in the Preakness on May 20 at Pimlico. To date, four Japan-based horses have participated in the Kentucky Derby with Master Fencer’s sixth-place finish in 2019 the best result. In 2016, Lani finished ninth in the Derby but remained in the U.S. to finish fifth in the Preakness and third in the Belmont Stakes. :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. In 2017, Churchill Downs launched the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, a stand-alone series that awards a Derby berth to the horse who acquires the most points in a four-race series at Japan tracks. Last year, Crown Pride came from Japan and finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby. “The Kentucky Derby is always on the mind of any horseman with international ambition,” said Kate Hunter, who works for a marketing and consulting firm that assists Japanese interests when shipping internationally. “But I think the establishment of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby really changed things.” Though Continuar is the horse that earned that berth this year, it is Derma Sotogake who comes into the Derby with seemingly a better chance. Derma Sotogake comes in off a dominant 5 1/2-length win in the UAE Derby at Meydan in Dubai on March 25. It was his fourth victory in his last five starts, three of those wins coming at 1 1/8 miles or farther. Though Derma Sotogake is by the New York-bred sprinter Mind Your Biscuits, his dam, Amour Poesie, won the Kanto Oaks at 1 1/4 miles and seems to have supplied the stamina the horse displays. “Based on the pedigree on his female side there was definitely more stamina built in there but primarily it was based on how he moved as an individual when he’s training,” Masanari Tanaka, assistant to trainer Hidetaka Otonashi, said when asked about getting the 1 1/4 miles of the Derby. “He’s a little bit slower off to begin with, he doesn’t have that up-front speed that you’d expect in a sprinter. So, he felt like that kind of horse that would need a little bit more distance to get rolling and that’s proven to be the case.” Otonashi, 68, was a jockey in Japan before he started training horses. He’s won nearly 1,000 races as a trainer, a career he will have give up when he turns 70 years old, as per Japanese rules. Though he may not be a sprinter, Derma Sotogake is not devoid of speed. He won the UAE Derby in front-running fashion and his final time of 1:55.81 for 1 3/16 miles was the second-fastest time recorded in that race over the current Meydan track put in place in 2010. The clocking translated to a 109 Timeform Rating. “What’s been nice about him is that he’s been able to come from anywhere,” Tanaka said. “He showed he can run on the lead, which really wasn’t the plan, and then he has shown he can [move] through [horses] and that kickback isn’t a problem for him.” Derma Sotogake will break from post 17 and Tanaka said the plan is to leave the tactics up to jockey Christophe Lemaire, who rode Derma Sotogake in the UAE Derby and who will be making his second straight appearance in the Kentucky Derby. Last year, Lemaire rode Crown Pride, who was involved in a torrid speed duel – the opening half-mile in 45.36 seconds – that led to the huge upset pulled off by Rich Strike. “I think it’ll be different second time around,” Tanaka said. “Having raced last year and been in the race and seen how it can unfortunately unfold, we have a lot more confidence in him this year.” Derma Sotogake has been in Kentucky for about two weeks and has breezed twice over the main track. Once, he went in company with Continuar, starting several lengths behind him and finishing well ahead of him. On Tuesday, he went an easy half-mile by himself. :: Get the full DRF Kentucky Derby Clocker Report by Mike Welsch and the DRF Clocker Team “He’s a pretty smart horse, so as he travels he kind of gets used to where he is and then he basically builds himself up to the race, so each time he does stronger works, it’s almost like shedding a skin, like a snake,” Tanaka said. “He just kind of gets better.” Continuar will come in a bit under the radar. He is a son of Drefong, a U.S. champion sprinter, who sired Japanese 2000 Guineas winner Geoglyph. Continuar’s dam, Pan de Ring, is a half-sister to two-time Japan Horse of the Year Almond Eye. Continuar is trained by Yoshito Yahagi, who trained both of Japan’s Breeders’ Cup winners as well as Panthalassa. Continuar hasn’t looked as strong in his training as has Derma Sotogake, and his task was made even more difficult when he drew post position 20. Though a Japanese horse has a lot to overcome to win the Kentucky Derby, the connections of Derma Sotogake are confident that at least their horse will be competitive Saturday. “I have a lot of confidence in him because he’s a strong horse,” Tanaka said. “However, we know the Americans will definitely be tough to beat but we don’t quite yet know how good Derma Sotogake is. All I can say is I really hope we win.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.