Yoshida bests Beach Patrol in Turf Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Yoshida was bred, born, and raised in Japan, and after winning his first Grade 1 in Kentucky, capturing the $500,000 Turf Classic by three-quarters of a length over Beach Patrol on Saturday, he could be headed to England.

The partnership that owns Yoshida – the China Horse Club, WinStar Farm, and Head of Plains Partners – is keen to race Yoshida in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, the traditional first race of the Royal Ascot meet, and Yoshida did nothing Saturday to dissuade his connections from taking that trip.

Whipping up alongside Beach Patrol midway around the far turn, Yoshida ($21.60) and jockey Jose Ortiz got nearly a length in front of Beach Patrol turning for home and then held clear a typically gritty response from the Turf Classic favorite.

Yoshida, trained by Bill Mott, was a very talented 3-year-old of 2017, capping his campaign with a win Oct. 7 in the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes. This was the first start of his 4-year-old season, and Yoshida appears to have improved with age and maturity. Mott said Yoshida had been considered for the Opening Verse Stakes here Thursday, but the Turf Classic felt like a better option.

“He had a layup and the winter off, and he’s come back strong,” Mott said. “We thought he was fit enough and the right quality to go into the Grade 1.”

Yoshida had turned in a dazzling performance in winning the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes last spring over a wet Pimlico course, and neither Mott nor Ortiz had concerns about the Churchill turf turned yielding by persistent rain.

As Shining Copper was sent out to lead, tracked by Beach Patrol, who got over from an outside draw, Yoshida took up a midpack position, just where Ortiz wanted to be. Ortiz said his horse bobbled a couple times around the first turn but generally traveled smoothly as Shining Copper set splits of 24.86 and 50.61 seconds. Racing outside and up to third position at the half-mile pole, Yoshida waited for Ortiz’s cue, and did not have to wait long.

“I know I got a nice horse underneath me, so at the three-furlong, I went after [Beach Patrol],” Ortiz said. “It was easy fractions early, so I went after him and made it a two-horse race.”

As Yoshida made his move, Joel Rosario on Beach Patrol was forced to go, too, but by the time Beach Patrol got fully engaged, Yoshida already had the jump. Beach Patrol, likened to a pit bull by trainer Chad Brown earlier this week, dug in for a fight but never could get back on terms.

“I had a perfect trip,” Rosario said, “and he gave me everything he has. He tried hard. I tried to move on with [Yoshida], but he had too much horse. He was fighting hard; he just doesn’t want to get beat.”

Beach Patrol, the 8-5 favorite, comfortably beat everyone else in the race, finishing three lengths in front of Synchrony, who was last down the backside and tried to make a run at the top two in upper stretch but couldn’t sustain it over the laboring course. After Synchrony came Arklow, Channel Maker, Editore, Camelot Kitten, Kurilov, and Shining Copper. Deauville was a late scratch about 90 minutes before the race. The time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:54.64, a very slow clocking indicative of the testing condition, but it earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

Yoshida was bred by Northern Farm and is a son of Heart’s Cry and the Canadian Frontier mare Hilda’s Passion. Elliott Walden, president and chief executive of racing operations for WinStar, said he and bloodstock agent Tom Ryan traveled to Japan for a yearling sale in 2015, the first time Walden had made such a trip. At the sale, Walden discovered and purchased Yoshida.

“We just decided to go over there and look for some new blood,” Walden said.

Mott, asked to compare Yoshida to some of the elite turf horses he’s trained – Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Tourist is the most recent – didn’t hold back his hopes for this obviously talented horse. “It’s nice to have another one in the barn,” he said.

The Royal Ascot trip hasn’t been entirely finalized, but if Yoshida comes out of this race well, he seems very likely to make the trip. The flight that would take Yoshida to England originates in nearby Indianapolis, so Mott is considering leaving Yoshida with his Churchill string rather than taking him back to New York to prepare for the June 19 Queen Anne. Tepin shipped from the U.S. to win the 2016 Queen Anne, a straight-course mile over an undulating horse. It’s much too soon to compare Yoshida to the great Tepin – maybe by year’s end, that won’t seem rash.