Plans for NHK Mile Cup hero Rodeo Drive are as unsettled as the colt himself. Trainer Tetsuhide Tsuji has made clear he needs to get a handle on his talented but tempestuous three-year-old before mapping out what comes next.
“Nothing has been decided yet regarding the future,” Tsuji said after Sunday’s dramatic photo-finish victory at Tokyo Racecourse. “There are still several difficult aspects to this horse, so we will look into it after resolving those issues.”
Those issues were on display before the race. Tsuji acknowledged the Saturnalia colt “showed some risky behavior before the start” and described him as “still mentally immature.” The stable’s groom managed the situation, but Tsuji is under no illusions about the work ahead.
“If he grows out of those habits, I think we can continue to adjust his training to keep him settled at this distance or even slightly longer ones,” Tsuji said. “I want to consider our options while watching his growth.”
Jockey Damian Lane, who partnered Rodeo Drive for the first time in Sunday’s race, noticed the same edge. He said the colt was “up on his toes a little bit and got a little bit nervous in the paddock” and “a little bit hot getting out on the track, but once he was out there, he was lovely.”
For now, Lane is in no hurry to push the boundaries with him either in terms of travel plans or distance experiments.
“I’m not really sure about trying anything too adventurous with him yet,” Lane said. “I think a mile suits him perfectly for now.”
The cautious tone contrasts with the possibilities the NHK Mile Cup traditionally opens up. The race has been a springboard to the world stage, most notably through El Condor Pasa, who won the 1998 edition before conquering France and finishing second in the 1999 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Admire Mars won the Hong Kong Mile two years on from his NHK Mile Cup victory, while more recently Obamburumai – third in the 2023 renewal – won the $10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill at his very next start. Given Japan’s calendar offers limited Group 1 options at a mile, the NHK Mile Cup winner consistently finds himself pointed offshore sooner or later.
Rodeo Drive has the talent to follow that path. Lane, riding under a short-term license since April 18, described the colt’s ability to sustain his closing speed as what sets him apart from the field.
“He can obviously run fast sectionals for a long time,” Lane said. “That is what all good horses can do, and he showed that he could do that today. There isn’t anything in particular about him that reminds me of any one horse in particular, but just that ability to sustain a really strong run is what makes him special.”
Sunday’s victory, in a time of 1:31.5, was Rodeo Drive’s third win from four starts, all at the mile. He had finished second in the G2 New Zealand Trophy on April 11 before breaking through at the highest level. Lane, who claimed his seventh JRA G1 victory and his first since last year’s Tenno Sho (Spring) aboard Redentor, was generous in his praise.
“I think he’s shown today he’s going to race at Group 1 level for some time to come,” Lane said. “Hopefully he’s not quite at his peak yet and that he continues to win more Group 1s in the future.”
The win was a milestone for Tsuji, who opened his stable in March 2021 and had never previously won at Group 1 level. It was also, in a quiet way, a team effort. Former regular rider Akihide Tsumura, who had won on the colt in a one-win class race and finished second in the New Zealand Trophy, gave way to Lane for the G1 assignment but stayed connected to the camp throughout.
“Tsumura, who rode him until the last race, gave me advice and consulted with me even after it was decided he wouldn’t ride today,” Tsuji said. “I’m not sure if we could have held on to win by a nose without his advice, so I want to thank him as well.”
Tsuji, a Chiba Prefecture native who qualified as a veterinarian at Kitasato University before serving as an assistant trainer under Hirofumi Toda, is now in his seventh year as a trainer. He was characteristically measured about what the win means.
“Opportunities like this don’t come around often for a horse,” he said. “I’m happy we could capitalise on it.” ∎
