The Japanese Dirt Triple Crown is set to win out over the American Triple Crown for Janadriyah after the three-year-old cemented his place in the rich NAR series with victory in the JPN3 Kumotori Sho (1800m) at Oi Racecourse on Wednesday.
Sent off as the 1.6 favourite, the Ryo Takei-trained Janadriyah raced clear for a two-length win over Gran Giorno under Christophe Lemaire. It was the champion jockey’s first win on the NAR circuit in five years and first at the inner Tokyo track since Gold Dream – the sire of both Janadriyah and Gran Giorno – took out the JPN1 Teio Sho (2000m) in 2018.
“I’ve been trying hard to get another NAR win in the past five years but I just couldn’t get one,” Lemaire said. “This horse is still learning, especially at the start and he reacted slowly when the gates opened. However, he was able to get into a good position quickly after that and he had a nice turn-of-foot late. I rode him to win a newcomer race at Niigata in August and he has improved a lot since then, he is more focused now.
“I’m looking forward to riding this horse during the spring and I hope that I can win again at Oi this year.”
Janadriyah, named for a cultural and heritage festival in Riyadh each year, could easily have found himself in the Middle East and aiming at Saturday’s G3 Saudi Derby (1600m). Instead, Takei – who welcomed his first JRA Group 1 winner last year when Urban Chic won the Kikuka Sho – decided the Kumotori Sho would be a better springboard to bigger races.
While Janadriyah is registered for the American Triple Crown, including the Kentucky Derby, Takei says he is more likely to target the new Japanese Dirt Triple Crown, which begins with the JPN1 Haneda Hai over 1800m back at Oi Racecourse on April 24. It continues with the JPN1 Tokyo Derby over 2000m on June 11 and concludes on October 8 with the JPN1 Japan Dirt Classic over that same distance.
“We’ve now got the berth to the Haneda Hai, so depending on what the owner says and how the horse comes through this race, I think the horse will go to the Japanese Dirt Triple Crown series,” Takei said. “Last year, I also had a horse (Habire) running in the Haneda Hai and Tokyo Derby, but he couldn’t win, so this year I have high hopes that I can win those races with Janadriyah.
“Although the horse has just raced three times, he has been able to win them all. While these are certainly good results so early in his career, as a trainer I think he can still perform better in the future. While the horse appears as though he will be a middle-distance horse on dirt, he looks superb in all aspects. He has power and sustainable speed and he is mentally strong as well. He’s an exciting horse.
“He is performing well at 1800m, which he will need to do again in the Haneda Hai, but I think he will be even better suited at 2000m. I want to win the Tokyo Derby with him – that is his perfect race.”
Last year’s Kumotori Sho runner-up Amante Bianco went on to win the Haneda Hai, while the other two legs of the Japanese Dirt Triple Crown were won by horses contesting the G1 Saudi Cup on Saturday – Ramjet (Tokyo Derby) and Forever Young (Japan Dirt Classic) ∎
