A shift back to a clockwise track proved pivotal to Natural Rise as he returned to form with a slashing victory in the Jpn2 Keihin Hai (1700m) at Oi Racecourse, setting up his bid for the Japanese Dirt Triple Crown beginning with next month’s Jpn1 Haneda Hai (1800m).
A six-length winner on debut over 1700m at Sapporo in July, the Keizi Ito-trained Natural Rise narrowly won the Cattleya Stakes (1600m) – the first race in Japan’s Road to the Kentucky Derby – at Tokyo in November.
That win saw him sent out as 1.4 favourite for the Jpn1 Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (1600m) at Kawasaki in December – a race that had been won by future Kentucky Derby runners Derma Sotogake and Forever Young the previous two years – but he could only manage fourth to filly Myriad Love.
Ito identified the left-hand turns of Tokyo and Kawasaki as potentially being the issue with the quirky Natural Rise, while he also had his head turned as the gates opened in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun and overraced at stages.
“The horse had already shown his ability before, but he could not win at Kawasaki as he just wasn’t comfortable in that race,” Ito said. “It was a frustrating experience. The horse took some time off after that run and regrouped and I think today he was able to run to his potential. Currently he is much better going right-handed and he also didn’t have the same issues coming out of the starting gate.”
A well-supported 1.9 favourite to bounce back in the Keihin Hai, Natural Rise broke evenly and was hustled along by jockey Takeshi Yokoyama to get into a forward position behind a hot tempo set by Riko Sparrow. When the pace slackened down the back, he did again start to overrace and it proved difficult for Yokoyama to bring him back underneath him.
While that would have proven too much to overcome for some horses, that wasn’t the case for Natural Rise. The son of Kizuna also handled kickback well on the corner as Riko Sparrow came right back in his face while other horses moved up to his outside.
When he was able to switch over the leader’s heels on the apex of the final turn, he at first drifted sharply to the right. Once he went straight, though, he exploded clear.
At the line, the JRA representative had six lengths on his NAR rival Riko Sparrow with another three and a half lengths to Night Of Fire – also an NAR horse – in third.
“Since the starting position is close to the first turn, I thought no matter what I had to get to the lead early,” Yokoyama said. “Maybe because of this he was too keen initially, but he settled well afterwards. His acceleration down the straight was also superb.
“This horse can still achieve a lot more. He was really good in the straight, but he still felt a little bit green when he drifted to the right.”
Trainer Ito added this: “We corrected his issues coming out of the starting gate before this race, we trained him to be quick out of the gates and not to raise his head. The horse is very clever, as he knows how to be patient and is eager to run when he is asked to.
“As his trainer, I would like to make him easier to control in the future. Not just in a race but on the training track, as he exerts himself a lot whenever he is on the track. The horse is lightly raced and I think he can still improve a lot.”
Once Natural Rise’s aversion to left-handed tracks became apparent, the Kentucky Derby and the American Triple Crown were quickly ruled out.
However, the introduction of the Japanese Dirt Triple Crown last year – which begins with the Haneda Hai on April 29, continues with the Jpn1 Tokyo Derby (2000m) on June 11 and concludes with the Jpn1 Japan Dirt Classic (2000m) on October 8 – has given Natural Rise a lucrative target for the rest of his three-year-old campaign.
Natural Rise gains an automatic berth in the Haneda Hai alongside fifth-placed Amazing as the top two JRA finishers, while Riko Sparrow and Night Of Fire also earn spots as the top two NAR finishers.
Last year’s Keihin Hai runner-up Ammothyella went on to finish second in the Haneda Hai behind Amante Bianco ∎
