Japanese colt Lani has real shot in Derby, if he's in the mood
Katie Lamb will be providing preview content for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes for theScore this season. Katie's horse-racing coverage has appeared in The New York Times and the Toronto Star.
The Kentucky Derby is undeniably America’s horse race. In every one of its 141 renditions, never has a horse raced exclusively outside of the United States and won. But this year, a striking colt named Lani represents Japan’s great gray hope.
Should Lani contest in the Derby, he will be only the second Japanese horse to run in the race. Sky Captain was the first, in 1995, and finished 14th.
The popularity of horse racing in Japan is unprecedented: in 2013, it was reported that $30 billion U.S. was bet on horse races in Japan, triple of what was bet on American racing. The Japanese represent some of the deepest-pocketed buyers at American thoroughbred auctions, as well.
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Lani has taken a somewhat unbeaten path just to get to Louisville for the first Saturday in May. After racing his first five races in Japan, the 3-year-old son of Tapit traveled to Dubai to contest in the $2-million UAE Derby at Medan Racecourse on March 26. Despite a bad stumble at the start, he won, earning a coveted spot in the starting gate in Saturday’s Derby.
After the race in Dubai, Lani continued onward toward Churchill Downs, traveling to Arlington Park near Chicago, where he was quarantined and then vanned to Louisville on April 3.
After his effort in the UAE Derby, there is no doubt Lani is plenty talented. He also has one of the best pedigrees in the field, according to racing insiders, a nod to Japan’s concerted effort to become a global powerhouse in thoroughbred racing. Lani’s dam is Heavenly Romance. She was a successful runner in Japan and her sire is 1989 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Sunday Silence.
However, since arriving in Louisville, Lani, owned by Koji Maeda and trained by Mikio Matsunga, has proven to be a handful, leaving onlookers scratching their heads. On April 20, Lani refused to put any effort into what was supposed to be a scheduled workout over the Churchill track. His time was 1:06, so slow that it was barely able to be officially documented as a public workout. A week later, the colt, who his connections admit has a mind of his own, only felt compelled to hit high gear for three furlongs of what was meant to be another five-furlong move.
His regular jockey, Yutaka Take, a legend in Japanese racing, flew in for the workout and will ride the mercurial colt on Saturday.
"His temperament is that he is not willing to run always,” Take said. “If he does (want to run), he has a big chance (in the Derby).”
On May 3, though, Lani seemed to have his mind in the game, working five furlongs in 1:01, the third-fasted recorded workout at that distance of 18 others.
To be competitive on Saturday, Lani will have to pull it together in front of more than 150,000 spectators. Despite his antics, Matsunga remains optimistic that the colt can make Japan’s dream come true.
“I know it is extremely difficult to have a horse in this race,” he said. “Not only do I have a runner, but one with a good chance.”