Wonder Dean, runner-up Six Speed, both Kentucky Derby-bound
Wonder Dean, Japan’s latest 3-year-old star, took the lead from Six Speed with just over 100 meters to go and won the $1 million UAE Derby (G2) at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, earning an invitation to the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs on May 2.
As the final race on the Euro-Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby, the 1 1 3/16-mile UAE Derby was worth 100-60-30-15-10 qualifying points to the top five finishers.
With 100 points for the 2 ½-length victory, Wonder Dean, who returned $18 on a $2 wager, finishes the series on top with 106 points. Runner-up Six Speed, a Kentucky-bred trained by Dubai-based Bhupart Seemar, added 60 points and finished second on the Euro-Mideast road to the Derby (with 80 total points), also earning an invitation to the Kentucky Derby.
Japan has another Kentucky Derby contender
And once again, Japan will have a chance at winning the Kentucky Derby for the first time as trainer Daisuke Takayanagi said after the race: “Yes, of course (we will go). We will go directly to America from here.
“Wonder Dean is developing physically and mentally all the time, and I am very excited about what he can do in the future.”
Japan-based horses have now won the UAE Derby five years in a row. Kentucky Derby success has eluded them so far, but they’re getting closer. Two years ago, superstar Forever Young won the UAE Derby and finished third in a three-horse photo at Churchill Downs, the best finish for a Japan-based horse. Last year, UAE Derby winner Admiral Daytona finished 19th and last in the Kentucky Derby.
Wonder Dean, ridden by Cristian Demuro, has a victory in four starts in Japan, then finished fourth in the Saudi Derby (G3) in February.
“Everything went well. The ground suited him,’’ Takayanagi said through a translator.
The trainer has been to the Derby before, sending out T O Password, who finished fifth in 2024. “I believe he’ll run well at Churchill Downs, the trainer added.
“I had a dream run around,” Demuro said. “I was able to ride him how I wanted, and although he didn’t have too much cover, he came there so easily and then really picked up well.
“If I am asked to ride in the Kentucky Derby, it would be a first and a wonderful experience.”
Six Speed is also Kentucky Derby-bound
Seemar also plans to send Six Speed, a winner of three straight before Saturday, to Louisville.
“He just didn’t stay,” Seemar said. “He doesn’t help himself. He’s got so much speed, but he needs to learn to relax. The plan is to go to the Kentucky Derby next.”
The UAE Derby is part of the $30 million Dubai World Cup, which later featured the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1), a race in which Forever Young is the strong favorite to win for the second year in a row and become horse-racing’s all-time money earner.
Pyromancer was third, Brotherly Love fourth, and Devon Island fifth in the 11-horse field.
Kentucky Derby field limited to 20 starters
The Derby field is limited to 20 starters. If both Wonder Dean and Six Speed are headed to Churchill Downs, and the winner of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby series accepts an invitation, that leaves 17 more available berths remaining on the U.S. road to the Derby series.
Japan’s UAE Derby winners from 2022-2026, with Kentucky Derby result in parentheses:
2026: Wonder Dean (?)
2025: Admiral Daytona (19th)
2024: Forever Young (3rd)
2023: Derma Sotogake (6th)
2022: Crown Pride (13th)
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
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