It's been a year on the calendar and many miles in the air since Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior journeyed to Japan to win the 2024 Yasuda Kinen (G1) as the favorite, relegating Soul Rush to third.
And a lot has changed as the 2025 edition, a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In event for the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), looms June 8 at Tokyo Racecourse.
Notably, Soul Rush turned the tables on Romantic Warrior when the two met again in April in the Dubai Turf (G1T) at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. In both of those meetings, Romantic Warrior seized the lead in the late going. In the Yasuda Kinen, he held on. In Dubai, he missed by a head in a driving finish.
Now, Romantic Warrior is back in Hong Kong, recovering from what's been described as minor surgery. Soul Rush is back home and ready to improve on last year's results. The 7-year-old son of Rulership also is looking for his first-ever win over the Tokyo course, where he's 0-for-6.
Soul Rush has been a model of consistency in the past year. After the Yasuda Kinen and a summer break, he finished second in the Fuji Stakes (G2), won the Mile Championship (G1), and finished second to multiple group 1 winner Voyage Bubble in the Hong Kong Mile (G1). He prepped for Dubai with a third in the Nakayama Kinen (G2).
"He just seems to continue getting better, as we saw when he beat Romantic Warrior," trainer Yasutoshi Ikee said after drawing gate 13 in a field of 18. "This past year has been great for him ... He hasn't won the Yasuda Kinen yet and a win at Tokyo would be good when it comes to his career at stud."
The opposition might take heart at Soul Rush's layoff since Dubai and record of futility over the left-handed Tokyo course. And a few seem capable of taking advantage.
Jantar Mantar, a 4-year-old son of Palace Malice, has two grade 1 wins at the mile distance from just seven career starts—the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1) in 2023 at Hanshin and the NHK Mile Cup (G1) at Tokyo in May of 2024. He followed that with a perplexing failure in the Hong Kong Mile and hasn't raced since.
"He finished 13th last time in the Hong Kong Mile, and we couldn't come up with a reason for that performance," said trainer Tomokazu Takano. After getting the 10 gate, he added, "He's stretched out well in training and has put in a good effort, with times to match, so I think he's back to where he should be."
Sixpence, a 4-year-old by Kizuna, brings a sparkling record of five wins from seven starts. The issue there is, the two defeats came in his only group 1 starts and found him ninth in the 2024 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) and seventh in his last start, the Osaka Hai (G1) April 6 at Hanshin Racecourse.
Those following jockeys will note Christophe Lemaire is booked to ride Sixpence and starts from the inside stall. Suguru Hamanaka rides Soul Rush and Yuga Kawada partners Jantar Mantar.
The winner of the Yasuda Kinen gets the free bid to the Breeders' Cup Mile on the Del Mar grass Nov. 1. Soul Rush, however, already has that ticket in his travel kit thanks to the Dubai victory. The benefits are one to a customer.
