The second leg of the Japanese Dirt Triple Crown, the ¥172,750,000 (approx. US$1.19 million) Tokyo Derby, will be conducted at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) on Oi Racecourse's dirt track June 11.
Sixteen runners have declared to run by the final entry stage June 8, with the likely favorite being Natural Rise who was bred by Yoshihiro Ito's Grand Stud.
Dreamwriter, second dam of Natural Rise, is a half sister to Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and Breeders' Futurity (G1) winner Carpe Diem and Breeder's Futurity winner J. B.'s Thunder. She was bought by Grand Stud through Narvick International for $285 000 at the 2015 Fasig Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale.
Dreamwriter's first Japanese foal, the Distorted Humor filly Lady Maddona, won two races in Japan. By Kizuna, Natural Rise is the first foal out of Lady Madonna.
Natural Rise was bought at the foal session of the 2022 Japan Racing Horse Association Select Sale by Hiroyuki Yoshioka for ¥33 million (approx. US$244,445 at exchange rate on sales day). Trained by Keizo Ito at Miho Training Center, Natural Rise has started five times and won four of them including the Haneda Hai—the first leg of Dirt Triple Crown—at Oi April 29 by five lengths.
Natural Rise breezed for six furlongs in 1:06.3 with Takeshi Yokoyama in the irons on the woodchip track in Miho Training Center June 6.
