T O Elvis Win Huge Step for Japanese Racing in America

It may have been early in the morning in Japan May 3, just before 6 a.m., but that did not keep the Japanese racing industry from witnessing history. Tuning in to Churchill Downs, where it was still May 2, for the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1), they watched as T O Elvis became the first Japanese-trained horse to win an American grade 1 dirt sprint. An easy way to determine that the win was well viewed in Japan would be by looking at the phone of Yuya Kado, an assistant for trainer Daisuke Takayanagi tasked with caring for and riding T O Elvis in the mornings while in the United States. "I received hundreds and hundreds of messages last night," Kado said Sunday morning in comments translated by another Takayanagi assistant, Yuto Kumagai, as he prepared T O Elvis to board the van to Chicago, where he will catch a flight back home May 4 alongside stablemate Wonder Dean (JPN), who was eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Japan has become a big player in several international racing festivals within the last decade, specifically showing up in force for the Saudi Cup (G1) and Dubai World Cup (G1) cards. However, their participation in America has been limited, and when they do run, it typically is in either the Breeders' Cup or the Kentucky Derby—a race they have participated in for six of the last eight years, only missing 2020-21 when travel was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Takayanagi is proving to be a trailblazer in this regard. When saddling T O Password (JPN) to finish fifth in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, he also flew over T O Saint Denis (JPN) to compete a day earlier in the Alysheba Stakes (G2), where he ran a strong second. Doing one better this time, and at the very top level against a field of promising American runners, Kado believes it will make a big impact. "It was the first time to win an American sprint race for a Japanese-trained horse," Kado said. "It was so good for the Japanese racing industry. We showed Japanese horses can do it in America in a sprint race. We are confident." That confidence builds upon other recent successes by Japanese runners in America. In 2021, Japan won its first two Breeders' Cup events when Loves Only You (JPN) took the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) and Marche Lorraine (JPN) won the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). In 2024, Forever Young (JPN) narrowly missed winning the Kentucky Derby when third and returned to the States in 2025 to win the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Kate Hunter is an American representative in Japan for racetracks and companies such as Churchill Downs and Breeders' Cup that facilitate getting horses from Japan to America's top races. "For getting horses to come over for these races outside the Breeders' Cup or Kentucky Derby, I think this win was absolutely phenomenal," Hunter said. "The same way that Forever Young's performance got people really excited about the opportunity to still win the Derby, and Marche Lorraine and Loves Only You got the fire started in the Breeders' Cup, I really do believe that this will help." There are many regulatory challenges to bringing a horse to the U.S. from Japan, and those regulations can make stabling a horse here for long periods of time costly. However, the right horse can make it all worth it. T O Elvis earned $530,100 for his victory, but he also earned something much more valuable: a grade 1 triumph. The Japan Racing Association primarily focuses on turf racing, offering only two internationally-recognized group 1 dirt races each year: the 1,600-meter (about 1-mile) February Stakes (G1) in February and the 1,800-meter (about 1 1/8-mile) Champions Cup (G1) in December. For the dirt sprint division, there are only three group races: the 1,400-meter (about 7-furlong) Negishi Stakes (G3) in February, 1,400-meter Tokai Stakes (G3) in July, and the 1,200-meter (about 6-furlong) Capella Stakes (G3), which T O Elvis won last year, in December. The National Association of Racing, which has a stronger focus on dirt, is set to begin offering internationally-recognized group races in 2028 at its tracks, but Hunter said which of its races will maintain group 1 status is currently unknown. Winning a grade 1 in America by a dominant 3 1/4 lengths has made T O Elvis a more valuable stallion prospect for owner Tomoya Ozasa. That result could prove appealing to future owners and trainers considering a trip to the United States. "There are so many great grade 1 races in America that fit into a Japanese calendar in ways that their own pattern doesn't really fit at the moment," Hunter said. "Hopefully, this will be the beginning of—a couple years down the line, when we get some more government regulations eased a little bit—that you could see Japanese participation become more of a regular thing across the country. That's the dream." Hunter said that Japanese horsemen are always looking for races that fit their horse, but also looking for fun challenges to pursue, which has led to so much of their international success. Connections had been considering a trip to Royal Ascot in June following the race in Kentucky, but after seeing how well T O Elvis stacked up against the American competition, the plan has changed to return to Japan and focus on a return to the U.S. for the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). "They had a lot of faith in this horse, so they were trying to think about not only options that might fit him, but also fun and exciting options," Hunter said. "The Japanese are risk takers. They race their horses a little bit longer. … It's cool when you see them make those plans, but it's also cool when the horse can help you convince them to stay on a Breeders' Cup path." Typically, the top horses in Japan take off from racing during the summer heat, and that's what Kumagai said would be the plan for both T O Elvis and Wonder Dean. T O Elvis could make his pre-Breeders' Cup start in Japan, but Kumagai said another option could be accompanying Forever Young to New York in September. Forever Young's team has the Sept. 18 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on opening day of the new Belmont Park on their list of possibilities, and T O Elvis could tag along to participate in a sprint race that weekend. The New York Racing Association has not yet publicly released its stakes schedule for Belmont's fall meet. T O Elvis had a successful homecoming, having been bred in Kentucky by Jeff and Melissa Prunzik. Kado said that the team, and T O Elvis, learned a lot from this U.S. experience that will only benefit them in their return this fall. "He has a good mind," Kado said. "He didn't care that it was a new country or track. It gives us confidence for the Breeders' Cup to bring him here. The American race is always fast, so that suits him as well. He loves it here."