Odds on favorite Just a Way did not disappoint the crowd who gathered to watch the Dubai Duty Free champion and world’s number one ranked horse in capturing this year’s Yasuda Kinen. Held over soft going after days of heavy rain, the Heart’s Cry horse clinched the title by a nose, extending his winning streak to four beginning with the 2013 Tenno Sho (Autumn), and notched his third G1 and fifth grade-race victory. Trainer Naosuke Sugai celebrates his eighth JRA G1 victory after dominating the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies with Red Reveur (JPN) last December. Substituting for suspended regular jockey Yuichi Fukunaga, 47-year-old Yoshitomi Shibata has now captured nine JRA G1 titles, his last being the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup with Rainbow Dahlia (JPN). Including the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner Nuovo Record (JPN) and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) victor One and Only (JPN), Heart’s Cry offspring have now marked G1 titles three weeks in a row.

With the exception of Fiero who stumbled out of the gate, the race broke smoothly at the mouth of the backstretch as three-year-old colt Mikki Isle was hustled to the front with 2011 champion Real Impact and Danon Shark pressing the pace. Shibata kept Just a Way reserved in mid-pack in between Grandezza and Grand Prix Boss up to the final turn, and entered the stretch down the center lane. While Mikki Isle, Glorious Days and Danon Shark fought for the lead up front, Grand Prix Boss and Just a Way, a fraction behind, dug deep and came through the crowded field, passing Glorious Days and Danon Shark that tired from their early efforts in the final furlong. In a furious duel over the last 100 meters, Just a Way finally pinned his battle mate at the wire to narrowly win by a nostril in a breathtaking photo finish.

Breaking between the winner and runner-up, Shonan Mighty traveled near the rear before threading his way to an opening near the rails in his stretch drive, picking off Danon Shark 50 meters out for third, while too late to threaten the winners and clearing the wire three lengths behind.

Hong Kong contender Glorious Days, sitting in sixth to seventh and three-wide, entered the stretch in good position for the final attack and fought beside Grand Prix Boss for the lead briefly before the furlong pole, but ran out of steam climbing the hill falling short in making the board to register sixth, his personal best in his three Yasuda Kinen challenges.

“I really have no excuse… the track is a little bit too soft for him. Especially as he was passing the 700 meters, he didn’t get the feeling of the track—it started to get very slippery. We had a nice gap as we turned for home where if he was good enough he could have passed through, but I’m not disappointed with the horse although obviously I came here to win but it wasn’t his day and I am looking forward to next time,” commented Joao Moreira. John Size also said, “I was very happy with the beginning of the race and how they traveled throughout the race. Approaching the 700 he started to feel the ground and started to lose his footing, and by using the energy to actually maintain the rhythm he got tired the last 100. But I don’t think he could have done any better. They had a beautiful trip, he was in the right lane and the right part of the track and so he’s got no excuses—he just wasn’t as good as those horses on that day on that ground.”

Other Horses:
5th: (17) World Ace—traveled wide besides runner-up, responded in stretch but too late
7th: (15) Sadamu Patek—raced wide towards rear, showed effort but unable to reach contention
8th: (13) Fiero—stumbled out of gate, sat near rear, made up ground but lacked needed kick
9th: (3) Curren Black Hill—hugged rail in front group, came up empty into straight
10th: (14) Clarente—prominent early three wide, early move into straight, pushed wider, used up
11th: (1) Grandezza—saved ground mid-pack, unable to sustain bid in last 200 meters
12th: (5) Extra End—trailed field, mild effort from inside at straight, outrun in last furlong
13th: (4) Real Impact—chased leader in second, used up soon entering straight
14th: (16) Tosen Ra—chased pace outside in eighth, wider into lane and lost too much ground
15th: (7) Whale Capture—second from last, wide into stretch, did not fire
16th: (8) Mikki Isle—made pace, used up 300 meters out and faded
17th: (2) Red Spada—saved ground around seventh, outrun after 400 meter pole