Video: BC Classic hopefuls finish 2nd, 5th in final Japan prep

Ushba Tesoro finished a hard-charging second, and Derma Sotogake settled for fifth Wednesday in their final Japan prep race before they return to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Grade 2-winning 6-year-old William Barows (7-1) led from gate to wire in the US$279,130 Hai Stakes, a special-weight race for 3-year-olds and up going about 1 1/8 miles at Funabashi on Japan’s second-level racing circuit.

Odds-on favorite Ushba Tesoro (2-5), trained by Noboru Takagi, ridden by Yuga Kawada and carrying the top weight of 128 pounds, settled in mid-pack in the field of 13. A wide move around the second turn put the 7-year-old Orfèvre horse into a clear path to pick off rivals. He still was making up ground when William Barows crossed the finish line first by one length.

Derma Sotogake (5-2), trained by Hidetaka Otonashi, stalked the early pace under Christophe Lemaire and raced in second up the backstretch. The 4-year-old Mind Your Biscuits colt maintained his stride keeping an inside path moving through the homestretch but was passed by Meisho Hario (14-1) and Naniwa Sateoki (16-1), who came in third and fourth in that order. Derma Sotogake finished six lengths behind William Barows.

William Barows, trained by Uemura Yoko and ridden by Rusei Sakai, carried 126 pounds. He had a winning time of 1:52.8 without a run-up for the 1,800 meters, about 12 yards short of 1 1/8 miles on the sandy dirt track that was rated good. The early fractions were 23.7, 49.6, 1:14.4 and 1:39.2.

Derma Sotogake, who is owned by Hiroyuki Asamuna, finished second to White Abarrio in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Ushba Tesoro, owned by Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings, was fifth last year at Santa Anita. Both are expected to be entered for this year’s renewal of the $7 million race at Del Mar.