Continuar holds to win 1st Japan prep for Kentucky Derby

Lion Race Horse’s Continuar held off the late charge of Mirror of Mind to win the $220,325 Cattleya Sho on Saturday at Tokyo Racecourse.

Trained by Yoshito Yahagi and ridden by Damian Lane, Continuar completed the one mile Cattleya in 1:36.6 with no run-up. His victory was worth 10 points on the Japan road to the Kentucky Derby.

Mirror of Mind, who finished a half-length back in second, was awarded four points while Jasari (three points), 3-1 favorite Plavi (two points) and Francorchamps (one point) completed the top five.

“I think I want to take him to Saudi, then Dubai and then maybe Kentucky,” Yahagi said.

The Feb. 25 Saudi Derby (G3) is not a Kentucky Derby points race, although the UAE Derby (G2) on March 25 offers 100-40-30-20-10 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby, commensurate with major final preps in the United States.

Continuar is by Drefong, the American champion sprinter of 2016. At 3.9-1 Continuar was the second choice in the Japanese wagering pool. His victory improves his career record to 3: 2-1-0. He won a 2-year-old newcomer race over a sloppy Hanshin track on Oct. 8 and finished second behind Derma Sotogake in the Mochinoki Sho on Nov. 6 at Hanshin.

The next stop on the Japan road to the Kentucky Derby is the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun held on Dec. 14 at Kawasaki, which offers 20-8-6-4-2 points to its top five finishers. The series continues with the Hyacinth (30-12-9-6-3) at Tokyo on Feb. 19, and concludes with the Fukuryu (40-16-12-8-4) at Nakayama on March 25.