Hyacinth Stakes could feature 7 Triple Crown nominees

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby reaches its penultimate stop on Sunday. The third of four qualifying races is the Hyacinth Stakes, slated to take place over 1,600 meters at Tokyo Racecourse.

Final entries and post positions have yet to be drawn, but there are 17 names among the early entries for the Hyacinth, which awards qualifying points to the top four finishers on a 30-12-6-3 basis. Seven of the early entrants have been nominated to the Triple Crown, so there’s a good chance we’ll see one of these runners wind up in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.

Let’s take a quick look at the credentials for the Hyacinth’s seven Triple Crown nominees:

Blitz Fang: It’s easy to understand why Blitz Fang is campaigning on dirt–his sire, Hokko Tarumae, won a combined 10 Group 1 races on the Japan Racing Association (JAR) and National Association of Racing (NAR) circuits in Japan. Blitz Fang kicked off his own career in promising fashion at Chukyo, dominating an 1,800-meter event for first-time starters by seven lengths. Blitz Fang finished fast down the homestretch (sprinting the final 600 meters in 37.5 seconds) and looks to have a world of potential.

Crown Pride: Two starts, two victories. Crown Pride is undefeated and unchallenged so far, winning an 1,800-meter race for newcomers at Chukyo by six lengths before nabbing an 1,800-meter allowance at Hanshin by three lengths. Crown Pride combines tactical speed with a solid finishing kick, but he hasn’t run since November, and the layoff is at least a small question mark.

El Paso: Never a factor in two starts on turf, El Paso has shown much better form on dirt, most notably breaking his maiden over 1,800 meters at Niigata. But El Paso’s first foray on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby produced a non-threatening fifth in the 1,600-meter Cattleya Sho, and a third-place finish in a Jan. 16 allowance over 1,700 meters at Kokura suggests El Paso will need improvement to challenge in the Hyacinth.

Geraldo Barows: Remember Geraldo Barows? The son of Blue Grass (G1) winner Sinister Minister ran a gutsy race in the Cattleya Sho at Tokyo Racecourse last fall, rallying boldly from off the pace to finish third by just half a length. No one finished faster over the final 600 meters (which Geraldo Barrows covered in 36.5 seconds), so Geraldo Barows warrants plenty of respect in the Hyacinth, even while running back for the first time since November.

Line of Soul: The second son of Sinister Minister in the Hyacinth field is Line of Soul, who likewise hasn’t run since the Cattleya Sho. On that occasion, Line of Soul started as a 72-1 long shot and couldn’t match strides with the top contenders down the homestretch, coming home in 37.8 seconds to finish seventh by 7 1/4 lengths. He’ll need improvement to challenge on Sunday.

Osteria: A son of Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Drefong, Osteria displayed the stamina to run long when crushing an 1,800-meter race for newcomers at Hanshin by five lengths. But the final time of 1:57.8 seconds was modest, and Osteria subsequently ran 14th in an 1,800-meter allowance at Chukyo, suggesting Osteria might find the waters a bit deep in the Hyacinth.

Sekifu: One of the most accomplished runners in the Hyacinth field is Sekifu. After winning maiden and allowance events at JAR tracks, Sekifu took his talents to the NAR circuit, where he won the 1,400-meter Hyogo Junior Grand Prix (G2) and finished fourth in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (G1).

The latter race was a Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier, so Sekifu picked up 2 points to rank third among Triple Crown nominees on the current leaderboard. If he bounces back to top form while returning to the JAR circuit, Sekifu can fight for victory.