Pharoah colt moves to front of Japan road to Kentucky Derby

Luxor Café, an American Pharoah colt who was sent off as an odds-on favorite Sunday, moved to the front of the Japan road to Kentucky Derby 2025 with his 1 1/4-length win in the US$236,097 Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse.

Ridden by Australia-based Rachel King for trainer Noriyuki Hori, Luxor Café (4-5) was a close fifth through the first quarter of the race that began with 130 yards on turf before joining the fast dirt track for the rest of the one-turn mile.

King settled Luxor Café as far as five lengths behind in sixth place. Vilja Lied (18-1), one of two fillies in the race, was allowed to establish soft early fractions of 23.6 and 48.8 seconds without a run-up.

Wheeling out of the left turn, the 10 3-year-olds were tightly bunched. Vilja Lied, Danon Figo (25-1), Ecoro Azel (89-1) and Don in the Mood (57-1) were spread across the track in that order from inside out with less than a length separating them. Luxor Café was stalking outside in fifth.

In the process of circling the field, Luxor Café began to make his move coming down the 500-yard homestretch. Vilja Lied led through three-quarters of a mile in 1:14.1 but was starting to fade. Racing five wide, Luxor Café caught the leaders with about 300 yards to go as Don in the Mood moved forward into second.

In the deep stretch, the other filly Promised Gene (9-1) made a late charge down the middle of the track as she tried to make up for her poor start, but it was too late for her to change the outcome.

Luxor Café’s winning time was 1:37.6 for the 1,600 meters, 10 yards short of a mile. In the U.S. he paid $3.60, $2.90 and $2.20. Promised Gene settled for second and returned $6.10 and $4.70. Don in the Mood held for third and paid $13.30. Admire Daytona (13-1) came in fourth and Dragon (9-1) fifth to pick up the rest of the 30-15-12-9-6 Derby points.

Danon Figo, stuck-in-traffic second choice Taisei Dorado (5-2), Vilja Lied, Happy Man (27-1) and Ecoro Azel finished sixth through 10th in that order.

Out of More Than Ready mare Mary’s Follies, Luxor Café is a full brother to two-time Japan Group 1 winner Café Pharoah. Both are owned by Koichi Nishikawa. Luxor Café was bred in Kentucky by Orpendale-Chelston-Wynatt and Westerberg Ireland. His three consecutive wins raised his record to 5: 3-1-0 and his earnings to $135,366.

Luxor Café was among the 373 early nominees to the U.S. Triple Crown. Sunday’s win earned him his first 30 points on the Japan road to the Kentucky Derby, which comes with a maximum of one invitation to the 20-horse field May 3 at Churchill Downs.

The four-race series of Japan points preps ends March 29 with the 1 1/8-mile Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama. That race offers 40-20-12-8-4 points.