Japan is close to producing its first Kentucky Derby winner. Is this the year?

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Two sons of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will be in the starting gate for Saturday’s 151st running of the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby.

The path to one of them being set to contest this year’s Run for the Roses has been anything but ordinary.

The horse in question is Luxor Cafe, who will start Saturday’s Derby from post position No. 6.

Trained by Noriyuki Hori and to be ridden by Joao Moreira, Luxor Cafe qualified for this year’s Kentucky Derby via the Japanese qualification pathway. Luxor Cafe actually won two races as part of the Japan Road to the Derby, most notably the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse on March 29, as he dominated that Derby prep race (which features right turns instead of lefts) by 5 lengths.

This marked Luxor Cafe’s fourth straight win entering the Kentucky Derby.

Plenty of attention has been placed on Luxor Cafe because of his form and pedigree. He will be one of three horses in the 2025 Derby field — along with American Promise (Justify) and Publisher (also American Pharoah) — who are the sons of Triple Crown winners.

But this isn’t the first time that a son of American Pharoah has found success in Japan. Back in 2020, Cafe Pharoah — a full brother to Luxor Cafe — won that year’s Japanese qualification series for the Kentucky Derby. But, Cafe Pharoah didn’t compete in that year’s Derby, which was delayed from May to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now a few years later, Luxor Cafe is more than ready for his turn in the Derby spotlight as an accomplished Japanese runner.

“I think the pedigree is a big thing when it comes to these horses, and the way that they’ve developed,” Scott Hazelton, a horse racing host and reporter for FanDuel TV who also has broadcast duties at Keeneland, told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “Getting horses in Japan ready for races like the Derby, it obviously starts with the breeding.”

Luxor Cafe is a contender to win the 2025 Kentucky Derby

As a son of American Pharoah, it’s not a surprise that Luxor Cafe was bred in the commonwealth. Luxor Cafe was foaled in February 2022 at Ashford Stud in Versailles. He was bred by the Coolmore-affiliated Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt and Westerberg Ireland. He’s a son of American Pharoah and Mary’s Follies, who is a More Than Ready mare.

While he didn’t win a Triple Crown like American Pharoah, More Than Ready wasn’t a slouch during his 3-year-old racing season in 2000. That year, More Than Ready ran second in the Louisiana Derby, second in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and fourth in the Kentucky Derby. Later that year, he won the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga.

After starting his life in Kentucky, Luxor Cafe went international. All six of Luxor Cafe’s races have been run in Japan.

His owner is Koichi Nishikawa, the chairman at Times Mobility Networks Co. and the executive president and representative director at Park24 Co., which are involved in the Japanese transportation industry. This will be Nishikawa’s first Derby as an owner.

Saturday will also mark the Kentucky Derby debuts for Luxor Cafe’s trainer, the 57-year-old Hori, and jockey, Moreira.

A 41-year-old Brazilian, Moreira is based in Hong Kong for his riding duties. His first trip aboard Luxor Cafe came in that impressive Fukuryu Stakes victory.

“It’s like a dream coming true,” Moreira — who is nicknamed the Magic Man — said of making his Kentucky Derby debut.

Japanese horses have now proven themselves enough in the Kentucky Derby to receive plenty of legitimate pre-race buzz.

That’s happening again this year with the two Japanese runners, Luxor Cafe and Admire Daytona. And wouldn’t you know it, the two horses have been paired next to each other in the starting gate.

Admire Daytona — the winner of the UAE Derby and the only horse in this year’s Kentucky Derby who was born in Japan — will leave from post position No. 5 and was assigned morning line odds of 30-1.

Luxor Cafe — whose name references an Egyptian city because of his sire — will depart next to him from post position No. 6. He was 15-1 on the morning line. That’s a post position with plenty of precedent for producing Derby winners.

It’s also worth noting that Luxor Cafe has two head-to-head wins over Admire Daytona on his résumé. Luxor Cafe won the Hyacinth Stakes in February as Admire Daytona finished fourth. Luxor Cafe also beat Admire Daytona in a maiden race in November in Tokyo.

Japan’s best showing in the Kentucky Derby came last year, when Forever Young became the first horse from Japan to finish in the money in the Run for the Roses. Forever Young finished third as part of a historic three-way photo finish at the wire to determine the Derby outcome.

Furthermore, that showing made Forever Young the first horse on record to finish in the top three in the Kentucky Derby after running only on foreign soil before the Derby.

“With as well as they performed last year with Forever Young, you’ve got to take these two (Japanese) horses seriously,” Hazelton, the horse racing analyst, said. “... They’re going to get a lot of attention, and rightfully so, because their program has just ramped up big time over the last 10, 20 years. Especially in recent years, in relationship to the Derby and big stages like the Breeders’ Cup.”

“There’s a lot of people that feel there’s going to be a year in which, in our lifetime, we see a Japanese horse come over here and win the Kentucky Derby,” he added.

Whether Luxor Cafe is the horse to deliver that Derby triumph for Japan is something that’ll be decided Saturday night.

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