"This race has a long history" - Excitement around Danon Decile's Juddmonte International bid
Shogo Yasuda, trainer of the Japanese horse Danon Decile, has shared his excitement and optimism as the horse prepares for the prestigious Juddmonte International Stakes. Having recently won the Sheema Classic, Danon Decile is considered a strong contender, showing increased mental maturity, which Yasuda believes will suit the demands of the race. Despite the competition from European favorites, Yasuda is confident in Danon's prospects, aiming to make history as the first Japanese horse to win this esteemed UK race, which would significantly boost its career profile.
- Shogo Yasuda is optimistic about Danon Decile's chances in the Juddmonte International Stakes
- Danon Decile recently won the Sheema Classic and is showing increased maturity
- Yasuda aims for Danon Decile to become the first Japanese horse to win the race
Shogo Yasuda has spoken of his excitement ahead of Danon Decile's appearance in the Juddmonte International Stakes.
Japanese horses have travelled to York for the Juddmonte International Stakes several times down the years. Last year, Durezza secured Japan's best finish in this historic contest, when finishing fifth behind impressive winner, City Of Troy.
Japan's leading hope this year is Danon Decile, trained by Shogo Yasuda. With Keita Tosaki in the saddle, Danon Decile was last seen scoring in the Sheema Classic out in Meydan, where he secured a one length victory over Calandagan - who had finished second to City Of Troy here at York the previous year.
Yasuda has been busy preparing his stable star for the Juddmonte International ever since. On Monday, he spoke to the press and provided a positive update on his raider's chances.
"He has that left-handed success, his Group 1 wins have come going that way," said Yasuda. "So of course that made me think about the International Stakes as a possible target. But that is only one reason to select this race. There are not many good races for Danon Decile in Japan at this stage of the season."
"When I spoke about him in January, I was talking about what was right for him mentally, not physically," said Yasuda. "He was still immature and I felt he needed more maturity before tackling a mile and a half again, so maybe at that point 2,000 metres was easier for him."
"We entered him in Dubai and my first choice was the Dubai World Cup [on dirt over a mile and a quarter], but the owner requested that we run in the Dubai Sheema Classic [on turf over a mile and a half]. Of course he ran very well, winning that great race. Now we're coming back to 2,000 metres (a mile and a quarter) and I have real confidence he can deal with that pace because he has become more mentally mature."
Danon Decile has been backed into third favouritism in the Juddmonte International Stakes betting over the last week. Delacroix and Ombudsman, the first and second from the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, sit ahead of him in the market, with See The Fire and French star, Daryz just behind. Yet, Yasuda didn't seem concerned by the strength of the opposition when he spoke to the media this week.
The trainer continued, "I respect British and European horses because at this kind of level they are all pretty strong, so I will not pick any one horse to beat. And I don’t really care that people are paying more attention to him or if the odds are coming down, that’s not my business."
"But this race has a long history. Also one of the dreams of a lot of Japanese horsemen is to win big races in the UK like the International. We've seen many Japanese horses challenge and still the dream hasn't come true yet. If I win this race it will be very good for Danon Decile’s career, which is the main thing I'm concerned about, his mental and physical wellbeing. If he happened to win, that would break the ice for Japan."
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