Japan continues to lead the way: Wonder Dean won the UAE Derby

With Italian rider Cristian Demuro in the irons, he qualified for the Kentucky Derby by defeating the favorite Six Speed

Wonder Dean overhauled Six Speed in the final furlong / DRC

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Special for Turf Diario).— Japan no longer surprises; it confirms. And on Meydannight, it did so again with another demonstration of its power on the international dirt. Wonder Dean (Dee Majesty) claimed the UAE Derby (G2) and extended a streak that is beginning to look like absolute dominance. Five consecutive editions. Five Japanese victories.

From Crown Pride (Reach the Crown) in 2022 to this latest success, passing through Derma Sotogake (Mind Your Biscuits), Forever Young (Real Steel), and Admire Daytona (Drefong), the test has fallen under the control of Japanese turf. However, the greatest challenge remains pending: translating that dominance to the Kentucky Derby(G1).

And that is where the dream appears. Trained by Daisuke Takayanagi and ridden by Cristian Demuro, Wonder Deanbuilt his victory on endurance. It was not a simple trip. Quite the contrary.

The local Six Speed (Not This Time) set a fierce pace from the start, a strategy that disorganized the field and left many without a response in the home straight. Even Wonder Dean himself had to be urged early on to maintain contact, sitting mid-pack in the opening meters.

But that initial demand ended up being his best card. Upon reaching the final 800 meters, the Japanese runner began to advance resolutely while others were already feeling the strain. In the straight, the picture seemed clear: Six Speed in front with a several-length advantage, and Wonder Dean as the only real pursuer. The race was reduced to a head-to-head battle. And there, the difference was stamina.

Stride by stride, Wonder Dean ate into the lead until taking command in the final 200 meters, winning authoritatively by 2 1/2 lengths. Well back, 6 lengths away, came another Japanese runner, Pyromancer (Pyro), completing the Asian dominance.

“It’s my first international victory; it’s something incredible,” Takayanagi confessed. “I knew the distance was going to help him. Perhaps I thought the leader would fade sooner, but I always believed he would catch him.”

The decision has already been made: the next step will be Churchill Downs. “Yes, of course we will go to the Kentucky Derby. We will travel directly from here,” confirmed the trainer, who had already had a previous experience in the great American race.

For Demuro, meanwhile, the thrill is also personal: “It would be my first time in the Kentucky Derby. It would be something wonderful.”

Behind them, the effort from Six Speed was as brave as it was revealing. His trainer, Bhupat Seemar, did not hide his doubts: “He has a lot of speed, but he needs to learn to relax. He didn't get the distance.” Even so, he will also point toward Louisville.

And so, as in recent years, the UAE Derby once again projects names onto the grand stage. But this time, with a different sensation. Japan no longer travels just to compete. It travels to win. And Wonder Dean will be the next to try.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SzGDE1YoMw