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Ka Ying Rising, shown winning the 2025 Chairman's Sprint Prize, goes for a Hong Kong record 18th straight win in Sunday's Group 1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club
Feb. 20 (UPI) -- It's easy to see the big action in weekend horse racing is scattered around the globe but also easy to miss that the international activity includes Kentucky Derby preps in Dubai and Japan, as well as in northern Kentucky.
Higher on the marquee, Ka Ying Rising shoots for a Hong Kong record 18th straight win, while Japan's dirt sprinters take on the February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse. Given all that, we'll start with:
Around the world, around the clock
Japan
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Ka Ying Rising, shown winning the 2025 Chairman's Sprint Prize, goes for a Hong Kong record 18th straight win in Sunday's Group 1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club
Sunday's Grade 1 February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse, one of only two Grade 1 dirt races on the Japanese calendar, has a full field despite the attraction of the big-money events in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. In the mix are the first three finishers from December's Group 1 Champions Cup -- W Heart Bond, Wilson Tesoro and Ramjet.
The first two in the Champions Cup were separated by the narrowest of margins. For W Heart Bond, it was a breakthrough. Even though the mare got her seventh win from just eight starts, she was trying Grade 1 company for the first time and now seems on a serious upward trajectory.
Wilson Tesoro and Ramjet came out of the Champions Cup well, but both stayed home from international competition this year after credit-worthy, but largely unsuccessful, efforts in past years.
Wilson Tesoro also has been afflicted with "seconditis." He's finished second in the Champions Cup three years in a row and second twice in the Grade 1 Tokyo Daishoten -- a pattern that trainer Noboru Tagaki admits is "a bit frustrating."
Dubai
Beyond the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks preps, Friday evening's program includes a pair of interesting turf heats with, to no one's surprise, Godolphin horses prominent.
Lightly raced, but highly promising, Blue Nazare, trained by Charlie Appleby, faces Dubai Beach and Dubai Treasure, both from Saeed Bin Suroor's yard, in the Group 2 Balanchine for fillies and mares.
Blue Nazare is the favorite and William Buick is on board. The 1,800 meters would be a steppingstone to the Group 1 Dubai Turf on World Cup night. Godolphin might choose to swerve that race, usually one of the year's toughest, in favor of European or even American campaigns.
Sheik Mohammed's forces also have the favorite, By the Book, in the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, a marathon that points to the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup on the big night.
Hong Kong
Ka Ying Rising, the world's top-rated sprinter, seeks a Hong Kong record 18th straight win in the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (G1) on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse and finds little standing in his way. None of his nine rivals has had success in the past against Ka Ying Rising and the gelding, if anything, seems to be getting better.
If he does falter, though, a few of the opponents are capable of stepping up.
Helios Express has done battle with the champ repeatedly, always running with credit but coming up a bit short. Lucky Sweynesse was Hong Kong's champion sprinter before an injury and the advent of Ka Ying Rising relegated him to the also-ran section.
Ka Ying Rising showed grit in his last start, testing the outstanding Romantic Warrior before finishing second in the Grade I Stewards Cup in January.
"The expectation is for him to win," said Ka Ying Rising's trainer, David Hayes. "You just want him to and not let everyone down. But he hasn't, and the way he trialed recently, I don't think he's going to."
Meanwhile, back in the States
The Road to the Roses
Saturday's $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial on the Turfway Park all-weather course has a few potential standouts in an overflow field. Street Beast, a versatile sort, won twice on the grass at Kentucky Downs last August and September, but then finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar.
He won his first start on the artificial surface in the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway on Jan. 17. The opposition includes the runner-up from that, Fulleffort, also a Kentucky Downs winner, and Two Out Hero, last seen third in the Grade I Summer Stakes at Woodbine in September. Attfield is 2-for-3 with a third in the Grade III Futurity at Aqueduct.
The winner gets 20 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaderboard.
Balboa has been threatening a breakthrough since the Not This Time colt arrived from California, first winning James F. Lewis at Laurel Park, but then finishing third in the Grade II Remsen at Aqueduct and commencing his 3-year-old campaign with a second in the Jerome at Aqueduct.
Saturday's $100,000 Miracle Wood at Laurel Park might point him to the Preakness rather than the Derby but miracles will happen.
Overseas the Derby preps look a little shaky, though not impossible, in terms of promoting their contenders to Louisville.
Sunday's Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse, the penultimate leg of the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" has the second- and third-place finishers from the first leg, Don Erectus and Arcadia Café. If nothing else, their persistence could indicate interest.
Don Erectus, a Danon Legend colt, has been inconsistent. After his good run in the Cattleya Stakes to kick off the "Road" series on Thanksgiving weekend, he finished 13th in a conditioned allowance race at Tokyo Racecourse on Jan. 31. Arcadia Café, a Kentucky-bred by Into Mischief, has not raced since the Cattleya.
The "Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby" returns to Meydan Racecourse Friday night for the Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby Stakes. The winner of the UAE 2,000 Guineas, Six Speed, is taking a pass on the 1 3/16-mile race, the same distance as the Grade III UAE Derby on World Cup night.
Trainer Bhupat Seemar figured why try to stretch the colt out at what might be his limit before the race that really matters?
That leaves a field of 13, five of them also trained by Seemar. It's pretty much a guessing game, although Seemar said he feels confident about Salloom, provided the colt doesn't repeat the starting-gate antics that got him scratched from his scheduled first start back in December. He subsequently won by 6 3/4 lengths when better behaved Jan. 30.
The Path to the Oaks
Map of the Moon has a chance to step right up in Friday's $175,000 Cincinnati Trophy on the Turfway Park all-weather. The Liam's Map filly is undefeated after three starts, the last two stakes events at Aqueduct and Turfway. Dame Laura and Coco Connect also figure prominently on the morning line.
Map of the Moon's name could be propitious with the Artemis launch to send astronauts around the dark side of the moon likely in March, and March 3 marking not only the "Blood Moon" full moon, but also a total lunar eclipse. Just sayin'.
Law School and Peach Tie top morning line among just five entered for Saturday's $100,000 Wide Country at Laurel Park. Look to this more for the Black-Eyed Susan on Preakness weekend than for the Oaks.
Saturday's UAE Oaks at Meydan Racecourse is a leg of the Churchill Downs "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" series. Labwah and Tjareed, first and second in the Cocoa Beach Stakes on Jan. 16, are the favorites in the international markets.
Sprint
Damon's Mound looks for his third straight win in Saturday's $175,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint. The 6-furlong sprint drew a field of eight.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Sunday's $100,000 Pasadena for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita has a full field and an also-eligible. Trainer Bob Baffert continues his recent dabble into turf with Greenwich Village seeking a double.
Turf Sprint
With everyone eager to get the Fat Tuesday party under way, Fair Grounds carded a 5 1/2-furlong turf dash, the Mardi Gras Stakes, as the feature -- short, sweet and let's go.
Shining Star made sure the chalk players got out with a few of those new, biodegradable beads in their pockets by leading all the way to a 4 1/4-length victory as the odds-on favorite. The 5-year-old Chilean-bred, trained by Brad Cox with Jose Ortiz in the kip, finished in 1:02.34.
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