Japan's Crown Pride bringing international market to Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With a Japanese horse in this year's Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs is hoping to get into the international market.

Crown Pride has become a source of pride for Japan. Call it lucky number seven, the colt is in gate seven on May 7.

When it comes to race time on Saturday, Crown Pride will be running at 7:57 a.m. Sunday Japan Standard Time.

"If the horse had jet lag, we would probably just train him real hard in the morning, so he'd get a good nights sleep," trainer Koichi Shintani said.

WDRB spoke with the horse's trainer through Churchill Downs Japan Coordinator, Kate Hunter.

Crown Pride has been in the quarantine stables since he arrived in Louisville more than a month ago. Crown Pride is the grandson of 1989 Derby, Preakness and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Sunday Silence. He was bred in Japan and prepped for the race overseas.

"He's really happy to be, you know, one of the few members of, to come from Japan to be able to participate in The Kentucky Derby," Hunter said.

Crown Pride is only the fourth colt from Japan to compete in the Derby, and his trainer said he's ready.

"He's a very quiet horse typically, but he turns on and gets real sharp when it comes to race time," Shintani said.

Taking the crown at the UAE Derby in March, Shintani said his routine is a bit different than American horses, which may give him an edge.

Crown Pride has put in multiple works on the track, compared to American horses who typically put in weekly breezes to prepare. Trainers said he looks impressive.

"If the Americans are underestimating the horse, he isn't," Shintani said. "He came here to do good racing and to win, so we are not underestimating him."

Yet, there are a few hurdles for the colt.

"The biggest difference is probably how the horses start in the race. They start very quickly here, and they're not quite as quick out of the gate in Japan," Shintani said.

Churchill Downs is betting on Crown Pride to get into the international market, too. Japan is a closed market, but it is one one of the world's most popular horse racing markets.

According to BloodHorse.com, Japanese agencies have granted approval for simulcast wagering on Saturday, meaning Japanese fans can place bets on the Kentucky Derby.

"He feels fairly confident, so in his mind he's got really good odds on the horse, but he probably thinks that, for those betting on Crown Pride, having him on the higher end of the scale is probably better for them, if they have him at 20, 30-1, that's probably better for them when he crosses the finish line first," Hunter said.

In 2019, the Kentucky Derby pool in Japan was about $3.5 million. That same year, Japanese fans shelled out more than $204 million for the Japan Cup. It's a chunk of change Churchill hopes to get a piece of.