THE NIPPON DERBY

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 30, 3 August 1940, Page 15

THE NIPPON DERBY

ENTHUSIASM IN JAPAN

Despite the war with China, racing is evidently flourishing in Japan, judging from a. report issued recently by Mri K. Janaka, director of the Japan Horse Breeding Association, on the running of the ninth Nippon Derby, which was won by leryu. . Racing in Japan is apparently doing well, as the crowd -of 56,000 which saw the Derby this year at Tokio was a record, and the to.talisator turnover was also a record- It must have been a record all round, as Mr; Janaka goes on to say that out of the nine Derbies run, five have been won by descendants of the same stallion, Tournesol, whose sire is the English "triple crown" hero Gainsborough. The race for the Nippon Derby this year, which, -incidentally, is run over a mile and a half, was contested by the splendid field of 24 runners, and among them were the progeny of-the imported stallions Diolite, Statesman, Primero, Tournesol, Shian Mor, Priory Park, and the home-bred stallion Tsukitomo, a son of Man o' War., : It is interesting to note that Primero is a brother to Trigo, Harinero, and Athford, being by Blandford from the Farasi mare Athasi, ? and one of his sons, Minami, finished second. Harinero is in Australia, while Trigo. is going. well at the stud in England. Apparently the Nippon Derby-was a thrilling race, as leryu, Minami, and Boom had a great fight all the way to the post, leryu getting up to defeat Minami by half a head. The time was 2min 34 2-ssec, which is only a second outside the record established by Sugenuma in 1938. leryu is a bay colt by Tournesol from Yamatae, and was- bred at the Royal Stud Farm at Shamosa. He was bought by Mr. H. Ishida for 36,000 yen, the second highest price: paid at this "year's auction. Incidentally, leryu went one better than his full brother Taeyama, who was a warm' favourite' for the Nippon Derby in 1938, and was placed second.