Jantar Mantar Returns In Style with Yasuda Kinen Strike

[Wandering Eyes]

Jantar Mantar kicked off his four-year-old campaign in the best possible fashion when running out a comfortable winner of Sunday's G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile.

Sidelined since a down-the-field finish in December's G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin, the son of Palace Malice showed no signs of rustiness on his belated return with a sharp exit from the stalls in the hands of Yuga Kawada. Never far away from the pace set by Mad Cool (Dark Angel), the smooth-travelling Jantar Mantar moved up to challenge the long-time leader entering the final furlong and from there he quickly skipped clear to win by a length and a half from longshot Gaia Force (Kitasan Black). Race favourite Soul Rush (Rulership), reappearing after his G1 Dubai Turf defeat of Romantic Warrior back in March, was a neck further back as he finished third for the second consecutive year, with the same distance back to Brede Weg (Lord Kanaloa) in fourth.

“The colt broke well and was in a good position in third to start, but then he got a little overexcited as horses came from behind so I got a little worried,” Kawada said of his fourth Yasuda Kinen winner. “I was still in doubt as to how he would respond at the stretch, but considering the circumstances, he really put in a good performance in the end and really exceeded my expectations as to how strong he is. He was unable to race to his standard at all last time, but I'm glad that he was able to show his true form today. I knew he would become a potential miler when he won the Asahi Hai as a two-year-old and was certain he was the best miler in Japan when taking the NHK Mile Cup title.”

Trained by Tomokazu Takano, Jantar Mantar was named Japan's champion two-year-old colt of 2023 after winning each of his three starts, culminating with his maiden top-level victory in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. Having kicked off his three-year-old season with back-to-back defeats, including a third-place finish in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas), he then doubled his Group 1 tally with a commanding performance in the NHK Mile Cup.

On Sunday, the Shadai homebred became the first NHK Mile Cup winner to also land the Yasuda Kinen, further enhancing an excellent record which has seen him miss the frame just once in eight starts, having clearly not been himself when well beaten at Sha Tin.

 

Listen to the crowd!

Jantar Mantar wins the #WinAndYoureIn Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse and books his ticket to the @FanDuel_Racing #BreedersCup Mile at #BC25! Cheers to the connections! pic.twitter.com/94vd0jyjRc

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) June 8, 2025

 

Pedigree Notes

India Mantuana, the dam of Jantar Mantar, produced the best effort of her career when winning the GIII Red Carpet Handicap at Del Mar in 2018. She was led out unsold on a bid of $145,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, before being purchased by Shadai for $100,000, pregnant to Accelerate, at Keeneland January in 2020. She unfortunately aborted that foal and was bred to Palace Malice prior to her export to Japan, where she slipped her Kizuna foal in 2022. She was bred to Palace Malice again in 2024, with a two-year-old filly by Pyro and a yearling filly by Isla Bonita already on the ground.

 

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
YASUDA KINEN-G1, ¥347,460,000, Tokyo, 6-8, 3yo/up, 1600mT, 1:32.70, fm.
1–JANTAR MANTAR (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Palace Malice
      1st Dam: India Mantuana (GSW-US, $223,100), by Wilburn
      2nd Dam: Speed Wagon, by Tomorrows Cat
      3rd Dam: Rajica, by El Baba
O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); T-Tomokazu
Takano; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥183,822,000. Lifetime Record: Ch.
2yo Colt-Jpn, 8-5-1-1, ¥504,350,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Gaia Force (Jpn), 128, h, 6, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Natale (Jpn),
by Kurofune. (¥30,000,000 Wlg '19 JRHJUL). O-KR Japan;
B-Oiwake Farm (Jpn); ¥73,092,000.
3–Soul Rush (Jpn), 128, h, 7, Rulership (Jpn)–Broad Street (Jpn),
by Agnes Tachyon (Jpn). O-Tatsue Ishikawa; B-Shimokobe Farm
(Jpn); ¥45,546,000.
Margins: 1HF, NK, NK. Odds: 4.30, 32.20, 3.30.
Also Ran: Brede Weg (Jpn), Win Marvel (Jpn), Champagne Color (Jpn), Ecoro Walz (Jpn), Sakura Toujours (Jpn), Water Licht (Jpn), Mad Cool (Ire), Jun Blossom (Jpn), Sixpence (Jpn), Long Run (Jpn), Daddy's Vivid (Jpn), Red Mon Reve (Jpn), Gratias (Jpn), Trovatore (Jpn), Ho O Reality (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.

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