Danon Decile Leads Multiple Dubai World Cup Night Defectors From Japan

[Wandering Eyes]

Japanese Derby hero Danon Decile is the latest to skip the Dubai World Cup night at the end of the month in favour of the G1 Osaka Hai on April 5, Keiba Lab reported on X.

He joins Masquerade Ball (Duramente) and Jantar Mantar (Palace Malice) in defecting from the March 28 meeting due to the ongoing conflict in Iran and surrounding countries.

“Danon Decile, the 2024 Derby winner who dominated in last year's Dubai Sheema Classic, will skip this year's Dubai expedition and is being prepared with the Osaka Cup in mind, as announced by his trainer, Yasuda Shogo,” Keiba Lab reported on X late on Tuesday evening.

Not only the winner of the 2024 edition of the Tokyo Yushun, Danon Decile, who races for Danox Company, claimed the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic over Calandagan (Gleneagles) last year.

Two-time G1 February Stakes hero Costa Nova (Lord Kanaloa) was due to compete in the G2 Godolphin Mile. He has also been withdrawn and will instead aim for the Kashiwa Kinen by Shadai Group, according to Net Keiba. Owners DMM Banusy have also withdrawn Bidaaya (Real Steel) from the Godolphin Mile, citing the conflict in the Middle East.

Also on Monday, Diktaean (King Kamehameha) was withdrawn from the G1 Dubai World Cup and will be rerouted for the Kawasaki Kinen on April 8, per Net Keiba. The 2025 G1 Tokyo Daishoten winner is owned by the G1 Thoroughbred Club, who announced his defection from the event on March 6.

Another horse who was withdrawn from the Dubai World Cup is Mikki Fight (Drefong), as of March 7. A multiple group winner on dirt, he was runner-up in Diktaean's Tokyo Daishoten on December 29.

Trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka told Net Keiba, “We had been preparing for the overseas trip, but we have decided to decline the invitation this time. For his next start, we will discuss with the ownership whether to aim for the Kawasaki Kinen or the Kashiwa Kinen [May 5, NAR Funabashi Racecourse].”

Out of the G2 UAE Derby is Itterasshai (Mischevious Alex), owned by Takafumi Horie's SNS Group, as of Monday. the winner was third in the Listed Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo. He currently holds nine points on the Japan's Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Godolphin's duo of Hyacinth Stakes winner Lucky Kid (Discreet Cat) and Pyromancer (Pyromancer), who is the undefeated Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun hero, have 30 and 20 points, respectively.

Trainer Makoto Saito explained to Net Keiba, “We won't be going to Dubai. We can't send the horse, or our staff, to a dangerous place. The plan is to win the Fukuryu Stakes [March 28, Nakayama Racecourse] and then head to the [GI] Kentucky Derby [May 2, Churchill Downs]. Keita Tosaki is scheduled to ride.”

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the travel risk level to Level 3 (reconsidering all travel) in response to the worsening situation in the Middle East on March 5.

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