LOUISVILLE, Ky. _ It might seem like a curiosity to some that a horse from Japan has a slot in the 20-horse field for Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
But one only needs to look at one number to understand why.
Last year, Japan's racetrack association handled the equivalent of $24.96 billion in wagers.
That's more than twice the handle in the United States ($11.2 billion) in a nation with just more than a third of the U.S. population.
The Japanese can legally gamble on only four sports (horse racing and three motor sports). Since 2016, Japan has been able to bet on foreign races, too. Japanese regulatory agencies recently approved simulcast wagering for the Derby.
"There's definitely a lot of interest in the Kentucky Derby and foreign racing in general," said Kate Hunter, the Japan-based representative for Churchill Downs and the Triple Crown who accompanied Master Fencer and his connections to Louisville. "Having a Japanese horse here, in general just elevates the quality of the Kentucky Derby on a global scale. If you've got a global race with contenders from all over the world, it puts you in a league with great races like the Arc (France's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe) and the Dubai World Cup."
In 2016, the first year Japan could bet on the Arc, Japanese bettors wagered more than double the amount that was bet in the French market.
Realizing that, it's no mystery that Churchill Downs established a separate points system for Japan in 2017 and for Europe in 2018 so a horse from each could take part in the Kentucky Derby. And while some United States interests might grumble about potentially losing two Derby positions, Master Fencer's connections are just happy to be here.
"I was dreaming to make my horses at the Kentucky Derby. Because of that I came to the Keeneland September Sale for 15 years in a row," owner Katsumi Yoshizawa said Tuesday outside his horse's barn via interpreter Mitsuoki Numamoto. "When (Master Fencer) nominated, ... he missed winning. He was second, so I was thinking, OK, even this year, I'm going to miss the Kentucky Derby. But fortunately, the top two horses declined the offer from Churchill Downs."
If Master Fencer does come home first for Japanese bettors on Saturday, they will clean up. He and Gray Magician are the longest shots in the field at 50-1 on the morning line. Master Fencer will start in post No. 15.
Master Fencer arrived in Chicago last Monday and spent 42 hours in quarantine there before shipping to Keeneland on Thursday and finally Churchill Downs on Monday. Trainer Koichi Tsunoda has tried to keep the trip as quiet as possible and said his horse's demeanor has been calm throughout.
On Tuesday, jockey Julien Leparoux introduced him to Churchill, spending extra time on the track and schooling him in the paddock.
"This was his first contact with Julien Leparoux, and I wanted (Master Fencer) to get used to him," Tsunoda said.
Leparoux voiced no concerns after the tour.
"He's relaxed. He doesn't care about anything, so he handled everything and that shouldn't be a problem on Derby Day," Leparoux said. "He's a pro."
Master Fencer would become the first Japanese-bred horse to race the Derby, but would be the third horse based in Japan to run.
Yoshizawa owns three training facilities across Japan and about 50 of his own horses. His centers are home to about 600 horses in training. He's been involved in horse racing as an owner for 18 years.
With a Kentucky-bred dam in Sexy Zamurai and a proven world-class sire in Just a Way (who had more than $9 million in on-track earnings), Yoshizawa believes Master Fencer, who has two wins and two seconds in six starts, will be competitive in the United States, but he declined to make any predictions.
"We have only 20 stalls at the race. We've got one of those. That's the greatest fortune," Yoshizawa said. "I'm not thinking about (winning). I'm just feeling how lucky I am."
