Horses from Japan have won many of the biggest races on the international stage in recent years, but they’ve been a big zero in the Kentucky Derby. Of the 10 horses from Japan to start in the Run for the Roses, only one has finished better than fifth: Forever Young, who was a troubled third in 2024. This year the Japan-based Danon Bourbon arguably has the best credentials of the Derby’s three international invaders to take home the blanket of roses. Bet Danon Bourbon and the entire Kentucky Derby at TwinSpires, where new users who click through our links get a supersized $400 sign-up bonus:
7 Danon Bourbon (20-1)
- Trainer: Manabu Ikezoe
- Jockey: Atsuya Nishimura
- Last race: First in the Fukuryu Stakes by 3½ lengths
- Career record: 3 starts: 3 wins
- Career earnings: $222,762
- Best career Beyer Speed Figure: N/A
- Sire: Maxfield
Below, we’ll dig further into Danon Bourbon as part of our series profiling all the horses competing in the 152nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2. We’ll look back into his past performances, what questions need to be answered Saturday and analyze how the post draw affects his chances.
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What to know about Danon Bourbon
He is this year’s international horse of mystery because there’s less known about this Kentucky Derby contender than any other.
This is what we do know: He was bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm, which also bred last year’s Florida Derby winner Tappan Street. Danon Bourbon is a son of Maxfield out of a Tapit mare. Maxfield, by the way, was a perfect 5-for-5 at Churchill Downs, including winning the Grade 1 Clark Stakes in 2021. Danon Bourbon is bred to win under the twin spires and bred to get the Derby distance of 10 furlongs.
Bought by Japanese owners at auction two years ago, Danon Bourbon has gone a perfect 3-for-3 in Japan—all at nine furlongs or longer—winning those starts by a combined 18½ lengths. He is coming off a 3½-length victory in the Fukuryu Stakes, breaking a 25-year-old stakes record in the process.
Beyer Speed Figures are not available for his races, which contributes to some of the mystery. But Alex Henry, who’s a Japanese racing specialist for In The Money media, crunched the numbers and concluded that the Beyer equivalent speed figure for the Fukuryu win would be 97. For comparison, Further Ado ran a 106 in the Blue Grass, Commandment earned a 100 in the Florida Derby and Renegade got a 98 in the Arkansas Derby. Thoro-graph gives the Fukuryu performance a 5 on its scale, which would put him no better than 10th best in the Kentucky Derby field.
In all three races he was on or pressing the pace, and in all three races he finished with good energy with his ears pricked. Of course, the quality of the fields he beat is another major mystery. Nonetheless, that tactical speed is ideal in a 20-horse field like the Kentucky Derby.
Japan’s Forever Young almost won the Run for the Roses two years ago, but that horse has turned into the world’s career all-time earnings leader. Is Danon Bourbon another Forever Young? If you believe he is, then 20-1 at FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires and 1/ST BET would be a more than fair price. Claim our jumbo-sized 1/ST BET offer here to get a $500 sign-up bonus:
Post draw analysis
The No. 7 post should be fine for Danon Bourbon, who has shown tactical speed to get into position early. But this will be jockey Atsuya Nishimura’s first Kentucky Derby mount, and in recent runnings of the Kentucky Derby international jockeys making their debut in the race have often struggled judging the early pace.
