Jockey Katsumi Ando and Tsurumaru Boy proved a winning combination in the Yasuda Memorial on Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse.
The 6-year-old son of Dance in the Dark topped a field of 18 in a time of 1 minute, 32.6 seconds over 1,600 meters of yielding turf finishing a neck ahead of fourth-pick Telegnosis. Balance of Game and Utopia crossed the line in third and fourth place, respectively.
Cool-headedness and a morning of research on the part of Ando, who won last week's Japan Derby on favorite King Kamehameha, helped Tsurumaru Boy find his way at last to the winner's circle of a Grade 1 race. Seven previous tries had brought Tsurumaru Boy no better than three second-place finishes.