IN addition to a long-established star in Almond Eye, Japan now has a couple of rising talents in Contrail – who added the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) at Tokyo recently to his win in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) back at Nakayama in April, beating Salios both times – and Daring Tact, who won the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) a week earlier at Tokyo to go with the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) at Hanshin.

Daring Tact’s time at Tokyo was fractionally faster than Contrail’s, for what it’s worth, but she did carry 5lb less so would be rated behind the colt if the ground could be assumed to be identical on both occasions. She also failed to string out her opposition in the manner that Contrail did, with only about four lengths between the first dozen in the fillies’ race but more than that back to the third in the colts’ one.