Finger wins Tokyo Derby, nears Japan Dirt Triple Crown sweep

Finger turned the Tokyo Derby into a front-running display of control and durability, taking the Listed race at Ohi Racecourse and moving M's Racing one step closer to a sweep of Japan’s Dirt Triple Crown. Keita Tosaki sent the Gun Runner colt forward from gate 12, and once Finger found his rhythm on the lead, Rock Ptarmigan was left trying to keep him honest before Silver Ratio launched a late run that never quite reached him.

The 9-5 second choice held that position all the way through the 2000 meters, a sharp answer on a track where the long backstretch and 386-meter straight still give closers a chance to make noise. Realize Glint finished third, but the race belonged to Finger, whose ability to dictate the pace again underscored the tactical identity that has made him one of the most intriguing dirt horses in Japan. He had already finished no worse than second in seven starts, and this latest win added another layer to a profile built on consistency, forward placement and a willingness to absorb pressure.

The victory also carried the weight of the series itself. Since 2024, the Tokyo Derby has been a JpnI and the second leg of Japan’s Dirt Triple Crown, with the field shaped by qualifying routes such as the Haneda Hai, Unicorn Stakes, Crown Cup and Tokyo Bay Cup. Ohi’s signature dirt test is one of the major local events on the National Association of Racing calendar, and its ¥100 million first prize has long made it a target for the best 3-year-olds in the country. First run in 1955, stretched to 2400 meters in 1967 and brought back to 2000 meters in 1999, the race has evolved with the sport, and Finger now sits in the middle of its newest chapter.

Finger’s path to this point has been clean and decisive. He was runner-up to Rock Ptarmigan in the Keihin Hai on March 25, then turned the tables in the Haneda Hai on April 29 before returning to the same Ohi course and distance for the Tokyo Derby. Trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka had said the extra furlong would suit him, and Finger answered with the kind of measured aggression that travel well across a campaign. Tanaka’s stable has already been linked with dirt standouts Lemon Pop and Mikki Fight, and Sixpence’s Yasuda Kinen triumph over the same weekend added another high-profile reminder that his barn keeps showing up on the sport’s biggest stages. The next test comes in the Japan Dirt Classic at Ohi on October 7, where Finger can finish the job and become the latest horse to complete the formal Triple Crown.