“Narukami,” Godolphin’s son of the legendary “Thunder Snow,” secured a qualification ticket to the Grade 1 “Japan Dirt Classic” race after winning the Grade 2 “Kozukata Sho” race in Morioka, Japan, raising his record to four wins from five starts.

The son of “Thunder Snow,” the 2018 and 2019 World Cup champion, succeeded in his first participation in the Japanese National Association of Racing (NAR) circuit by winning the Fukushima Stakes in June by five lengths. The three-year-old colt, trained by Hiroyasu Tanaka, broke quickly from an outside gate and took the lead among a field of 12 horses after one furlong.

Harry Sweeney, head of the Godolphin team in Japan, confirmed that the win was valuable for “Narukami” because it earned him a spot in the Grade 1 Japan Dirt Classic in October, which will be pivotal for him. He noted that the champion had to draw lots to participate because he only had four starts and three wins. He added: “When Narukami won his first start, we immediately realized he was a special horse and hoped he would achieve results at graded races level. However, his unsuccessful second start halted our plans to send him to the UAE Derby on Dubai World Cup night. With some changes in the core team, he regained his form and now has three consecutive wins. He is an exciting horse.”

Morioka racecourse has been lucky for us. We don’t go there often; we’ve only participated three times — twice with “Lemon Pop,” who achieved two wins in Grade 1 races, and now with “Narukami,” whom we consider the heir to “Lemon Pop.” His next participation in the Japan Dirt Classic race will be pivotal for him.