By Alex Henry
Wonder Dean enters the 2026 Kentucky Derby as #19 on the leaderboard despite 106 total points due to his win in the UAE Derby. He possesses a rich pedigree containing no less than 8 Kentucky Derby winners in the last 100 years; of the two Japanese-owned entries, he carries the deepest ties to Japan’s impeccable dirt breeding program and also famously dislikes peppermints. The biggest question with this colt is if he’s fast enough to contend with the rest of the field, as I have no question that he will handle the 1 ¼ miles he’ll face next weekend.
Racing Record and Notable Performances
Recording 2 wins in 6 starts, all outside of North America, Wonder Dean is improving at the right time. After finishing 4th in his debut at Hakodate Racecourse at ~64-1 odds on turf, he was entered in his first dirt contest at Nakayama Racecourse on September 14th. Taking to the change in surface immediately, he won easily despite a poor start over the ~9 furlong distance. Wonder Dean’s next two starts kept to the same surface and distance, finishing 2nd in both attempts at Kyoto and Hanshin Racecourse, respectively. Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi said before his December 20th 2nd place finish, “He doesn’t mind getting covered in sand, and his increasing weight isn’t a problem, so we expect a strong performance this time”. Takayanagi saw the global potential for his young colt after this effort, giving him a few weeks off before preparing for the G3 Saudi Derby. In the Saudi Derby, jockey Oisin Murphy guided his mount 5 wide throughout the race, allowing inside contenders Al Haram, Obliteration, and Satono Voyage to get first run. ‘Dean flattened out in mid-stretch to finish 4th to these competitors, but it was a steady run from a colt who had nearly 2 months off. He returned 5 weeks later in the G2 UAE Derby at Meydan with a new jockey in Christian Demuro. Displaying his keen ability to jump well from the starting gate, Wonder Dean started the 1900m/9.5 furlong contest well, soon settling in the 4-path well. Around the far turn, Demuro let him loose, and he quickly accelerated to chase Six Speed, leaving the rest of the field behind. At the 200m/1 furlong marker, he easily overtook Six Speed, coasting home with ears up. This was certainly the best field he faced to date, so the performance is a signal that he is currently in peak form. The final time for ~9.5 furlong was 1:59.19, nearly equal to Admire Daytona’s time from 2025 and not as fast as Forever Young’s 1:57.89. For this effort, he earned a career-best 114 global Timeform rating.
Pedigree and Connections
- Sire: Dee Majesty (JPN)
- Dam & Damsire: Wonder Siang Praw [JPN] (by Wonder Acute [JPN])
- Owner: Yoshinari Yamamoto
- Trainer: Daisuke Takayanagi
- Jockey: Ryusei Sakai
As hinted to earlier, Wonder Dean has an exceptional Kentucky Derby pedigree, with 8 winners of our classic race contained within his pedigree in the last 100 years (yes, I hand-counted). Sire Dee Majesty, sired by my favorite Japanese runner and triple crown winner Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) was a 4-time winner, with a marquis win in the 2016 Satsuki Sho (G1, 2000m, turf). He finished a credible 3rd in his Japanese Derby attempt 5 weeks later, hampered by a wide trip. After a summer freshening, Dee Majesty ran in the St. Lite Kinen over 2200m (~11 furlongs) and won as the heavy favorite. He would not find the winners circle again, but his stamina influence has been passed to his offspring. Notably, Dee My The Kid who is his most successful son in Japan, has recorded multiple wins over 2000m (~10 furlongs). Dam Wonder Siang Praw won 3 races all on dirt, with her highest win coming in the N2X winners allowance-level class; Wonder Dean is her first foal. Her sire Wonder Acute, never produced a graded stakes winner such as himself; however, his sire Charismatic and dam’s grandsire Pleasant Colony infuse classic winning genes into this unique pedigree that clearly can handle routes.
Owner Yoshinari Yamamoto names all of his horses with the prefix “Wonder”, and this colt is line bred tracing back to his foundation broodmare Wonder Madonna born in 2000. This is his first Kentucky Derby runner. Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi is entering his second Derby, after finding super hi-5 success with late-running T O Password (5th) in 2024. Takayanagi believes ‘Dean has a great shot at finishing well, stating, “He’ll run just as solidly as T O Password. He’s a great horse.” Jockey Ryusei Sakai competed in that 2024 Kentucky Derby with my current favorite older horse Forever Young, finishing a hampered and very credible 3rd. Sakai has two additional mounts on the weekend in the G1 Churchill Stakes (T O Elvis) and G1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (Shin Emperor). Having a trainer and jockey with Derby experience is definitely a merit for Wonder Dean, who appears to want to run all day if given the opportunity. Another new jockey isn’t perceived to be an issue for this colt with trainer Takayanagi stating, “Wonder Dean has had many different jockeys ride him, but he’s been delivering results, and every jockey who’s ridden him has said he’s very easy to ride. We plan to have [Ryusei] ride in training as well, so I think he’ll be fine in actual races. Plus, since he’s a Japanese jockey, we can communicate effectively.”
Final Prep Analysis
- Final Prep Race: G2 UAE Derby at Meydan (March 28th)
- Finish Position: 1st
- Final Time: 1:59.19
- Beyer Speed Figure: ~ 94* (114 Global Timeform)
*Note: Global Timeform rates Commandment’s win in the Florida Derby (100 Beyer) as 115 and Further Ado’s win in the Blue Grass (106 Beyer) at 117. I’m estimating 95 based on the final time Wonder Dean ran versus past UAE Derby winners and against the global Timeform scale.
The 2026 UAE Derby was not the strongest rendition of the race; however, Wonder Dean moved forward at the right time to get his 2nd victory. Second-place Six Speed is also now in the Kentucky Derby starting gate in spot #20 due to defections this week, so it’ll be the first time since 2022 that the first and second-place horses in the UAE Derby will compete again, recalling Crown Pride (13th) and Summer Is Tomorrow (20th). Six Speed received a 110 global Timeform rating for his valiant 2nd place effort, however, I’m not sure if he wants a full 10 furlongs given his previous starts so it’s not surprising that Wonder Dean out-stayed his rival.
Strengths and Concerns
Strengths:
Stamina in spades. Never gives up despite being behind horses, he’ll keep grinding until the finish. He breaks from the gate well.
Travels very well, he’ll contest the Derby having run on 7 different tracks as of May 2nd.
Tactical, doesn’t need to drop back early. He can stay handy and outside of horses, still producing a reliable run.
Concerns:
Trainer Takayanagi said before his December win in the Poinsettia stakes that he doesn’t mind taking sand/dirt in the face. However, the way he was ridden in the Saudi Derby and UAE Derby gives some cause for concern about that statement. He was clearly kept in the clear of kick-back during both races.
The UAE Derby to Kentucky Derby pipeline has never worked out favorably, with the best finisher being Forever Young in 2024. I’m worried the colt won’t carry his UAE condition to Kentucky.
The competition he faced in the UAE Derby and Saudi Derby were below par except for Six Speed. He will need to move forward to be a contender on May 2nd.
Expert Opinions and Odds
Wonder Dean is currently 25-1 according to TwinSpires.com. Personally, I don’t believe he’ll run better than fellow Japan-based runner Danon Bourbon. I’d hope to see him closer to 35-1+ to be betable; however, I am a Japanese racing fan so despite the disproportionally low price, I’ll be supporting Wonder Dean at any odds just in case he pulls off the global upset.
Conclusion
Wonder Dean brings the idyllic Japanese and American-infused pedigree that breeders in the East have chased for decades since the importation of Sunday Silence. He’s a versatile and tactical colt that does not need a particular trip to perform well, which serves as a major advantage in the Kentucky Derby. His major obstacle is to prove that he’s good and fast enough to win, as classic-distance stamina is not in question at all. Ganbatte (good luck), Wonder Dean!
