Japan

Given a perfectly rationed ride from the front by the evergreen Yutaka Take, Jean Gros (More Than Ready) became the first winner at group level in Japan for his legendary sire in Saturday's $841,637 G2 New Zealand Trophy at Nakayama, a steppingstone to next month's G1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo Racecourse. The 6-1 third favourite off a stalk-and-pounce success in listed company over 1200 metres Feb. 27, the full-brother to MGSW & GISP Tom's Ready was kicked straight into the lead from gate six and led through reasonable fractions...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses, the latter of which plays host to the first of this year's Japanese Classics--the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) over 1600 meters: Saturday, April 9, 2022 11th-NKY, New Zealand Trophy-G2, ¥103.5m ($835k), 3yo, 1mT JEAN...

A bit more than three months removed from a championship-clinching victory in the G1 Arima Kinen, Japan's reigning Horse of the Year Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) makes a much-anticipated return to the races in a high-class renewal of the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m) at Hanshin Racecourse. Winner of six of his seven career starts, the bay son of Katies Heart (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) won the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) by three easy lengths and looked all over a winner of the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) before...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- There is seemingly very little Japanese horses cannot accomplish these days. Four weeks after scooping four races at a variety of distances and on both surfaces in Saudi Arabia, Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}) made it three wins on the Dubai World Cup undercard--with the possibility of even better to come--with a determined defeat of pacesetting Summer Is Tomorrow (Summer Front) in the $1-million G2 UAE Derby as night began to take hold at Meydan Racecourse. Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) struck for...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo Racecourse. Sunday's G2 Kinko Sho at Chukyo pits the Group 1-winning 5-year-old mares Lei Papale (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Akai Ito (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) against the likes of Potager (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn} x Ginger Punch) and the...

Jean Gros (More Than Ready) became the 214th worldwide black-type winner--and first in Japan--for his legendary sire with a spectacular performance in Sunday's $333,992 Listed Marguerite S. at Hanshin Racecourse. The 6-5 favorite was away alertly, but was checked hard off heels prior to the entry to the turn, perhaps having caused his own problems. The full-brother to Tom's Ready, MGSW & GISP, $1,036,267, soon recovered from that bit of trouble and traveled strongly on the turn before easing off heels and into the four path on the swing for...

Sunday Racing's group winner Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) was up to the scrutiny on the world stage and delivered the G3 1351 Turf Presented By STC 1351 to Japan by a neck over American hopeful Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) in Riyadh on Saturday. It was the second win on the night for jockey Christophe Lemaire and the Japanese contingent. The Listed Kobai S. went to Songline last January, and, after an unplaced run in the G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas that April, she improved to second in the G1 NKH Mile...

Fresh off major showings at the Breeders' Cup and Hong Kong International races, Japan brought a formidable squad to Riyadh for the Saudi Cup card on Saturday, and the nation lodged first blow with Authority (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) leading every step of the way to take the G3 Neom Turf Cup. The winner of a pair of Group 2s going a mile and a half and 2500 metres in 2020 as a 3-year-old, Authority was upped to two miles during the first part of his campaign last year. He was...

Twelve months ago, Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) posted an authoritative success in the G3 Kyodo News Service Hai en route to a victory in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and ultimately Japanese Horse of the Year honours. While it remains to be seen whether Danox Inc.'s Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) can ascend to similar heights, the bay colt stamped himself as one to watch with a 1 1/2-length defeat of narrowly favoured Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong) in Sunday's 1800-metre test at Tokyo. The third betting choice at...

The performances by Japanese-based Loves Only You (Jpn) and Marche Lorraine (Jpn) at the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar last November has been voted the 2021 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year based on the results of 3,000 votes cast via Twitter and an online poll, according to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Thursday. The FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year will be recognized at the 51st Annual Eclipse Awards presented by 1/ST Racing, FanDuel Racing Group and the NTRA at Santa Anita Park at 8:30p.m. Feb. 10....

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Tokyo and Chukyo Racecourses, the second of which hosts the oft-productive G3 Kisaragi Sho for the classic crop of 2022: Saturday, February 5, 2022 3rd-CKO, ¥9,900,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1900m CHARITABLE THOUGHT (c, 3, Nyquist--Relaxing Green, by Formal Gold) finished...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Tokyo Racecourses: Saturday, January 29, 2022 4th-CKO, ¥11,400,000 ($99k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1400m CUTE VILLAIN (f, 3, Arrogate--She Be Wild, by Offlee Wild) is the latest foal out of the Eclipse Award-winning juvenile filly of 2009 and cost Katsumi...