Yasuda Kinen

There will be an infusion of new American blood into the Japanese stallion ranks in 2021 with retirements to stud of Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) and Mr Melody (Scat Daddy). Each is the first of their respective sires' progeny to take up stud duty in the island nation. Bred in Kentucky by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm, Mozu Ascot was led out unsold on a bid of $275,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale before being acquired privately by Capital System Co. Ltd. A maiden winner at third asking under...

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 Hanshin and Tokyo Racecourses, the latter of which hosts the best race on the planet this weekend, Sunday's G1 Yasuda Kinen, featuring 2018 Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) as well as US-bred G1SW Mr Melody...

The Breeders' Cup has announced its June and July schedule of races for the 2020 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, with highlights that include a pair of automatic qualifiers for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic and four berths on offer at the Royal Ascot meeting. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, now in its 14th year, is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting spots and fees paid into a corresponding race in the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held this year on Nov. 6-7...