Japan

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 Saturday running at Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, December 9, 2023 6th-HSN, ¥13,720,000 ($96k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m SEXY BOUQUET (f, 2, Liam's Map--Shurakaa, by Tapit) cost $180,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and is out of a daughter of 2007 GI Breeders' Cup Filly...

In the G1 Champions Cup, one of two elite-level races on dirt on the JRA circuit, wide barriers are almost always the kiss of death. Drawn 15 of 15 for Sunday's 1800-metre event, Godolphin's Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) not only had that to overcome, but also lingering questions as to his ability to stay a trip this far. After all, his trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka needed some convincing by the Godolphin braintrust to try him in the G1 February S., a 1600-metre affair, which he duly won with something in...

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 Chukyo Racecourses. The latter is the site of this weekend's Group 1 action, the Champions Cup, featuring US-bred Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid). Look for the preview in Saturday's TDN Europe: Saturday, December 2, 2023 6th-HSN, ¥13,720,000 ($93k),...

Carrying the recognizable colors of Silk Racing and leading jockey Christophe Lemaire--the same pairing that will be represented by Equinox (Jpn) in Sunday's G1 Japan Cup--the white 2-year-old colt Amante Bianco (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) found clear sailing two furlongs from home and ran out a 3/4-length winner of Saturday's $206,819 Cattleya S. at Tokyo Racecourse. The 1600-meter allowance is the first leg on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, and the winner earned 10 points towards a start in the Run for the Roses. Amante Bianco, a debut winner...

Having given the race a pass in 2022 after taking a thrilling renewal of the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn), Silk Racing Co. Ltd.'s world's top-rated racehorse Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) looks to complete that particular double--most recently accomplished by the syndicate's two-time Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in 2020--as the warm favourite in Sunday's G1 Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse. It has been a meticulously managed preparation for the 4-year-old colt with the broad blaze, as his abilities were on display for all to...

Ryan Moore, third in a hit-and-run mission aboard Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in Friday's G2 Bahrain International Trophy for his boss Aidan O'Brien, was stood down from the remainder of his Sunday rides at Kyoto after suffering a back injury in a spill in the second race on the program. That left the connections of Carrot Farm's Namur (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) in need of a jockey and with all the other Japanese big guns understandably already spoken for, they landed on journeyman Kota Fujioka, 13th in the jockeys' premiership,...

A slashing second to the outstanding commonly owned champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in 2021 and a fraction unlucky when a close fifth last November, Sunday Racing's Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}) will try to make the most of his third attempt at Sunday's G1 Mile Championship, back at Kyoto after being contested for two years at Hanshin due to construction at Kyoto. Winner of the age-restricted G1 NHK Mile Cup in 2021 and third in that year's G1 Yasuda Kinen, the son of 2016 G1 Preis der...

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 Saturday running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses. A quartet of American-conceived juveniles running on Sunday at Tokyo will appear in Saturday's paper: Saturday, November 18, 2023 5th-KYO, ¥13,720,000 ($91k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200mT EVEN NOW (f, 2, Catholic Boy--Evening Call, by Tapit), a $385,000...

Sunday Racing's Geraldina (Jpn), the product of Japanese Horses of the Year Maurice (Jpn) and Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will have to lift her game to a level not yet seen in 2023 if she is to become the third horse to go back-to-back in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kyoto Racecourse Sunday afternoon. The 5-year-old was a cracking third to Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G1 Arima Kinen to end a fruitful 2022 campaign, but it's been tougher sledding this term, as she has...

So long has this column been disrupted by sales and travel that this final instalment for a Flat season that seems to have whizzed by faster than ever should perhaps be renamed 28 Days. That's not to say that we are giving you four times the value, however. The last week or so has been spent in California at the 40th running of the Breeders' Cup. Any racing event which draws some of the best racehorses from a variety of nations is a treat, and with its 14 Grade 1...

Susumu Fujita's Shin Emperor (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), the full-brother to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) and €2.1-million topper at the 2022 Arqana August sale, made a successful racecourse debut Saturday, bursting through with 400 metres to travel en route to a three-length success at Tokyo Racecourse. Trying an 1800-metre trip for this first go, the son of Starlet's Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was first to break the line and could have led had they chosen, but Takeshi Yokoyama elected to allow the colt to find his...

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 Saturday running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses. Group 1 racing takes the week off in Japan, giving leading riders Christophe Lemaire and Yuga Kawada an opportunity to make the trans-Pacific trip to the Breeders' Cup, but plenty of action to be witnessed all...