Yuga Kawada

The Tomokazu Takano-trained Jantar Mantar cemented his status as Japan's outstanding performer over 1,600 metres with victory in the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto on Sunday, beating old rival Gaia Force (Kitasan Black) by a length and three-quarters in a near carbon copy of the result from June's G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo. Becoming just the ninth horse to win both the Yasuda Kinen and Mile Championship in the same year, Jantar Mantar raced in third behind tearaway leader Toshin Macau (Big Arthur) through the first half of the race....

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 Sunday running at Kyoto Racecourse: Sunday, October 20, 2025 10th-KYO, ¥35,040,000 ($234k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1400m DANON FIGO (JPN) (c, 3, Into Mischief--Ollie's Candy, by Candy Ride {Arg}), a maiden winner in a pair of juvenile appearances, was off the board in his first...

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 Nakayama Racecourses: Sunday, September 14, 2025 6th-HSN, ¥14,250,000 ($97k), Newcomer, 2yo, 1800m WAYNY SU (c, 2, Into Mischief--Cariba, by Cairo Prince) is set to become the second starter for her Caress Stakes-winning dam, a full-sister to 'TDN Rising...

The Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby does not officially begin until the end of November with the running of the Cattleya Stakes at Tokyo, but Sanshisuimei Co. Ltd.'s debuting Magna Victor (c, 2, Maxfield--Eyeinthesky, by Sky Mesa) became one of the earliest to join the party when storming clear to take his 1400-meter debut by the better part of 10 lengths Saturday afternoon at Hanshin. With Yuga Kawada in the irons, Magna Victor was not the quickest away, but he quickly recovered and by the time the field had...

6th-NII, ¥14,250,000 ($96,772), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m, 1:55.2, ft. MATENRO DA VINCI (c, 2, Uncle Mo--Spring Eclipse, by Unbridled's Song) opened his account at first asking with a thoroughly dominating display. Alertly away from gate 10 for Yuga Kawada, the 17-10 favorite was tossing his head pretty good down the lane for the first time, but ultimately settled better to stalk the pace from second. Traveling smoothly through the middle furlongs, the $1-million Keeneland September acquisition was asked to kick in upper stretch and was never in serious trouble en route...

Jantar Mantar kicked off his four-year-old campaign in the best possible fashion when running out a comfortable winner of Sunday's G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Sidelined since a down-the-field finish in December's G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin, the son of Palace Malice showed no signs of rustiness on his belated return with a sharp exit from the stalls in the hands of Yuga Kawada. Never far away from the pace set by Mad Cool (Dark Angel), the...

Japanese champion Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) is set to bring the curtain down on his glittering career next weekend when he bids to repeat his 2023 success in the G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama, but it was all about the emergence of a future star on Sunday as his stable-mate, Admire Zoom (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), won the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes at Kyoto in the manner of one who could be another leading light for trainer Yasuo Tomomichi. It was in this race in 2021 that Do Deuce...

A dozen of the best jockeys from all corners of the globe--four based locally and eight from overseas--come together Wednesday evening at Hong Kong's iconic Happy Valley Racecourse for the Longines International Jockeys' Championship. Widely recognized as the premier contest of its kind, the IJC carries total prize money of HK$1 million, to be divided up three ways, with the winner taking home a checque for HK$600,000, while the second- and third-place finishers earn HK$250,000 and HK$150,000, respectively. Vincent Ho, best known for his association with the now retired three-time...

A strong line up of jockeys have been announced for the 2024 Longines International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The four races are worth a combined HK$7.5-million (£740,000) in prize-money, and there is a total prize fund of HK$1 million in bonus money for the most successful riders split three ways, with the winner set to receive HK$600,000, with HK$250,000 for second and HK$150,000 for third (£60,000, £25,000, and £15,000, respectively). Vincent Ho, who won this contest in 2023, and seven-time Hong Kong Champion...

Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) and Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), in the eyes of most the two premier older dirt horses in Japan, are set to face each other for the fourth time in Wednesday's ¥68 million ($473,620) Listed Nippon TV Hai at Funabashi Racecourse located about 20 miles east of Central Tokyo. Ushba Tesoro is the defending champion in the 1800-meter contest, having scored by a comfortable 1 1/2 lengths (video) before running on fairly to finish fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita...

For the first time in the relatively brief history of the races, the G3 OBS Korea Cup and G3 OBS Korea Sprint were welcomed into the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, offering the winners a free ride into the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, respectively. And for the first time, the races' defending champions each returned to Seoul to win for the second year in succession, stamping themselves as legitimate contenders at Del Mar, if connections indeed make the trip over. Teruya Yoshida's Crown Pride (Jpn)...

Jantar Mantar (Jpn) (Palace Malice), who was crowned Japan's champion two-year-old colt in 2023, resumed winning ways with a decisive defeat of the unlucky-in-running Ascoli Piceno (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in Saturday's G1 NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo Racecourse, his fourth win from six career starts. Unbeaten in three starts at two, culminating with a first top-level win in the Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin, Jantar Mantar had been forced to settle for minor honours on his first two starts as a three-year-old, including when finishing a close-up third...