Japan Looks to Continue Hot Streak

Barry K. Schwartz's Japan (Medaglia d'Oro) displayed so much promise in his early training that former conditioner Mike Hushion thought he would be a GI Belmont S. contender. While the big, late-developing colt did not make it to the Test of a Champion, he was an impressive winner of the Easy Goer S. earlier that day, stamping his ticket to Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga. (Video)

“We were very high on him from the start,” Schwartz said. “Mike Hushion actually thought he might be a Belmont horse if he had come to hand a little earlier, which he really didn't, but we were always very high on him.”

Japan impressed Schwartz and his team right from the get-go. He first laid eyes on the full brother millionaire Al Khali as a yearling at the 2013 Keeneland September sale, where he purchased him for $300,000.

“He was a very impressive-looking colt,” said Schwartz, who owns Stonewall Farm in Granite Springs, N.Y., with his wife Sheryl. “At sales like Keeneland, you look at a thousand horses and some of them stand out. He was certainly one that stood out.”

The hulking bay's promise was no secret to the public, who backed the colt as the 2-1 chalk in his 6 1/2-furlong debut at Gulfsteam Feb. 21. After a slow start, wide trip and trouble in the stretch, Japan checked in sixth that day, but his running style and physical appearance gave the impression he would relish more distance next time around.

“We absolutely thought he was a distance horse right along,” Schwartz remarked. “He was terribly green in that [debut] race. He broke slow. He got into some trouble. He was bumped [in the stretch]. I don't think he knew what he was doing.”

Shortly after Japan's debut, Hushion was hospitalized and diagnosed with Leukemia. The intensive treatments would take Hushion away from the track for quite some time, forcing Schwartz, his friend and longtime client, to disburse some of his horses to other trainers in order to relieve the load on Hushion's staff.

It's no secret Mike was very, very ill,” the former CEO and co-founder of Calvin Klein commented. “I had a lot of horses with him, and he had a lot of horses both in New York and Florida. It was such a sudden thing. It wasn't like he was able to prepare for being away for any extended period of time, so it was just a neccessary move.”

“I never took all of the horses away,” continued Schwartz, whose Star Dynasty (Midnight Lute) broke her maiden at Saratoga Monday for Hushion. “There were just too many horses for the girl he had there to handle after he left. He went into the hospital in February, and he has had very extensive treatment and was out for quite some time.”

Schwartz distributed his horses among several different New York-based trainers. His homebred Princess Violet (Officer), winner of the GI Madison S., went to Linda Rice and GIII Tempted S. winner Jacaranda (Congrats), a half-sister to MGISW Constitution (Tapit), was transferred to Todd Pletcher. But for Japan, Schwartz knew he had to choose Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

“Look at the job he did with his full brother [Al Khali],” Schwartz enthused. “Giving Japan to Billy Mott was really a no brainer. He trained his full brother, who has won a million dollars.”

Mott has proven to be the right man for the job. He extended Japan to 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland Apr. 4 and the colt showed marked improvement, placing second behind 'TDN Rising Star' Wisecracker (Distorted Humor) after encountering some trouble in the stretch. The sophomore was ultra impressive next out when graduating by seven lengths going the same distance at Churchill Downs Apr. 30.

“He certainly ran a lot better in his second race,” Schwartz said. “Frankly, we were very disappointed in his second race because he got beat. I didn't think he would get beat and he did, but it has been all very positive since then. He was very impressive [breaking his maiden]. He drew off and won in hand.”

Japan faced just two rivals in the Easy Goer June 6, which was the opening event of what would become a historic day in horse racing. Pressing from second early, he was shuffled back to last at the half and boxed in turning for home. Just when he appeared beat, he switched leads and found another gear to inhale his rivals for an impressive victory.

“When he won the stake on Belmont day, he was still green,” Schwartz commented. “They tried to put him in a little trap. There were only two other horses, but they had him boxed in pretty good. When he got to the center of the track and he changed leads, he just took off.”

Mott has been on fire at Saratoga, leading the trainer's standings with six wins just four days into the meet. Between Japan's Easy Goer victory and his half-mile breeze in :48 flat at Saratoga July 27 (2/40), Schwartz was exuding confidence about his colt's ability to handle this step up in class in the Jim Dandy and continue the Mott barn's hot streak.

“I don't think the distance is any problem, but we will see how he handles the step up,” Schwartz remarked. “I don't want to predict anything, but we will just let him do the talking.”