horse racing in Japan

The main event on Saudi Cup Day two weeks ago was all about the host nation, with the locally owned and trained Emblem Road (Quality Road) posting a remarkable upset in the world's richest horse race. Saudi Arabia has announced its presence on the global horse racing scene loud and clear, and the country-with its ever-increasing investment in racehorses and breeding stock globally--will continue to be heard from for years to come. When the layers are peeled back on the third running of the Saudi Cup card, however, it was...

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 Kyoto and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, January 18, 2020 4th-KYO, ¥11,400,000 ($104k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1400m A SHIN ENBARR (c, 3, Carpe Diem--Ambling, by Chester House), a half-brother to three-time graded-placed Triple Arch (Arch), was his sire (by Giant's Causeway)'s 10th most...

Sanctuaire (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a three-quarter sister to two-time American Grade I winner and new WinStar Farm sire Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), stamped herself a 3-year-old filly to watch with a first black-type win in Sunday's G3 Shinzan Kinen against the colts at Kyoto. Sanctuaire, who is out of the GI Ballerina S. winner Hilda's Passion (Canadian Frontier), was a debut winner going a mile at Niigata on Aug. 11 and followed up with a second to Ria Amelia (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who is herself out of...