Japan Racing

The 2024 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In will consist of 82 races in 12 countries and host track Del Mar will run six on a schedule with several new additions, the organization announced via release Monday. In its 18th year, the Win and You're In (WAYI) program gives each winner an automatic qualifying position with fees paid into the corresponding race at the 2024 World Championships. In addition to the domestic schedule, forty-one international races will be held at premier tracks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England,...

3rd-Keeneland, $106,700, Alw, 10-6, (NW1X), 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:26.99, ft, 13 1/2 lengths. TWO ITEM SAVER (f, 3, Super Saver--Two Item Limit {MGSW & MGISP, $1,060,585}, by Twining) debuted in 2022 in the same Churchill Downs maiden which yielded GSW Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) and SP Baby Got Backspin (Kantharos), finishing fourth for Dallas Stewart before being put on the bench until August of this year. Now in the barn of Ignacio Correas, she graduated from the maiden ranks in the Colonial dash last out at second asking and shipped...

For U.S. expatriate Kate Hunter, the GI Kentucky Derby is about relationships. Hunter, who is based in Japan when she's not traveling the globe, is the founder of Marugai Racing. She is the Japan representative for a number of American racing organizations including Churchill Downs. Her journey with the connections of Derby contenders Derma Sotogake (Jpn)(Mind Your Biscuits) and Continuar (Jpn) (Drefong) began early this year as she traveled with them from Japan to Saudi Arabia in February, then on to Dubai in March, and finally to Kentucky, where they...

Coming into this G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen off a seasonal bow back in January in the G3 Silk Road S., where he finished second behind Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}), First Force (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) found his redemption after a ninth place effort in this contest last season with a grinding, determined victory to pick up his career-first Group 1 black-type on Sunday. Breaking in good order from barrier 13 over a rain-drenched course, First Force was pushed along by Taisei Danno to hold an outside spot from mid-pack...

With primarily older runners drawn in for Thursday's G1 Tokyo Daishoten S. at Ohi Race Course, a field of 13, plus one mare, took to the dirt in an attempt to notch a well-earned victory. The eventual winner, battle-tested Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), came into the race sporting his most-successful campaign to-date. In 2022 alone, the 5-year-old has recorded stakes victories in three of his last four starts with the last one coming Nov. 27 at Hanshin Race Course by 2 1/2 lengths in the Canopus S. Sent off...