Japanese racing

Perched atop the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings at 129 pounds for much of the year after his sensational 3 1/2-length victory in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in Dubai this March, the formidable Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) will attempt to become only the third horse to claim the ¥421,420,000 G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) in back-to-back years at Tokyo on Sunday. The reigning Japanese Horse of the Year has never finished worse than second in eight starts, and landed the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin over 2200 metres--200 metres...

As the only trainer to bring a winner of the "new" Prix du Jockey Club to the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and succeed, Jean-Claude Rouget can be forgiven his aura of zen ahead of the all-important Paris rendezvous for Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) on Sunday. While the yard's Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) took more than a year to complete the difficult double, late September's freak heatwave means that the 2023 edition of this autumn jewel is not the dire test it habitually represents for the Classic...

Netkeiba.com's Toshi Onikubo takes a deep dive into the three Japanese Kentucky Derby contenders

With at least two, and perhaps three, horses from Japan set to compete in this year's GI Kentucky Derby, everyone wants to know more about these horses and why the Japanese runners have had so much success internationally over the last few years. To answer those questions and more, the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland called upon Toshi Onikubo whose website, netkeiba.com, is among the best sources of information on Japanese racing anywhere. Onikubo was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week. He is a graduate of the...

A World Cup meeting needs world-class runners plus a global spread of results. This much and more was delivered by the 27th Dubai World Cup and supporting races at Meydan on Saturday. With 26 runners on the night, it was always a given that Japan would feature prominently and, in an exhibition of excellence that we are now becoming accustomed to, they led all comers, just as they had in Riyadh last month. The performance of Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) alone was pretty dramatic, coming from tailed off to...

Yuichi Fukunaga, one of the most decorated jockeys in Japanese racing history, paid an emotional tribute to his fans ahead of his retirement rides at the Saudi Cup. The 46-year-old had his final rides on the Japan Racing Association (JRA) circuit at Tokyo Racecourse earlier this month but will close the chapter on his storied career when he partners Remake (Jpn) (Lani) in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint presented by Sports Boulevard and Ecoro Ares (Unified) in the G3 Saudi Derby presented by Boutique Group on Saturday. The veteran rider...

Yakushima (GB), the first and only runner in Japan for his 2022 European, British and Irish Champion Sire, became the sixth stakes winner for Havana Grey with a speedy score in the Listed Crocus S. at Tokyo on Saturday. Third choice in the field at 3-1, the Godolphin colourbearer was part of the early pace discussion and shadowed From Dusk (Bolt d'Oro) and Smooth Velvet (Jpn) (Discreet Cat) through splits of :23.50 for the quarter and :47.30 for the half mile. He remained in shouting distance of the leaders and...

With Heather Anderson, TDN Associate International Editor First job in the Thoroughbred industry? Interning at a reproduction centre at Peterson & Smith down in Florida. Biggest influence on your career? My parents. Neither are in the industry, but they gave me a good foundation and the right mind set to succeed. Favourite racehorse of all time, and why? Tiznow. He's still the only dual winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Who will be champion first-season sire in 2023? Land Force. Greatest race in the world? G1 Prix de l'Arc...

Rated 109, just like fellow group winners Dolce More (Jpn) (Jpn) and Obamburumai (Jpn) (Discreet Cat), All Parfait (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) is one of the more fancied runners as 17 colts line up for the 1600-metre G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. at Hanshin on Sunday. Leaving from post three, the Ryoichi Endo homebred has won his past two starts, after running second in a Tokyo maiden in June. Resuming over this trip in a maiden at Nakayama on Oct. 2, he won by two lengths, prior to defeating Danon...

On hiatus for the past several months, Group 1 action returns to the Land of the Rising Sun in Nakayama's 1200-metre Sprinters S. on Sunday. Sixteen horses have stood their ground, among them last-out G2 Centaur S. heroine Meikei Yell (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}). Leaving from gate 13, the 4-year-old filly and 2-1 morning line pick is aiming to become the first horse to complete the Centaur/Sprinters S. double since Tower Of London (Jpn) (Raven's Pass) in 2019. Trained by Hidenori Take, the Nagoya Keibo Co. Ltd colourbearer will have...

A full field of 18 line up for Sunday's ¥380,000,000 G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) at Hanshin. Leading the charge in the 3200-metre feature, one of the most lucrative staying contests on the planet, is Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}). Still hunting for his first Group 1 win, the 5-year-old has won two editions of the G2 Hanshin Daishoten, and even took his show on the road last year, with a victory in the G2 Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp. He detested the heavy going in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de...

Billed as the "Cherry Blossom Prize", Japan's G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) over 1600 metres is the first Japanese Classic of the season, and a full field of 18 faces the starter on Sunday. The diminutive three-for-four Namur (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) is the likely favourite, and she enters this test on the back of a victory in the Mar. 5 G2 Tulip Sho. Her only loss was in her third start, when a close fourth after a slow break and a rough trip to Circle Of Life (Jpn) (Epiphaneia...