Kitasan Black (Jpn)

Globetrotting wunderkind Equinox (Jpn), his sire Kitasan Black (Jpn) and Kizuna (Jpn) co-lead the Shadai Stallion Station roster at ¥20,000,000 (€123,497) apiece next year. Equinox, who has his first foals arriving next year, and Kitasan Black (11 stakes winners) have had their fees remain at their 2024 levels, while Kizuna has had his fee increased from €12,000,000. The last-named horse has fired in 14 stakes winners in 2024 alone, among them G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) hero Justin Milano (Jpn). Right under the leading trio is Japanese Triple Crown...

Favoured at 6-5 in this step up to stakes company, Croix Du Nord (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) duly delivered in the G2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes on Saturday. After an even break, he soon ranged up in between horses to sit third behind a freewheeling Satono Shining (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) and second choice Red Kingly (Jpn) (Saturnalia {Jpn}), a few lengths behind. Poised to pounce after 1000 metres in 1:00.90, he inched into second and took dead aim on the pacesetter. Charging up to even terms at the 400-metre...

Keeping in line with his family's long-standing history with the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), Urban Chic (Jpn) (Suave Richard {Jpn}) posted an emphatic result in the final leg of the Japanese Triple Crown on Sunday in Kyoto. Entering this race off claiming his first group title in the G2 Asahi Hai St. Lite Kinen on September 16, a trial race for the Kikuka Sho, Urban Chic was one of three to come from that contest, the others being Cosmo Kuranda (Jpn) (Al Ain {Jpn}) and Ecoro Walz (Jpn)...

Sales action returns to Hokkaido's Northern Horse Park on Tuesday, October 22 with the third edition of the Northern Farm Mixed Sale. The auction features a selection of 52 weanlings which is followed by 79 broodmares and fillies out of training. A colt by Kitasan Black (Jpn), the sire of Equinox (Jpn), who was crowned Longines World's Best Racehorse in 2023, topped the foal section of the JRHA Select Sale in July. The Shadai stallion is represented by three of his weanlings in the Mixed Sale, including lot 21, a...

Equinox (Jpn), who was crowned Longines World's Best Racehorse in 2023, covered 203 mares in his first season at Shadai Stallion Station in 2024, the stud has announced. Beaten just twice in 10 career starts, Equinox broke new ground when he retired to Shadai as his introductory fee of ¥20 million (around €124,000) was a record high for a first-season stallion in Japan. He shared top billing on the Hokkaido roster with his own sire, Kitasan Black (Jpn), who also stood at a fee of ¥20 million when covering 191...

G1 Racing's Christmas Parade (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) earned her first stakes victory and group win in the G2 Shion Stakes on Saturday. The filly blitzed the 2000 metres in a new stakes record of 1:56.60. Sent off at 28-5, the Shizuya Kato runner stalked Isola Felice (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}) from second as that foe sped through splits of :22.90, :46.70, and 1:10.70. The final four furlongs were all under :12 seconds each, with the eventual winner asked for her best inside the final 600 metres. She surged to...

A winner over 1400 metres versus newcomers on June 22, Satono Carnaval (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) defended his perfect record with a 1 1/4-length win in the G3 Hakodate Nisai Stakes at Hakodate on Saturday. Sporting lather along his neck in the preliminaries, the bay sat in fourth position early in this cut back in trip. The 12-5 favourite, who moved fluidly throughout, took dead aim on long-time leader Nishino Lavanda (Jpn) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}) at the furlong pole and easily edged ahead of the filly by the line. Endless...

Sugar Kun (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn})--a half-brother to Kitasan Black (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}), Japan's Horse of the Year in both 2016 and 2017--put himself in contention for top honours with a narrow victory in Saturday's G2 TV Tokyo Hai Aoba Sho at Tokyo Racecourse, cementing his place in next month's G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) over the same course and distance. Trained by Hisashi Shimizu, Sugar Kun was partnered by legendary jockey Yutaka Take, the regular rider of Kitasan Black and a six-time winner of the Tokyo Yushun. Take had...

The dramatic victory of the world's highest rated racehorse Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March has been voted the World Pool Moment of the Year. It is the second year of the award, which was given to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and her groom Annabel Willis in 2022. The groom of near black superstar, Tomohiro Kusunoki, is the recipient of a VIP trip to the 2024 Hong Kong Derby or the 2024 Champions Day along with...

There have been 27 individual World Pool Moment of the Day winners in the 2023 season--each winning groom receiving a £4,000 award--and an independent panel from the Hong Kong Jockey Club narrowed that list down to four finalists who will compete for a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year via a public vote. The finalists are Tomohiro Kusunoki, the groom of Japanese globetrotting superstar Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn); Paige Harrison, the groom of MG1SW Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}); Raj Rasiah, groom of G1SW Quickthorn (GB)...

Japanese superstar Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) has topped the rankings at 129 in the ninth edition of the 2023 World's Best Racehorse rankings followed closely by Arc winner Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) and Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who are tied for second with a rating of 128 each. Noteworthy movement in the rankings include dominant G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. victor Big Rock (Fr) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), now the co-fourth highest along with Hukum (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). The Breeders' Cup had its impact on the...

There had been hints that reigning Japanese Horse of the Year Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) was not your average champion, most especially with his geared-down tour-de-force in the desert in March, but the Silk Racing Company's colourbearer was in a zip code all his own with his course-record breaking performance in defence of his G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) title at Tokyo on Sunday. He covered the 2000-metre trip over a firm Tokyo course in 1:55.20, 0.9 seconds faster than the previous record. Carrying a rating of 129 on the...