Nakayama

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 Sunday and Monday running at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses, with a pair of newly turned 3-year-old fillies taking a step up into Group 3 competition off maiden-breaking victories: Sunday, January 9, 2022 3rd-CKO, ¥9,900,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1900m THE KING (JPN) (c, 3,...

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. The first weekend of racing for the new year takes place at Chukyo and Nakayama, featuring a pair of Group 3 tests over a mile for newly turned 3-year-olds and each featuring one American-bred. Those horses will appear in Saturday's TDN, in the meantime, here are the runners of interest for...

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 Wednesday's first JRA meetings of 2022 at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 4th-NKY, ¥11,400,000 ($99k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m WONDERFUL HEAVEN (f, 3, Hard Spun--Couture Cat, by Storm Cat), a half-sister to SP High Fashion Diva (Girolamo), is out of a winning...

Killer Ability (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) showed plenty of talent to take the G1 Hopeful S. at Nakayama on Tuesday. The 2000-metre affair featured 15 colts in the final Japan Racing Association Group 1 of 2021. It was an exacta for the deceased Shadai kingpin Deep Impact, as Justin Palace (Jpn) was 1 1/2 lengths behind. Second choice at 2-1, the blinkered colt rated in an ideal position perched in third while saving ground against the rails as Grand Line (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) carved out even splits of :23.90, :48.10...

Classic winner Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), who was claiming his third Group 1 ring, took the lead in the lane and fended off a stubborn Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) to win the G1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama on Sunday. Last year's winner, Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}), who was making her final start, was third. The Carrot Farm-owned winner attracted the most votes to gain entry to the race, where the 10 horses that accrue the most votes from the public compete and the field is completed by horses...

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 Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses. Sunday's Boxing Day program at Nakayama features the world's biggest betting race annually, the G1 Arima Kinen, in which Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) will look close her career on a winning note in defense of...

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 Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses. The latter hosts Sunday's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity, which includes the offspring of such North American notables as Canadian Horse of the Year Lexie Lou, Land Over Sea, Dust and Diamonds and My Jen: Saturday, December...

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 Chukyo, Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses. With the season winding down, this year's 2-year-old crop get their crack at Group 1 glory beginning with this weekend's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. The boys get their chance in next Sunday's Asahi Hai Futurity: Saturday,...

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 Nakayama and Chukyo Racecourses. American-bred Cafe Pharoah and the American-sired Danon Pharaoh (Jpn) are among a field of 16 for Sunday's G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo, a group led by the rail-drawn 3-year-old filly Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune). Click here for...

A diverse field of 16 short-track specialists converges on Nakayama Racecourse Sunday as Japanese Group 1 racing emerges from a three-month hiatus in the 1200-metre Sprinters' S. Koji Maeda's Gendarme (Kitten's Joy) was a Group 2 winner over a mile and Group 1-placed going 10 furlongs at two, but has gone through a renaissance of sorts since being cut back to distances between six and seven panels about this time last year. A listed winner at Niigata at seven-eighths last October, the homebred son of 2002 Sprinters' heroine Believe (Jpn)...

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 Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses. A trio of American-bred runners takes their place in a field of 18 for Sunday's Sprinters' S. at the latter venue as Group 1 racing returns to Japan for the first time since late June: Saturday,...

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 Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses: 1st-CKO, ¥9,680,000 ($87k), Maiden, 2yo, 1400m DUGAT (c, 2, Practical Joke--Untraveled, by Canadian Frontier) faces straight maidens for the first time at career start number three, having finished a good third in allowance company on debut...