Tokyo Racecourse

Des Ailes (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the first foal out of 2014 G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches victress Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), puts her unbeaten record on the line and jumps up into group-race company for the first time in Sunday's G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks). A debut winner at Hanshin on Mar. 15, she added the Listed Sweetpea S. at Tokyo on May 3 to her resume. Both those starts were over 1800 metres, and she adds another three furlongs on Sunday...

The focus turns to older fillies and mares for Sunday's G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse, and six-time Group 1 winner Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) looks to make her 2020 return a triumphant one in this Breeders' Cup Challenge series qualifier for the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Winner of the 2018 G1 Japan Cup, the Sakae Kunieda trainee added a win in the 2019 G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan before finishing a close-up third in Tokyo's G1 Yasuda Kinen. Back on top in...

Officials at Breeders' Cup Limited and the Japan Racing Association have announced that the $2.1-million G1 Victoria Mile, to be held next Sunday, May 17, at Tokyo Racecourse, has been added to the 2020 Breeders' Cup Challenge series and will offer the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland Nov. 7. A total of 19 horses have been nominated to the 1600-meter event, led by 2018 Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), who is scheduled...

Sunday's G1 February S. marks the return of Group 1 action to Japan, and while the February-one of just two dirt Group 1s in the country-is missing last year's G1 Champions Cup winner and Dirt Horse of the Year Chrysoberyl (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}), who will fly the flag in Saudi Arabia next weekend, the 1600-metre contest sees Inti (Jpn) (Came Home) look to go back to back in a race that offers automatic entry into the $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7 as part 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 Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses: Saturday, February 8, 2020 2nd-KYO, ¥9,680,000 ($88k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m QUALITY TIME (JPN) (f, 3, Quality Road--Gypsy {GB}, by Distorted Humor) is out of a winning daughter of Glia (A.P. Indy), a stakes winner and GSP...