By Emma Berry
SAPPORO, Japan — While other racing nations are becoming accustomed to lauding the overseas success of Japanese runners and looking on with awe at the huge financial clout of the country's domestic racing programme, it would be folly to think that Japan's racing scene does not face its own specific issues. Indeed, the host nation for the 40th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) was put under the spotlight in Sapporo on Thursday when leading trainer Yoshito Yahagi and breeder Kenichiro Mishima took to the stage to discuss ways in which Japanese racing has progressed in recent decades and how it could be enhanced.
Yahagi is now a familiar name on the international scene. This season alone he is taking aim at two of the biggest prizes in Europe and America this autumn with Shin Emperor (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) having just arrived in Chantilly ahead of his bid for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe while the Kentucky Derby third Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) should head to the Breeders' Cup Classic after a prep race at home in Japan in early October.
Issuing an update on his two globetrotters, Yahagi said first of Shin Emperor, the full-brother to the 2020 Arc winner Sottsass (Fr), “The journey was quite long so he was a little tired and has lost some weight but it hasn't affected his performance and I am very happy with his condition.”
Shin Emperor, who was third in the Japanese Derby to Danon Decile (Jpn), will run first in the Irish Champion Stakes as he builds up to the Arc. France's flagship race was highlighted by the trainer as the “top” race in the world that he would like to win.
He continued, “I have always wanted to try the Arc with a three-year-old. [Shin Emperor] still has the chance to run next year but I want him to run this year to make the most of the experience for next year or years to come.
“The Irish Champion Stakes is one of the most prestigious races in Europe and it attracts really top-quality horses. I want to know how well Shin Emperor can run against the other European contenders.”
Forever Young, who won the G2 UAE Derby at Meydan in March before his near miss in a rough running of the Kentucky Derby, will return to America after he lines up in the Japan Dirt Classic at Oi racecourse on October 2.
Yahagi said, “Forever Young will run on the Wednesday of the week of the Arc so that will be a very busy week for me.
“I knew that either Shin Emperor or Forever Young would have to run against City Of Troy and I am very happy that Aidan O'Brien is going to run him in the Breeders' Cup Classic.”
Yahagi was joined on stage by Mishima, the breeder of his G2 Godolphin Mile and G3 1351 Saudi Turf Sprint winner Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}).
“There have been dramatic changes in Japanese breeding the last few decades, in feed management, the stock getting stronger,” said Mishima who also outlined the challenges posed by extremely cold winters on the island of Hokkaido, where the majority of Japanese thoroughbreds are born and raised.
“We used to depend on imported stallions but now we have very good domestic stallions,” he added. “Sunday Silence coming to Japan was one of the triggers that allowed Japan's horses to compete outside Japan.”
The 1989 Kentucky Derby winner is now famed for having been a key breed-shaper in the country, notably through his hugely influential Japanese Triple Crown-winning son Deep Impact (Jpn).
“I think we can divide the era – before and after Sunday Silence,” Yahagi agreed.
“It's not just my stable but I genuinely feel that the quality of Japanese horses is getting stronger every time I travel abroad.”
He continued, “The Classic, the Arc, the Cox Plate are all run on very different racetracks so it is important to work out if each horse is suitable for those conditions. Then there is whether the racecourses involved are passionate about inviting Japanese horses to run. That is an important consideration – whether we can rely on subsidies or not is really important as air travel for horses has become very expensive.”
Earlier on the conference stage Yahagi had highlighted his desire to see more women employed in Japanese racing. He is currently acting as a mentor to Japan's first licensed female trainer Kyoko Maekawa, who featured in these pages a fortnight ago and is completing an apprenticeship with Yahagi before setting up as a trainer in her own right next March.
“Looking at the Japanese horseracing industry I would say that about 95% of those working in the industry are men,” he noted. “I truly hope that more young women will be able to join our industry. That's my strong wish. I think their participation is extremely important and I do believe that with them the horseracing and breeding industry will be viewed to be more attractive [for others].”
He also noted that, under the JRA rules, he will only be allowed to continue as a trainer for another seven years until he will be required to retire.
“I just want to do my best as a trainer until I reach the age of 70,” said Yahagi, who also owns a spelling farm on Hokkaido. “And in my retirement I want to give something back to the horses. I might start a retirement farm for aftercare.”
The retraining of racehorses and aftercare was the subject of the day-long IFAR conference on Tuesday, when the JRA showcased the efforts being made in this regard at its equestrian centre alongside Sapporo racecourse.
Yahagi continued, “Finally it has gained attention fully and some of things discussed have been put into action. Globally, Japan is still behind the world trend and the horsemen should take the initiative to improve the welfare for retired horses.”
Mishima added, “In order to retain the horseracing industry around the world the welfare of the horse is going to be a crucial issue. There are some issues regarding funding but we are now seeing the emergence of an organisation dealing with this.”
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