Japan Cup 2021

目的地 東京

DESTINATION TOKYO

41st Japan Cup | November 28, 2021

in association with

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日本の競馬へようこそ

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WELCOME TO RACING IN JAPAN

NE of the most inspiring aspects of this past tumultuous year has been the way in which the horseracing community around the globe has used its skill and determination to keep the sport going and provide entertainment when it was much needed.

Now, as we move into a more optimistic period in which we can start to resume many of the pleasures of life such as meeting old friends and making new ones, a day at the races in good company and planning long overdue travel, our horizons can begin to broaden once more.

In that respect, as we watch the racing season unfold across Europe and America this summer we can begin to anticipate that some of the great performers on these familiar circuits will also take a bold step into an international campaign this autumn with the Japan Cup in Tokyo on November 28 one of the potential targets.

There is, of course, an opportunity awaiting, as the retirement to the breeding paddocks of the mighty Almond Eye leaves a

vacancy at the top of the tree. Who will follow her on to the roll of honour of Japan Cup winners?

In this publication we celebrate Almond Eye’s exhilarating farewell to the racecourse in Tokyo last December but we also have an eye to the future.

The renowned bloodstock and racing expert Naohiro Goda shines some light on the resurgent strength of European bloodlines in Japanese racing and previews the key features of the upcoming Select Sale.

We also hear the experiences of some of those who have already enjoyed the fruits of racing in Japan. Christophe Lemaire and his family have taken the country to their hearts and, in turn, Japanese racegoers have become huge fans of this most successful and stylish jockey. Frankie Dettori, too, adds his distinctive voice to the chorus of praise of the sport in Japan.

The trainer David Menuisier may be relatively new on the scene but he has quickly appreciated the benefits of travelling his horses far and wide, including Japan, not just for the prize-money on offer but also for

the new opportunities that appear when you plan a global campaign for your horses.

Travelling to Tokyo to race might seem ambitious and slightly daunting but, as explained by Goodwood’s clerk of the course Ed Arkell, the racetracks offer a surface that is level and well cushioned and which is tended with the utmost care, while the atmosphere on racecourses on big days is an unforgettable experience.

As you will see in this publication, Japan has a long history of equine culture and a deep fascination with the horse and with horseracing. As a racing visitor, you can be assured of the warmest greeting.

I would also like to offer my sincere thanks to all those who have kindly given their time to be interviewed for this publication and to the Racing Post team for their work.

It is my hope this publication will give you greater depth of understanding of Japanese racing and we look forward to welcoming you soon to our racecourses and to Japan.

NOBU FURUTA JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION GENERAL MANAGER, LONDON

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HE ever-increasing quality of horses bred and raced in Japan is not exactly news to anyone who has been following the sport globally.

The success of the country’s horsemen on trips abroad to challenge for some of the sport’s biggest international prizes is just one measure of that rising tide.

What has made Japan of growing interest to European eyes has been the increasing frequency with which top Japanese performers at home and abroad carry familiar names in their immediate ancestry.

Top-level scorers Mozu Ascot and Soul Stirring have ensured that Japan does not remain immune to global bloodstock’s Frankel fever.

European-raced stallions standing in Japan have also enjoyed notable success: Arc winner Bago with the outstanding Chrono Genesis in last season’s Arima Kinen; and King George hero Harbinger, sire of the globetrotting Deirdre as well as Normcore and Blast Onepiece, winners respectively of the 2020 Longines Hong Kong Cup and 2018 Arima Kinen.

And in recent weeks there were Grade 1 successes for World Premiere and Schnell Meister, both of whom are out of German-bred mares.

Barely a month passes without another stakes winner in Japan hailing from a female line steeped in European racing lore.

One of the keenest observers of this trend is the writer and broadcaster Naohiro Goda, who is Japanese representative for the Newmarket sales house Tattersalls.

Goda says the turning of the wheel towards European influences after several decades of Japanese breeders investing heavily in US bloodstock can be traced to the historic trip to Newmarket made by Katsumi Yoshida – buying in the name of his own breeding operation, Northern Farm, for the first time – in December 1992, and the purchase of two special mares.

“Zenya Yoshida died in August 1993 and was very ill at the time of the December sale in 1992,” Goda says. “He had already decided to divide his Shadai Farm into three different farms to be run by his sons Teruya, Katsumi and Haruya.

“When Katsumi went to Newmarket he knew he would be running his own Northern Farm and was looking for nice mares with good European pedigrees.

“Katsumi is what you would call super-rich these days but that was not the case in 1992 and he wanted mares with a gorgeous background but maybe not with really high-class racing records. He picked up two mares in Ballet Queen and Rosa Nay.” The stories of those two mares defy the way families are traditionally built up in major breeding operations. The champions that sprung from those first purchases follow in a linear fashion, with both finding almost instant success with the foals they were carrying when they passed through the ring.

“Ballet Queen was by Sadler’s Wells out of Sun Princess, a winner of the Oaks by 12 lengths in 1983,” Goda recalls. “It’s a beautiful pedigree and she was in foal to Caerleon, who was one of the European stallions widely recognised as being very suitable for Japanese racing.

IMPECCABLE BLOODLINES Scott Burton recalls the historic trip to Newmarket made by Katsumi Yoshida that heralded sea change in Japanese breeding “She cost only 100,000 guineas, which looks a bargain! And her Caerleon foal was Japanese Derby winner Fusaichi Concorde.”

Thirteen years after producing Fusaichi Concorde, Ballet Queen foaled a second Japanese Classic winner in Unrivaled, a son of Neo Universe and winner of the 2009 Satsuki Sho (2,000 Guineas).

Goda underlines we should be no less impressed by Katsumi Yoshida’s other purchase from that same sale.

“Rosa Nay had as her second dam Riverqueen, a winner of the French 1,000 Guineas, and was herself by Lyphard,” he says. “In 1992 she was in foal to Shirley Heights and their daughter, Rose Colour, was a Graded stakes winner, while Rosa Nay’s granddaughter, the Sunday Silence filly Rosebud out of Rose Colour, finished second in the Japanese Oaks. Finally, her great-grandson is Rose Kingdom, out of Rosebud, winner of the 2010 Japan Cup.

“Northern Farrm was the leading breeder for ten consecuttive years and those two mares were fund damental to that success.”

Wind In Her Hair: the start of the Deep Impact revolution

History is often w written by men about men and there is a daanger of the same when it comes to phenomenon w concentrating on sire lines.

Silence and his That Sunday S son Deep Impacct have taken Japanese racingg and breeding to another level is beyond dispute. here are two But of course th sides to the geneetic equation.

One of the besst middle-distancee neration when mares of her gen trained by the laate John Hills ughter of the and a granddau Queen’s 1974 Prrix de Diane

heroine Highclere, the acquisition of Wind In Her Hair holds a unique place in Japanese breeding history.

“Katsumi Yoshida bought her privately and of course she has become famous as the dam of Deep Impact,” says Goda. “His older full-brother is called Black Tide and he was a Graded stakes winner. He went on to sire Kitasan Black, a Japanese Horse of the Year.

So her story is more than just Deep Impact.

But he is a Japanese legend and of course the sire of [2021 Oaks winner] Snowfall.

“Wind In Her Hair is still alive at the age of 30 and she is enjoying her retirement at the Northern Horse Park, a riding park which is open to the public.”

Teruya Yoshida kept the family brand alive when naming his third of their father’s empire Shadai and the eldest brother has e joyed a special spec a relationship e at o s p with t the t e Prix enjoyed

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PHOTO: J FUKUDA Harbinger (left) is the sire of Group 1 winners Normcore (grey, below) and Deirdre (bottom); Arc hero Bago’s daughter Chrono Genesis wins last year’s Arima Kinen (below right)

Teruya Yoshida

Katsumi Yoshida

pleasant surprise to see those two-year-old winners and breeders changed their minds and started to send good mares. He has gone on to produce some top horses including Deirdre.”

Goda adds: “Bago stands as a JBBA stallion in Hokkaido. That means he was bought by the JRA to help small- and medium-sized breeders and normally the stallions at JBBA stand for a stud fee that is lower than market value.

“The quality of mare sent to those stallions is not as good as those sent to Shadai stallions. It is not easy for those stallions to become top class but Bago has produced plenty of winners. He was a hell of a racehorse and although Nashwan has not been a great sire of sires, Bago still has a wonderful background and he has now established his status in Japan.”

Buying power will only increase

de Diane, the French version of the Oaks run over 1m2½f at Chantilly.

Four recent winners have found their way to Shadai: 2009 heroine Stacelita has had the longest run in the breeding sheds and has produced Yushun Himba (Oaks) scorer Soul Stirring, Frankel’s first Group or Grade 1 winner in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December 2016, as well as Grade 3-winning Deep Impact filly Schon Glanz.

The 2014 Poule d’Essai and Prix de Diane winner Avenir Certain has struck with her first foal, a Deep Impact filly called Des Ailes who won this season’s Grade 2 Sankeisports Hai Hanshin Himba over a mile.

Bought privately from the Aga Khan, 2010 heroine Sarafina has already thrown a trio of black-type performers, all by Deep Impact.

And La Cressonniere, winner in 2016, has three colts on the ground, the first two the result of European matings to Shalaa and Golden Horn, before she was exported to Japan to be covered by Epiphaneia and this year Lord Kanaloa.

Goda says of Shadai’s pursuit of these high-achievers: “Teruya Yoshida loves racing in Britain and France and, along with his wife Chizu, he likes to visit Deauville in August.

“He keeps some mares in France and his representative is Patrick Barbe, who is adept at finding nice European mares with attractive race records and pedigrees.”

The search for European sires

Darley elected to retire Talismanic to its Japanese branch, while Shadai also recently bought Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Siskin.

Despite being trained and predominantly raced in Europe, both horses are by North America stallions (Medaglia D’Oro and First Defence).

The emergence of the British-based Frankel as a force in Japanese racing is particularly heartening to European observers given the relative failure of his sire and paternal grandsire to make an impact.

Kingman has also made his mark thanks to Schnell Meister and Goda is hopeful that the major Japanese farms might now go looking for new recruits to the stallion market in Europe to join the likes of Harbinger and Bago.

“With Sadler’s Wells and Galileo, their sons didn’t really work in Japan,” says Goda.

“But now we have found that their grandsons and great-grandsons are effective.

“In addition, we have found some suitable European stallions such as Kingman and Frankel. Not only the Yoshida brothers but other major breeders are looking for new pedigrees from Europe to stand in Japan so I

believe there will be more attempts to buy top European stallion prospects.”

Bago followed Tony Bin as an Arc winner bought to stand in Japan and has benefited from that country’s comparative patience with stallions, given that virtually a decade passed between his first-crop flagbearer Big Week landing the 2010 Kikuka Sho (St Leger) and the emergence of Chrono Genesis and Stella Veloce, who has finished third in both colts’ Classics this season.

Harbinger has arguably enjoyed much better opportunities at stud and the son of Dansili wasted little time in making the most of them.

“Harbinger got a lot of two-year-old winners from his first crop, which was kind of a surprise for us,” says Goda. “We had an image of him as a mile-and-a-half horse who progressed year by year and was something of a late bloomer. It was a

El Condor Pasa: the one who nearly got away NAOHIRO GODA’S retelling of how Japan turned back to Europe began at the 1992 Tattersalls December Sale. But, as he explains, its influence on Japanese racing went beyond Katsumi Yoshida’s two star acquisitions.

“The catalogue for the 1992 sale also contained Saddlers Gal, the dam of El Condor Pasa, one of the very best racehorses bred by Japanese interests.

“Saddlers Gal was withdrawn from the sale and Takashi Watanabe – the owner-breeder of El Condor Pasa – loves to study pedigrees. He really wanted to purchase Saddlers Gal and he requested his agent, Morio Sakurai, to chase the mare. He tracked her down in Ireland and

was sent by Watanabe to buy her privately.

“Watanabe had decided on a mating for her with Kingmambo. Through Special, the dam of Nureyev and Fairy Bridge, Watanabe wanted to employ this inbreeding. They bought the mare and sent her to America to visit Kingmambo and the resulting foal was sent to Japan.

“El Condor Pasa won the Japan Cup and was second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, narrowly beaten by Montjeu.

“Many people disagree with me but, in my opinion, El Condor Pasa was a better racehorse than Deep Impact. That 1992 sale had a big, big impact on Japanese racing and breeding.”

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The bloodstock world is becoming ever more competitive at the top end and Japan’s major breeders cannot take it for granted that they will always come out on top in the battle for the best breeding stock at auction.

However, Goda believes that a combination of finance and technology means that any rising powers attempting to usurp Japanese breeders will have a fight on their hands.

“The bloodstock market in Japan has remained very strong in the last couple of years, even after the outbreak of Covid-19,” Goda says. “First of all, prize-money is very good and owners are willing to invest into the yearling market. The current pandemic has actually broadened the base of the racing industry and horse ownership.”

Expanding on the theme, Goda says: “Betting turnover on JRA tracks and local government racing has been much better because people are forced to stay at home and many have started watching racing on TV and found it exciting to watch. Internet betting has increased and more people have joined racing syndicates like Shadai Horse Club or Sunday Racing. And some new players have become individual owners.

“The industry is in good shape and owners have even become keen on buying horses on the internet. I thought there would be an aversion towards buying without seeing and touching a horse, and certainly not for big money. But I was wrong, especially with the new players in the market. The buyer of the top-priced Deep Impact two-year-old at the Chiba sale is a newcomer from an IT background and he paid $5m online, without ever having been to Shadai Farm to see the colt.

“So I expect the JRHA Select Sale will be quite strong and Katsumi and Teruya Yoshida have the same expectation. We are going to have a lot of new and existing players. And because of the active yearling markets, breeders have good money to reinvest to increase the quality of their broodmare bands.”

And of course everything goes back to those all-important breeding sales at the end of the year, and the constant search for new and diverse bloodlines.

Goda says: “It will depend on how the travel restrictions have been eased by the time of the Tattersalls December Sale but I think Japanese buyers will be active at the top end and in the middle market.”

It seems the list of familiar names attached to big-race success in Japan is only set to grow.

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LASTING B IMPACT

Naohiro Goda charts the rise of the JRHA Select Sale and previews the 2021 event

WITH FOUR YEARLINGS FROM THE FINAL CROP OF DEEP IMPACT (BELOW) ABOUT TO GO THROUGH THE RING, THE SEARCH FOR JAPAN’S NEXT SUPERSIRE IS UNDER WAY

EFORE the inauguration in 1998 of the July Select Sale of yearlings and foals, organised by the Japan Racing Horse Association (JRHA), almost all well-bred young horses in Japan were sold privately and trainers who had their own network of contacts with breeders often also acted as agents.

It was a small world where a limited number of players were active behind the scenes and the flow of money could sometimes be unclear, so the establishment of a public auction was much required and eagerly received by owners and breeders.

The JRHA Select Sale, which is open to everyone, changed Japan’s bloodstock world. Even newcomers without a previous connection with that environment can meet leading breeders and trainers the first time they attend and are able to find horses to buy . . . provided, of course, they can afford to paay.

w the Select Sale expanded How the base of breeding and racing

he first edition of the JRHA Select Sale in At th 19988, 149 lots were sold for 4,851,000,000yen (£200,682,157/US$34,125,923). The gross sale surp passed 10 billion yen in 2006, when 330 lots w were sold for 11,754,500,000yen and by 20199 the sale passed 20 billion yen, when 416 llots were sold for 20,516,000,000yen (£1446,805,008/US$186.492,137). It has swellled to more than four times its original size in 21 years.

Brreeders reinvested the funds they amaassed to improve the quality of their broo odmare bands and so the standard of Japaanese-bred thoroughbreds has been risin ng sharply in the last two decades.

Wh attending the first running of the When Japaan Cup in 1981, the first international race conducted in Japan, I was shocked. The race was won by Mairzy Doates from the US, who o had not won a Grade 1 in her home natio on, and runner-up was Frost King, from Canaada, who had not won any Graded stakees in America. Foreign raiders occupied the ffirst four spots and Gold Spencer, who man naged to finish fifth, was the best Japaanese representative.

No ow we are living in a completely different age.

O On April 25 this year, I joined live covverage of Hong Kong Champions Day at Grreen Channel studios in Tokyo and waatched Japanese-trained runners sweep the first four places in the Group 1 Queen Eliizabeth II Cup, feature race of Hong Kon ng Champions Day which carries a total pursse of HK$25 million (£2.3 million/US$3.2 milliion). The first three finishers were JRHA grad duates.

“Itt was better than expected and I was thrillled,” Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm, the lleading breeder in Japan for the last ten yearrs and a driving force in boosting the markket at the Select Sale, said.

“T The quality of Japanese-bred horses has imprroved significantly. I believe the cream of ou ur turf runners are competitive anyw where in the world and I’m excited to see the q quality of Japanese-bred horses in the

dirt division getting higher. For example, Pink Kamehameha, by Leontes, won the Saudi Derby at Riyadh in February, and Chuwa Wizard, by King Kamehameha, finished second in the Dubai World Cup at Meydan in March. I hope to see the first Japanese-trained winner of a major dirt race in the US pretty soon.”

Teruya Yoshida, owner of Shadai Farm and an active chairman of the JRHA, says: “Not only has the quality of pedigree in Japan improved, but also the training facilities and skill of handlers. While Japanese buyers are still active at yearling and breeze-up sales in the US and young horses by leading sires such as Tapit are imported to Japan, most of them put up a poor fight against Japanese-breds of the same generation. It only proves the standard of Japanese-breds.”

Yoshida sent Vin De Garde - bred by Shadai Farm and owned by Shadai Race Horse, a racing syndicate run by Tetsuya Yoshida, son of Teruya - to Dubai in March and the five-year-old by Deep Impact finished second to Lord North in the Group 1 Dubai Turf.

Vin De Garde had previously won the Grade 2 Fuji Stakes at Tokyo in October but had never finished in the first five in a Grade 1 race in Japan.

“The credit goes to trainer Hideaki Fujiwara, who selected the Dubai Turf as a suitable race for Vin De Garde”, Teruya Yoshida says. “The way of thinking by trainers has changed. They are keen to collect information about international racing through the internet and implement international campaigns without flinching.

When Covid-19 is subdued and travel restrictions are lifted I believe racing fans in Europe will have more opportunities than before to watch Japanese horses competing in international races there.”

At the initial entry stage for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October there were e ntries from the connections of six horses with ambitions to become the first Japanese-trained Arc winner.

Koji Maeda, CEO of North Hills, has declared he will send to France this autumn Deep Bond, who has won two Graded stakes and finished second in the Grade 1 Tenno Sho Spring at Hanshin on May 2. The fouryear-old colt, who carries the silks of Shinji Maeda, brother of Koji Maeda, will be prepped in the Group 2 Prix Foy. Deep Bond’s sire Kizuna, who was bred by North Hills and also owned by Shinji Maeda, finished fourth to Treve in the 2013 Arc after winning the Group 2 Prix Niel from Derby winner Ruler Of The World.

According to Katsumi Yoshida, Chrono Genesis, who was narrowly beaten by Mishriff in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in March, and Lei Papale, unbeaten winner of the Grade 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin in April, both of which were bred

by Northern Farm, are being trained for the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin and then the decision about a European campaign will be made soon afterwards.

Both are “probable” runners in the Arc.

How will the sires’ map be repainted in years to come?

The breeding industry in Japan lost two big names, Deep Impact and King Kamehameha, in 2019, while Heart’s Cry, the leading sire at the 2020 JRHA Select Sale, is now 20 years old. The big question is who

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A Deep Impact colt foal goes through the ring at the JRHA Select Sale

Makio Okada (left), one of the major consignors at the Select Sale, says “this is the market where you have to be t look for future stars”; to (below left) Loves Only You u leads a 1-2-3 for JRHA graduates at Sha Tin

Europe and America to improve the quality of their broodmares. Those mares visit top sires who are descended from Sunday Silence and the resulting foals are offered at the Select Sale. I hope Europeans and Americans attend the sale to witness what is happening here. I am sure all of them will be impressed.”

Deirdre, who cost 21,000,000yen, and Daring Tact, who cost 12,000,000yen, are just two of many examples of horses bought at the JRHA Select Sale for reasonable prices who won major races.

Admire Moon, Japanese Horse of the Year in 2007, was bought as a foal at the Select Sale in 2003 for 16,000,000yen ( £81,392/ US$135,364); Nakayama Festa, who finished second to Workforce in the 2010 Arc, was bought at a yearling session of the sale in 2007 for 10,000,000yen (£39,617/US$80,972), and Just A Way, the world’s highest-rated horse in 2014, was bought at yearling session of the sale for 12,000,000yen (£87,001/ US$133,333).

All eyes on four from Deep Impact’s final crop in 2021 sale

will be Japan’s next leading sire and how will the sires’ map be repainted in the next few years?

“We have a depth of good young stallions, such as Epiphaneia, Kizuna and Maurice, who are young but are already proven sires,” Katsumi Yoshida says. “Lord Kanaloa is superb. He is producing many top-class horses, not only in Japan, but also in Australia, where Tagaloa, by Lord Kanaloa, has won the Grade 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.

Northern Farm supports him, sending our best mares, and I am sure Lord Kanaloa will keep producing many successful runners.

“The roster of freshman sires, whose first crop reaches racing age this year, next year and 2023, looks attractive. The first crop by Kitasan Black are now two-year-olds and they are gorgeous individuals. The first crop

by Satono Diamond and Real Steel are

yearlings now. I believe Real Steel had the potential to win major races in Europe and I expect a lot from him. And the first crop by Rey De Oro is arriving this spring. Those freshman sires must be very good, because only the finest picks from top-class horses with the highest standard are selected to become stallions.”

Shadai Stallion Station, run by the Yoshida brothers, has always been proactive in importing stallions from Europe and the US. One notable import is Harbinger, the highest-rated son of Dansili who won the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot by 11 lengths, breaking the track record. Harbinger has sired five Group 1 winners, including Deirdre, winner of two Group 1s including the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. She was bought at a yearling session of the 2015 JRHA Select Sale for 21,000,000yen (£108,247/US$169,355).

“The first crop by Drefon, the US Champion Sprinter, are two-year-olds this year. They are fast and many of them should be ready to run by summer,” Teruya Yoshida says of the freshman sire.

“I bought Bricks And Mortar, American Horse of the Year in 2019. He started stud

duty at Shadai Stallion Station in 2020. His first crop is arriving this spring and they are beautiful. He is a winner of five Grade 1s on turf from nine furlongs to 12 furlongs and he had tactical speed and a sharp turn of foot, which are important traits for racing in Japan. I believe he will produce successful turf milers and middle-distance horses. And he is by Giant’s Causeway, who is recognised as a suitable stallion for racing in Japan, and he may produce some good dirt runners as well.”

Makio Okada, of Okada Stud, is one of the major consignors at the Select Sale but he also tries every year to buy some for Normandy Thoroughbred Club, the racing syndicate run by Masakazu Okada, son of Makio Okada. His recent successful purchase is Daring Tact, undefeated winner of the Japanese Triple Tiara for three-yearold fillies in 2020, whom he bought at a yearling session of the sale for 12,000,000yen (£79,554/US$108,109).

“This is the market where you have to be to look for future stars,” Makio Okada says.

“The catalogue is high class because major consignors have been making big investments at breeding stock sales in

The catalogue for the 2021 JRHA Select Sale features four yearlings from the final crop by Deep Impact.

“Two of them, Hip 1, a colt out of Go Maggie Go, and Hip 248, a colt out of Sweep Tosho, are consignments from Northern Farm, and are fantastic”, Katsumi Yoshida says about two yearlings he is selling at the sale. “As a principle, Northern Farm offers the best of our products at the Select Sale.

Two Deep Impact yearlings are e xtra fine and the rest of the consignment has the highest quality.

“At the foal session on Tuesday, Hip 361, a colt by Heart’s Cry out of Loves Only Me, who is a half-brother to Real Steel, winner of the Group 1 Dubai Turf in 2016, and Loves Only You, winner of the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup this year, should be the focus of attention.”

“All my consignments are good, too,” Teruya Yoshida of Shadai Farm says with a smile. “Hip 132 at the yearling session, a colt

by Heart’s Cry out of Curalina, is very special.

“I paid US$3 million to buy the dam, who is a winner of three Grade 1s in the US, and I am convinced she is worth it, because the yearling is so wonderful.”

The JRHA Select Sale will be conducted at Northern Horse Park, near New Chitose airport on Monday July 12 and Tuesday July 13. Sessions start at 10am on both days.

For enquiries about the JRHA Select Sale, contact Regent Company Limited (JRHA’s representative for international clients), telephone +81-3-5385-4790, email LEM00454@nifty.ne.jp or go to jrha-selectsale.com.

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T HAS been conspicuous in Japan this season that horses with European pedigrees are performing particularly well, but perhaps we should not be surprised by this resurgence. The key elements for European bloodlines to prosper in Japan have long been in place, right back to the beginning of organised racing.

There have been many notable performances this spring from runners with European heritage. The Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup could be regarded as the equivalent of the 2,000 Guineas, even though the Satsuki Sho is defined as the first leg of Japan’s Triple Crown. This year the protagonists were sons of Juddmonte stallions Frankel and Kingman.

The colt expected to win was 12-5 favourite Grenadier Guards, a Japanese-bred son of Frankel who had captured the 2020 Asahi Hai Futurity, a championship race for juveniles, clocking the fastest-ever time (1min 32.3 secs) by a two-year-old over the 1,600m course at Hanshin.

Grenadier Guards is the third Grade 1 winner by Frankel in Japan, after Soul Stirring, who won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2016 and the Japanese Oaks in 2017, and Mozu Ascot who won the Yasuda Kinen in 2018 and February Stakes in 2020.

Although running bravely, Grenadier Guards could finish only third of 18 runners in the NHK Mile Cup, with the race going to Schnell Meister, a German-bred son of Kingman who started 27-10 second favourite.

Schnell Meister, bred by Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm in Germany, is not the first Graded stakes winner for his Juddmonte sire. Nine weeks earlier, Kingman’s daughter Elizabeth Tower, bred by Teruya Yoshida of Shadai Farm in Britain, won the Grade 2 Tulip Sho at Hanshin in a dead-heat with Meikei Yell.

Coincidentally, both Serienholde, dam of Schnell Meister, and Turfdonna, dam of Elizabeth Tower, were winners of the Preis der Diana (German Oaks). If another Preis der Diana winner in foal to Kingman is in the Tattersalls December Sale catalogue at Newmarket, I think Japanese breeders will be very keen to acquire her.

European pedigrees working so well in Japan is not transitory. The first law regulating racing in Japan was enacted in 1923 and the following year the leading sire – and for the next five consecutive years – was the British-bred Ebor, a son of the prolific Hackler. He had won the historic Great Jubilee Handicap at Kempton in 1909, breaking the track record, and was exported to Japan the following year. Ebor was swiftly followed by another British-bred, Chapel Brampton, by Beppo, who was the leading sire from 1930 to 1932.

Another British-bred who proved influential in Japan in the 20th century was Tournesol, by Gainsborough. The winner of the 1926 Princess of Wales’s Stakes, he was exported to Japan in 1928, produced six winners of the Japan Derby and was crowned Japan’s leading sire for six consecutive years from 1935 to 1940.

Diolite, winner of the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in 1930 and third when favourite for the Derby, was exported to Japan and became sire of St Lite, the first horse to sweep the Japanese Triple Crown in 1941.

Diolite was the leading sire four times between 1941 and 1946.

Theft, by British-bred Tetratema, bred and

SCAN TO VIEW VIDEO OF RACE

Schnell Meister (near side), a son of Kingman, edges out Songline to win the NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo

WHY IT’S NO SURPRISE TO SEE EUROPEAN OOMING BLOODLINES BOOMING Writer and broadcaster Naohiro Godda says conditions for the recent resurgence have long been in place

owned by Aga Khan III, produced Tokino Minoru, unbeaten winner of the Japanese Derby in 1951 occupied top spot in Japan’s sires’ table five years in a row from 1947 to 1951. Following his reign, Irish-bred Rising Flame, by The Phoenix, was leading sire from 1958 to 1960.

The sequence continued in the next decade when British-bred 1949 Irish Derby winner Hindostan, by Bois Roussel, another bred and owned by Aga Khan III, was exported to Japan. He had a great effect on the breeding industry, producing the second Triple Crown winner, Shinzan, in 1964 and becoming leading sire seven times between 1961 and 1968.

From the late 1960s to the end of the 1970s, Guersant, the 1952 French 2,000 Guineas winner, Never Beat, a half-brother to St Leger winner Hethersett, Partholon, winner of the 1963 Ebor, China Rock, John Porter Stakes winner of 1957, and Tesco Boy, the Queen Anne Stakes victor in 1966, led Japan’s sires’ table in turn.

It should not be at all surprising to see European imports dominate the bloodstock world in Japan because the programme was created with reference to the sport in Britain

and almost all prestigious races are on turf, including the Japanese Derby.

Since the mid-1990s there was an apparent decline in influence of European pedigrees in Japan. This came about for two reasons.

The game-changer was Sunday Silence, American Horse of the Year in 1989, who was imported to Japan prior to the 1991 breeding season. His arrival was just sensational. He became leading sire for the first time in 1995, when his first crop was three years old, and he remained in the top seat for 13 years until 2007. He was also

‘THE PROGRAMME IN JAPAN WAS CREATED WITH REFERENCE TO THE SPORT IN BRITAIN AND ALMOST ALL PRESTIGIOUS RACES ARE ON TURF, INCLUDING THE JAPANESE DERBY’

leading sire at the JRHA Select Sale for six years.

Sunday Silence died in 2002 and his title as leading sire was taken over by his son Deep Impact, a great-grandson of Highclere, a mare bred and owned by the Queen who landed the 1,000 Guineas and Prix de Diane in her colours in 1974.

In the era in which the sire line of Sunday Silence, Deep Impact and his sons prospered, European breeding still played a prominent role on the distaff side of top-class Japanese pedigrees.

The second reason for a temporarily weakened position in Japan for sires with European pedigrees was that the leading sires were not well represented at the top level in that period.

Sadler’s Wells, leading sire in Britain and Ireland 14 times in 15 years from 1992 to 2004, was represented by only Graded stakes winner Sage Wells, who won the Grade 3 Stayer Stakes over 2m2f at Nakayama in 1996, even though Japanese buyers purchased a considerable number of expensive Sadler’s Wells yearlings in Europe.

It has been a similar picture with Galileo.

The leading sire in Britain and Ireland 12 times in 13 years from 2008 to 2020 has not produced any Graded stakes winner in Japan and it has been suggested his offspring and those of his sire Sadler’s Wells struggle to handle quick ground in Japan.

H

OWEVER, the story seems very different in the next generation as Sadler’s Wells has been very effective in Japan as a broodmare sire. And sons of Sadler’s Wells and Galileo are enjoying success as sires in Japan.

The list of major winners out of Sadler’s Wells mares is illustrious and includes Fusaichi Concorde, winner of the Japanese Derby in 1996, El Condor Pasa, winner of the 1998 Japan Cup and 1999 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and Cesario, winner of the Japanese Oaks and American Oaks in 2005.

Opera House, an Eclipse and King George-winning son of Sadler’s Wells, produced T M Opera O, the winner of seven Grade 1s including the Japan Cup in 2000, and Meisho Samson, winner of four Grade 1s including the Japanese Derby in 2006. With £13 million in prize-money amassed between them, they are by far the most successful of Opera House’s offspring.

One of the latest bloodstock fashions in Japan is ‘grandson of Galileo’. As mentioned, his champion son Frankel has already produced three Grade 1 winners in Japan, while Darlington Hall, winner of the Grade 3 Kyodo News Hai, is by Galileo’s Derby-winning son New Approach; Shock Action, winner of the Grade 3 Niigata Nisai Stakes, is by his 2015 2,000 Guineas winner Gleneagles; Territorial, winner of the Grade 3 Kokura Daishoten, is a product of his champion two-year-old Teofilo; and as damsire, Victipharus, winner of the Grade 2 Spring Stakes, is out of his daughter Virginia.

On that basis it seems clear that grandsons and daughters of Sadler’s Wells and Galileo are very capable of handling quick ground in Japan. At the yearling markets this year in Europe, I believe Japanese buyers will be eager to acquire more grandsons and granddaughters of those two outstanding sires, as well as sons and daughters of Kingman, all of whom have suitable pedigrees for racing in Japan.

Racing Post Sunday, June 20, 2021

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J

APANESE racing has recruited some fine ambassadors for its international reputation in recent years, not least the horses who have earned fame and glory in some of the world’s most important races. Deirdre, Lys Gracieux and Almond Eye to name just three have flown the Hinomaru flag with distinction in the last three seasons, while the humans accompanying them on their adventures have won friends and admirers across the racing globe.

Almond Eye’s jockey Christophe Lemaire was an evangelist for Japan as a major nation in the sport long before he took the step of relocating to join Mirco Demuro as one of the first two foreign nationals granted full-time riding licences by the JRA in 2015.

An annual winter visitor since 2002 at the behest of Teruya Yoshida, there is arguably no European racing professional who can give as rounded a view of Japanese racing.

Here the 42-year-old talks about the quality of Japanese horses and of the country’s racecourses, as well as the fervour of racing fans and the quality of life he and his family enjoy living there.

It starts with the horse

Lemaire was already a multiple Classicwinning jockey with a fine career when choosing to quit Chantilly for Kyoto but, unlike many sportsmen and women who pursue a second start away from home, his career has reached even greater heights in Japan, where he has won four jockeys’ championships and nearly every major Grade 1 prize the country can bestow.

“I was lucky enough when I was in France to ride for some of the major ownerbreeders such as the Niarchos family, the Aga Khan, Gerard Augustin-Normand and the Wildenstein family,” Lemaire says. “So for me the quality of the horses available to ride has always been very important and the choice of Japan rested heavily on a desire to be associated with very good horses somewhere other than France.

“Knowing the quality of Japanese breeding I came in the hope of riding top horses from wonderful families and pretty quickly that was the case. Every weekend you’re riding horses with just incredible pedigrees.

“In terms of stallions, of course there is Deep Impact and I ride his sons and daughters every weekend. It’s like having a constant stream of horses by Galileo or Sadler’s Wells on tap.

“And they are all out of very high-quality mares as we have Group 1 winners from virtually every continent who came to Japan to be covered by Deep Impact and other major Japanese stallions. The quality of horses here is among the best in the world.”

Once established on a permanent basis, Lemaire was quickly able to profit from contacts built up since 2002 to ensure he rode the cream of Japanese thoroughbreds.

Unlike a footballer or rugby player who might arrive to feather his retirement fund but with little knowledge of the locale, Lemaire knew every blade of grass on the JRA circuit.

Almond Eye’s first Japan Cup win in 2018 stopped the clock at Tokyo in an astonishing 2m20.6s, an extraterrestrial time for a mile and a half by the standards of Europe, nearly four seconds faster than Danedream’s 2011 record in the Arc and more than ten seconds inside Workforce’s Derby mark at Epsom.

Lemaire says: “Japanese racecourses don’t

Sunday, June 20, 2021 racingpost.com

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BETTING, THE JAPANESE PUBLIC ARE . . .

REAL FANS Scott Burton finds out from Christophe Lemaire how it feels to be a household name in the country he now calls home rise and fall to any great extent, while there are no tight turns. So there is a fluidity to the races.

“Secondly, the tracks are artificial while European racecourses such as Epsom are entirely natural and follow the landscape uphill and into valleys. When it rains on such terrain it can become heavy, which along with the overall profile can slow horses down.

“There is not much depth to the soil here and it drains very well.”

While the racing takes place on veritable dragstrips, Lemaire thinks the improvements in the raw materials – the horses – should not be overlooked when

looking at what makes Japanese racing so rapid.

“The quality of the horses is a factor, with the stock getting better all the time, as are the training techniques,” he says.

“And since Deep Impact there have been more horses with a real turn of foot. Before him, the dominant stallion was Sunday Silence – a very talented American horse – who tended to produce horses with a long acceleration in the style of Heart’s Cry. He had a huge stride on him and you had to get going some way out.

“Now we are producing horses who can really quicken. If you look at Shahryar, the colt who won the Tokyo Yushun [Derby], hee

Gran Alegria: life after Almond Eye MANY jockeys find the retirement of their ‘horse of a lifetime’ a difficult moment but in the shape of the flying Gran Alegria – a Grade 1 sprinter/miler, whose trainer Kazuo Fujisawa is intent on further proving her versatility in the Tenno Sho Autumn over a mile and a quarter – he has the perfect follow-up act to Almond Eye. Lemaire says: “When you have a horse like Almond Eye who runs throughout the year, you march to her beat in some ways. You’re always looking forward to the next big race with them.

“But this year I still have Gran Alegria and

while I wouldn’t say she has reached the level of Almond Eye yet – she has yet to win w as many Grade 1 races – she has phenomenal potential. So I’m in a similar rhythm as when Almond Eye was around with Gran Alegria.

“I don’t have her in the same bracket as Almond Eye, who was just exceptional in what she did.

“And I use the word exceptional with care. You can’t have a horse like that who can run over a mile, a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half come along every year.”

was seventh or eighth halfway up the straight but really picked up to run down the leader. So the recipe is fast ground on tracks without much change in gradient and a high quality of horse that continues to improve.

All that leads to faster times.”

Memories of Vodka’s Japan Cup

Heart’s Cry was Lemaire’s first champion in Japan, recording a shock defeat of Deep Impact in the 2005 Arima Kinen under a fine front-running ride, a month after failing by just a nose to reel in Frankie Dettori and Alkaased in the Japan Cup. Four years later Lemaire took over from Yutaka Take (with whom he is pictured right) aboard fan favourite Vodka ahead of the Japan Cup, a race the mighty mare had been beaten in twice before.

“She was a lot better known than I was at

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‘I RACED AGAINST DEEP IMPACT AND HE ABSOLUTELY THRASHED ME IN THE JAPAN CUP’

FRANKIE DETTORI TALKS AFTER CELEBRATING OAKS SUCCESS ON A DAUGHTER OF THE LATE, GREAT SIRE

the time,” he recalls.

“She was an incredible mare, with a lot of pace, who had no real rival over a mile.

She had won a lot of Group 1s but when it came to the Japan Cup she had always found the mile and a half just too much.

“It was a big challenge for Vodka and everyything had to go exactly rigght. This time I came out the right side of the verdict by a nose and it was a huge moment.

“Winning the Japan Cup is a special moment in any jockey’s career but especially for someone like me who had been coming regularly.

“And to win it on such a hugely popular horse when I’d had my heart broken a little with the defeat of Heart’s Cry, it was a little like gaining my revenge on the race.”

The mile and a half races at Tokyo start directly in front of the towering stands and on days like the Derby and the Japan Cup, six-figure crowds strain for every vantage point.

After the traditional trumpet fanfare – accompanied by the clapping and cheering of the crowds – the fields are sent on their way to an enormous roar, while the crescendo of noise when the horses return up the same straight is truly awe-inspiring.

Lemaire says the bond between racing’s actors and the Japanese public is one of the

most iimportant aspects of his new life.

“The Japanese “ public are real fans and a there is a lot more to their love of racing than just the gambling side of o things,” he says.

“The Japanese “ dmire the horses ad and the jockeys and havee become fans of the sport in the real sense of the word.

“Lots of Assian countries, including to bet but in a including Japan, Japan love l lot of cases our public are doing so in support of their favourite horse or jockey or owner, rather than for the best chance in the

FRANKIE DETTORI enjoyed his first taste of racing in Japan as a 21-year-old rising star in 1991 and the world’s most charismatic jockey has enjoyed a love affair with the country ever since. Among his major successes have been a trio of Japan Cups, courtesy of Singspiel (1996), Falbrav (2002) and Alkaased, whose 22.1s blistering mark of 2m22 1 in i 2005 stood t d e for a mile and a half as a world’s best time until Almond Eye’s firsst win in the same race 13 years later. ewed that And in 2019 he rene ch showed bond with a visit whic he is as popular as evver with his legions of fans in Japan.

J pan and I He says: “I love Jap gings of won the first two stag the young jockeys’ championship. I think the o give format was created to Yutaka Take more experience with international riders. When W you look back at the linel en, ups of riders back the with the likes of Johnny o Murtagh, Edgar Prado ng. and me, it was amazin “I had some successs and then an older jockey, Futoshi Kojima, took me m as under his wing. He wa nd he nearing retirement an showed me the bright lights of Tokyo. come “He went on to bec m the a trainer and I won him

race. You really feel that.”

While jockeys are kept largely away from the crowds on racedays apart from occasional autograph and photo sessions by the side of the winner’s enclosure, in many ways they have more access to their idols than almost anywhere else.

Lemaire says: “The JRA pays a lot of attention and puts a lot of effort into maintaining that link between the professionals and the public. There are specially organised events to meet the fans and the professionals are required to make themselves available to the media in order to promote the sport.

“On the eve of the major races there are a lot of requests for trainers and jockeys to

Living for the weekend ONE of the keys to the huge excitement around the big meetings in Japan is that the JRA stages meetings only on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s an adjustment from Europe that has suited Lemaire in his quest for quality over quantity, as well as creating a more balanced life with wife Barbara and children Lucas and Andrea.

“In Japan the weekend is very focused and I’ll probably ride ten races on both Saturday and Sunday,” he says. “That is physically demanding in itself but I can be 200 per cent focused on the job and with a huge degree of motivation. That is because I have the week to recover, to forget about

racing a little and perhaps get over anything that didn’t go well. Then you go back the following weekend with renewed motivation and a real hunger to win.

“To me, that has become necessary and when I was in France I had become mentally fatigued by having to be at my best every day of the week.

“I feel more like a high-level sportsman here, one who can prepare and train for an objective like the match of the weekend. I spend the week getting ready, getting a massage and playing a bit of sport. Come Saturday and Sunday, boom! It’s showtime and I’m 200 per cent ready.”

Japan Cup Dirt on Eagle Cafe.

“My three Japan Cups were all won by a nose and then after several years away I went back for a three-week stint last year. I loved it and I rode six winners.

“The tracks are unbelievable and the following that racing has is stratospheric.

They were waiting for me at the station, when h I left l f t to t go racing i and d then th ag gain at the other end of the ride on the bullet train.

The popularity of racing there is remarkable.

“The standard of horses is goo od and I cannot speak highly enough off the place. I really love it, I love the food, the culture, I love everything about it.”

Dettori has reason to sm mile at the memory of the great Deep Impact as well, having w waltzed to a 16-length victory a at Epsom in the Oaks – his 21st Classic success – aboard the late sire’s brilliant daughte er Snowfall (pictured).

“I raced against Deep Impact when I rode Ou uija Board and he absolute ely thrashed me in the Jap pan Cup. “I also rode in the [2006] Arc in which he was th hird and then, being friends w with Yutaka, I know w what a great loss he has bee en to the industtry. He had so s much more e to give e.”

give their impressions and it is all part of making racing come alive to the outside world.

“There is the specialist racing media such as Green Channel but every weekend the big race is shown on a public channel. It is extremely important because when people are at home with their family on a Sunday, there is half an hour or an hour of racing among very different programming. Racing is in every house, every weekend. That is so important.”

He adds: “There is a huge sporting press in Japan and every title has three or four pages dedicated to racing, with photos of the jockeys and trainers and carrying quotes on the horses and race tactics.

“Even if a person isn’t hugely interested in racing, when they read their daily paper, they are used to seeing the names of horses, jockeys and trainers. They know about horseracing.

“It makes a huge difference in terms of how widely known racing people become.”

With the exception of Take – who recently participated in the Olympic torch relay – Lemaire is among the most recognisable figures who grace those newspaper pages.

He has won the last four jockeys’ titles and is leading the race to make it five, while his 2018 seasonal total of 215 wiped the ageless Take’s previous mark of 212 off the records leger.

Japan really has provided a second act to Lemaire’s career every bit as compelling as his time in Europe.

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AVID MENUISIER credits his irresistible climb up the training ranks to the efforts of his first stable star, Thundering Blue. The dashing grey took Menuisier and partner Kim to places they never dreamed of: Sweden, Canada and most memorably of all Tokyo, Japan – where Thundering Blue was welcomed as if The Beatles had landed circa 1966.

“His poster was all over the tube stations and we were given keyrings and pens with his name written in Japanese on them,” the trainer remembers. “We kept a load of those little bits dedicated to him when we left and still have them at home now.”

A trip to Tokyo and the 2018 Japan Cup marked the end of a landmark season, and indeed journey, for both Menuisier and Thundering Blue. His star was at that point at its brightest and despite not having won at the top level, he was already firmly ensconced as a global racing favourite.

“Everyone was just so excited to see him,” says Menuisier, for whom ‘Blue’ gave the stable a first Group success at York in 2018.

“There was just something about him that made him different. Maybe it was his style of running, maybe it was his distinctive colour, I’m not sure but that whole period was just incredible.

“I’ve been all over the world thanks to racing but Japan is the most extraordinary place I’ve been too. The people were incredibly kind all the way through. Before we went they were very accommodating to organise the trip and the whole thing was luxury with a capital L. “Luxury for the horse, luxury for the connections; no expense was spared. The way the horse travelled and was looked after over there in the quarantine centre was superb. For us, it was obviously quite a short trip and the pressure of running in Japan’s biggest race was definitely there, but our hosts made sure every second counted.”

After such effusive praise it is easy to forget Thundering Blue finished a distant tenth in the race itself, with his usual hold-up tactics exposed by the legendary Almond Eye. Yet on speaking with Menuisier it is clear even being in Tokyo itself was bordering on a success. After all, Thundering Blue’s road to the Japan Cup was far from straightforward and a mere 16 months prior to entering the gates there he was still a maiden.

Menuisier is by his own admission an emotional man and you can hear his voice begin to crack as he harks back to Thundering Blue’s earliest days.

“He lost his confidence after his first race, when he broke his tibia in the Wood Ditton,” he says. “We gave him all the time he needed to get over it physically but mentally he wasn’t the same. It was as if he didn’t want to hurt himself.

“At the end of that three-year-old season we were scratching our heads big time.

Around that time Kim was just coming back into the yard after having our daughter. I suggested she come back in and start riding Blue.

“They just clicked from the start and were inseparable. It was quite magical to see that.

They were best mates and gradually you could see him coming back to himself.”

Success soon followed, as Thundering Blue under Menuisier’s guidance climbed

Sunday, June 20, 2021 racingpost.com

HOSPITALITY AND KINDNESS AFFORDED TO VISITING TRAINER BY HIS JAPANESE HOSTS

A WELCOME LIKE NO OTHER Tom Ward speaks to David Menuisier about an unforgettable trip to the Japan Cup with the hugely popular Thundering Blue

through the handicap ranks, picking up a larger public following with every performance, win or lose.

“He just kept improving and throughout his five-year-old season he really became the people’s horse. It was incredible to watch that happen in front of our eyes and the very fact he went to the heights he did is credit to both time and patience.”

The trainer vividly remembers the moment he realised he was training a horse who had transcended racing. “He finished second in the John Smith’s Cup at York in 2018. I was driving the box myself that day and on our way home we stopped at the services on the M1.

“I parked in the lorry park and one of the lorry drivers opened his window. He was there having his dinner and he said to me: ‘He ran a blinder again today. At least I think that’s Blue in your box there. Every time he runs I have a flutter, I’ve been following him for a few years. I absolutely love him’.”

I remember getting emotional

Menuisier pauses, overcome by the recollection. “I remember getting emotional because that sort of thing is what we live for as trainers. I started crying as that was the day we realised how special he was, not just to us but to the general public.”

Three months later, Menuisier was in dreamland as he arrived in the bright lights of Tokyo and says he still holds up Japanese racing as a unique experience which, in his

opinion, is peerless in comparison to any other global racing jurisdiction.

“People over here know nothing about how big racing is in Japan,” he explains.

“After you’ve been to the Japan Cup you will never experience the same buzz on the racecourse ever again.

“I was in Australia for the Cox Plate and I was told a few days before that I would never experience an atmosphere like that again. It was amazing there, no doubt, but for me it felt like only a fraction of what the Japan Cup was like.

“When the whole stand in Tokyo is in front of you and they’re clapping together, you don’t forget it. In Japan they clap the horse who comes back in last as much h as they h do the winner. That woulld never n the world happen anywhere else in and they absolutely love tthe horses win no matter whether they w or lose. It’s an amazing sporting culture.

“They are still betting hat there megabucks but despite th is still this strong sense off sportsmanship that pervaades everything. You don’t gett that sort of atmosphere anywhere else.”

Wonderful Tonight signed off last season with a pair of Group 1 victories and her main target this year is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

Travelling overseas with his horses has become part of the recognisable fabric of Menuisier’s operation. From the same Coombelands stables where Guy Harwood forged a legend in Dancing Brave, Menuisier plots global campaigns for his horses in search of greater riches.

“The most competitive racing in the world is in Britain but the prize-money doesn’t really match that,” the French-born trainer explains. “If you can find a race with similar prize-money somewhere else in the world that is less competitive, why would you not take your horse there?

“I’ve won races in France with horses who couldn’t win at the same level over here but thos b h se French races still offer better prize-m money. The same is true in Australia and in Germany, G where we’ve won Group 1 and Gro oup 2 races.

“Th he prize-money in Japan is also amazzing. Thundering Blue finished tenth after being outpaced from the word go – I figureed they would take a breather at somee point but they never did – though still came c home with a cheque for £40,0 000.”

Noo desire to relocate

D Despite his penchant for international s sojourns, Menuisier has never cconsidered relocating away from B Britain.

“Well, I can’t move back to Fran nce as I can’t speak the language any moree,” he jokes. “By being in Britain I

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David Menuisier with much-missed stable favourite Thundering Blue, and the dashing gelding in his racecourse pomp (inset)

still feel as if you get the best of both worlds.

“I love being based here and I love travelling in the hope of making some money and having some fun along the way. I spent a lot of time at Jean-Paul Gallorini’s yard in France as a child and I remember him telling me that if I wanted to work in racing that I should move abroad.

“His theory was that France was a lovely country to make money in but one of the worst places to spend it. I think there’s plenty of sense in that even now.”

Menuisier’s strategy when it comes to international campaigns is becoming more and more prevalent within the British training ranks, but his deeper understanding of how to be a successful horseman comes from his regal training lineage.

Along with French champion jumps trainer Gallorini, Criquette Head, Richard Mandella, Guy Harwood and crucially John Dunlop are those most responsible for forging today’s David Menuisier, and the lessons learned under their tutelage now form the basis of his training philosophy.

“The first thing you learn when you work in racing is to put yourself in the best company and put your horses in the worst.

Without John Dunlop it is quite possible I wouldn’t have stayed in Britain, he gave me the passion for racing in this county.

“He was so well established when I went to work for him and I learnt so much from him. He was a master of the handicap system and a large amount of my knowledge

in that area can be attributed to what I learnt from him.

“Let’s facee it, without dn’t him I would have had thee success thatt I have ay not had and ma even be anyywhere close m today.” to where I am y One interesting strand of Menuisier as trainer is his almost complete proclivity for older horses. He has never been a man to bring along precocious two-year-olds and if he has it his way that will remain the case in the long term.

“I have never been a fan of one-night stands,” the trainer says. “I’ve always been in it for the long run, whether it’s life or racing.

I like to see my horses improve and grow with time and I can’t describe the pleasure when you see horses you have had for a long time continue to improve the older they get.

“Atalanta’s Boy and Nuits St Georges are two examples of horses who are six years old but are now on the highest marks of their careers. When I see this sort of thing happen I feel so proud of my team and of the horses themselves.

“I would never say training two-year-olds to win just a couple races is the wrong thing

to do at all, it’s just never been for me.

Training horses is a puzzle and I e enjoy the ch hallenge of tryiing to work out my horses and a always attempt to grow with them as they develop.”

With Group p 1 win nners now in his care, the sky appears to be the limit for Menuisier and his team as they prepare for a summer and autumn that could very well launch them into the stratosphere.

In Wonderful Tonight, Menuisier has a filly who has already taken up the mantle left by Thundering Blue as the stable’s unquestioned star. She brought her season to a close in 2020 by winning the Group 1 Prix Royallieu at Longchamp and British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot and began her 2021 campain with a scintillating success in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot yesterday.

Success breeds success

Such success breeds more confidence in a racing stable and Menuisier is now eyeing an even bigger prize back at Longchamp in October.

“The main target is the Arc and I’ve been

at pains not to start her season too early,” Menuisier says of the daughter of Le Havre.

“That race is the ultimate target so I want to make sure she is peaking by then, but the number of times she runs before that will be down to the conditions.

“The reality with this filly is that her running will depend on the weather as she needs soft ground to be at her best. We could look to races like the Grand Prix de St Cloud, the Yorkshire Oaks or the King George back at Ascot.

“She’ll be entered in all the major middle-distance races throughout Europe this season. A lot of options will be open as I need to look at the weather forecast in various countries to see where we go and what we do.”

Whatever Wonderful Tonight does end up doing for her trainer, her remarkable achievements already make her the finest horse Menuisier has had in his care.

“Before she ever ran we knew she was going to be quite good,” he recalls. “That said, quite good means nothing until you get them on the track and find out. When she won her Group 3 at Deauville I was at Newbury and was on my own shouting at the big screen. Plenty of people were looking as I must have appeared like an idiot.”

That day at Newbury will not be the last time all eyes fall on Menuisier. This is a man agitating for an early graduation into the upper echelons of the training ranks and he may very well get his wish this season.

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Sunday, June 20, 2021 racingpost.com

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW JAPAN CUP (GRADE 1)

PRIZE-MONEY

Currency exchange rate: 1 USD = 105JPY, 1GBP = 140JPY 1EUR = 125JPY Approximate figures as per exchange rates at December 2020 Prize-money will be paid in JPY as per exchange rate at that time Trophy to the winning owner: JPY 4,000,000 (equivalent value)

El Condor Pasa, the winner of the 1998 Japan Cup who came so close to winning the 1999 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when second to Montjeu

JAPAN CUP EXPERIENCE

JAPAN CUP

JOCKEYS’ VIEW

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ABOUT THE JAPAN CUP BONUS SYSTEM HE Tancred Stakes Dubai Sheema Classic Derby Manhattan Stakes Prix du Jockey Club Prince of Wales’s Stakes lrish Derby Eclipse Stakes Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud Grand Prix de Paris King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Mister D Stakes International Stakes Sword Dancer Stakes Irish Champion Stakes Grosser Preis von Baden Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Champion Stakes Caulfield Cup Canadian lnternational Cox Plate Breeders’ Cup Turf Melbourne Cup

Derby hero Adayar (below), along with the winners of a host of prestigious races worldwide, would be eligible for substantial cash bonuses if they run in the 2021 Japan Cup

Australia UAE GB USA France GB Ireland GB France France GB USA GB USA Ireland Germany USA France GB Australia Canada Australia USA Australia

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12hrs 12hrs 4hrs Hong Kong

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N

O MATTER how many times you watch the replay of the 2020 Japan Cup, it remains almost impossible to identify the moment when Almond Eye puts her stellar rivals to the sword.

Turning into the straight, Christophe Lemaire is in the slipstream of fellow Silk Racing representative Glory Vase, seemingly waiting to press the button and content that runaway leader Kiseki’s run is about to come to an end.

Except Lemaire does absolutely nothing.

His body language changes not one iota, as the mare who has already carried him to a record eight Grade 1 wins takes off approaching the 200-metre mark.

It is a breathtaking moment of sporting theatre, heightened by the fact that it is the last few seconds of Almond Eye’s remarkable racing career.

And then there is the fact that breathing down the pair’s necks are two of the best three-year-olds to race anywhere on the planet in 2020 in Contrail and Daring Tact.

The complicity between horse and rider is a joy to behold.

The hundreds of hours that Lemaire has spent thinking about this final charge up Tokyo’s home straight – not to mention the countless interviews in which he has previewed it – could have built up an almost irresistible pressure to try to squeeze an ounce of extra effort out of Almond Eye. But the soon-to-be four time champion of Japan remains calm in the moment, convinced his extraterrestrial partner will do her very considerable best and that any extraneous movement on his part will only subtract from the power on display.

No single turf race anywhere in the world in 2020 can have matched the Japan Cup when it came to combining eager anticipation with a thrilling and ultimately satisfying conclusion.

The $6 million Grade 1 provided the climax to a season that produced a winner of both the colts’ and fillies’ Triple Crowns, yet during which the action had largely been played out before empty or near-empty stands as public safety took priority.

Despite the fact that fans were largely confined to following their progress from their television screens, Contrail and Daring Tact still enjoyed enormous public following, not least because each was that rarest of birds, an unbeaten champion three-year-old.

A son of the mighty Deep Impact, Contrail had been flawless in three starts at two before sweeping all before him in the Satsuki Sho (2,000 Guineas) and the Tokyo Yushun (Derby). It was harder work in the Kikuka Sho (St Leger) over a draining 1m7f (3,000m) but still trainer Yoshito Yahagi was clearly in possession of a very special colt.

Daring Tact had made only one start in the December of her two-year-old career and had added a Listed success before announcing her arrival in the premier league when coming from a mile back in the Oka Sho (1,000 Guineas) on rain-softened ground at Hanshin.

The daughter of Epiphaneia was given less to do up Kyoto’s short straight when securing the Triple Tiara in the Shuka Sho, matching the effort of Almond Eye in 2018 and becoming the first filly to sweep the Classics while remaining undefeated.

In many other racing jurisdictions the pressure to preserve one or more of those

Sunday, June 20, 2021 racingpost.com

ALMOND EYE SAYS SAYONARA IN STYLE

Scott Burton recalls the emotional moment when the curtain came down on a remarkable career with a second Japan Cup victory at Tokyo last November three towering reputations might have exceeded the sporting imperative to match them against one another.

But, one by one, connections announced they would be there at Tokyo racecourse on November 29, setting up a race for the ages.

Go back to that replay. After the line is crossed there is no outpouring of relief from Lemaire. The dominating emotion is joy that Almond Eye has delivered a fitting performance on her last start.

It is completely in keeping with the way her owners, trainer Sakae Kunieda and Lemaire had approached her final season.

Lemaire would tell reporters: “I was able to enjoy the race and it was special – she was Almond Eye as usual and so professional. I couldn’t stop my tears last time [in the Tenno Sho Autumn] because of the pressure of the record-breaking expectation, but today it was a sayonara party. She’s the strongest horse in Japan.”

Kunieda also drew comparisons with Almond Eye’s eighth Grade 1 success on the same track a month earlier, when all out to beat Fierement and Chrono Genesis.

“The pace was ideal for Almond Eye and her response was totally different from that in the Tenno Sho. We did feel pressure but today all we wanted was for her to come back safe and sound.

“The victory is such a bonus, we couldn’t be happier. She’s given us so much excitement and joy. It would be great if I could be involved in training her progeny some day.”

The facts and figures of Almond Eye’s career are eye-watering in themselves.

A JRA record nine of her 11 career wins came at Grade or Group 1 level, while her career earnings totalled 1,915,263,900 yen (approx £13.6m/€15m), surpassing Kitasan Black’s haul of 1,876,843,000 yen.

Three weeks later Almond Eye would be celebrated at a retirement ceremony at Nakayama racecourse, with Lemaire and Kunieda among those to pay glowing tribute to their horse of a lifetime.

Lemaire said: “Almond Eye has been special from the beginning. With her physique, running style, fighting spirit and rare ability, she has attracted racing fans all over the world, not just in Japan. She has been cherished by everyone who loves and is passionate about horses and horseracing from her first to her last run.”

Covid restrictions meant the crowd for this emotional ceremony was capped at 2,500 fans, all winners of a lottery for what was undoubtedly the hottest ticket in town.

But as Lemaire said, in a very real sense racing fans around the world drew a golden ticket when they first laid eyes on this special horse.

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Almond Eye and Christophe Lemaire sweep past Glory Vase (right) to land an epic 40th running of the Japan Cup, followed home by unbeaten three-year-olds Contrail (out of picture) and Daring Tact (second right) with Curren Bouquetd’or (left) in fourth

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Watch Almond Eye’s brilliant win by scanning this QR code with your smartphone camera

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Sunday, June 20, 2021 racingpost.com

JRA TRACK CARE EXPLAINED

Our philosophy for track maintenance

The JRA places a priority on keeping tracks in excellent condition through the year with meticulous care. We have to take into account variable situations such as the weather and the year-round racing schedule.

In our view, ‘nice ground’ is one which ensures safety for horses and jockeys and fairness in the race, as well as allowing runners to perform to their best.

We believe a nice track needs the following elements: ●Cushioning to mitigate the physical impact on horses ●Flatness to keep the surface even and prevent hooves landing incorrectly ●Uniformity to maintain all areas of the track in the same condition as much as possible

How the team at the home of the Japan Cup work tirelessly to maintain the perfect racing surface

Cushioning

A vehicle to measure turf hardness

This special vehicle (below) has been developed by the JRA and has been in use since 1989. It can measure turf hardness over the whole of the track by dropping a horseshoeshaped 6kg weight with an accelerometer every 10 metres.

‘THERE IS A NICE COVER OF GRASS ON THE TRACKS, WHICH IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT’

ED ARKELL, CLERK OF THE COURSE AT GOODWOOD ED ARKELL understands all about the delicate balancing act required to create and maintain perfect ground, having taken over the role of clerk of the course at Goodwood in 2018. Producing the ideal racing surface for the Qatar Goodwood Festival at the warmest time of the year but with the ever-present threat of summer downpours is a test he has dealt with expertly since he stepped into the clerk's shoes and out on to the track to dig in his heel.

As is customary for a clerk, wherever they are in the world, Arkell took the opportunity of walking the tracks at Tokyo sited for the and Hanshin, which he visited Oka Sho (1,000 Guineas).

"From the couple of traccks I've had the opportunity to visit, they do en you look walk quite 'quick' but whe at the surface after a race the horses make a good print," Arkell says. "They are obviously getting theirr toe in, so it can't be as fast as it sseems.

"Also, there is a nice covver of grass on the tracks, certainly o, at the courses I've been to which is always important," he adds.

"Another positive is that

the tracks are very level. I looked at the contour map and checked the scale down the side and you can see they are all flat as pancakes. They are all fairly similar in configuration and the make-up of the surface underneath is standardised."

Looking from a different perspective, as a racegoer or potential owner, Arkell could not be more enthusiastic about racing in Japan. "The JRA is fantastic, well organised and looks after everyone very well.

"It's such a fantastic experience to go out to Japan and I think the new quarantine facilities they are building in Tokyo will provide a huge advantage for those who are travelling horses internationally. They can fly in to o Tokyo and then work on the track straig ght from the quarantine area. It will make a huge difference.

"The atm mosphere, particularly on big days with huge crowds, is wonderful as f the fans are so dedicated. The qu uality of the racing is supremely high, while the prize-money is obviously phenomenal.

"If you have a horse able to race in Japan and owners who wa ant to travel, it's the most fan ntastic place to go and they wou uld be looked after brilliantly."

Improvements to the turf surface at Tokyo racecourse

The chart below shows the scale of turf hardness at Tokyo since 1994.

Placing a high-priority on maintenance and an emphasis on cushioning lowered the hardness of the track compared to the 1990s. Hardness has been assessed as stable at around 90G since 2000.

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Keeping the turf's cushion

In recent times, aeration of the turf track has been carried out by machines such as the Verti Drain and Shock Waves in order to add more cushioning to the turf.

Uniformity

We try to maintain all areas in the same condition wherever possible to provide a fair and even track for the safety of horses and jockeys.

Raceday maintenance

How to maintain turf’s cushioning

Verti Drain

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Track maintenance on racedays is performed by 150 staff divided into more than ten groups. After each race they check the turf track and repair the turf stripped by hooves to provide a fair and even surface for the safety of horses and jockeys.

Those who are involved in track maintenance work with a high level of skill and, in addition to various tools, sometimes use their own hands to repair damage carefully.

Shock Waves

Our viewpoint on race times

It is said that race times in Japan are much faster compared to European racing. However, we would say fast times are created by a combination of factors, including the pace in races, the development of runners' potential and improvement in training techniques rather than track hardness.

Is there a correlation between race time and turf hardness?

This shows that times at Tokyo racecourse have been improving while turf hardness has been reduced gradually. Therefore, we believe the fast times at Tokyo cannot be due solely to the hardness of the turf track.

Flatness

Local grass makes a difference

The turf is mainly composed of Noshiba grass (Zoysia Japonica), a local variety, with Italian Ryegrass overseeding, or ryegrass planted over Noshiba grass in autumn and winter to add greenness.

Compared to Italian Ryegrass, Noshiba grass has thicker, tougher underground stems (stolons) which are more densely packed on the surface.

This means the Noshiba turf is less likely to be bumpy after racing takes place on it.

Japan has plentiful rainfall and racing has to take place consistently throughout the year, including in winter. Noshiba grass is the most suitable for maintaining cushioning, flatness and uniformity of the track in these conditions.

Differences with Europe in weights and undulations

Compared to European tracks there is much less undulation in Japanese racecourses including Tokyo. It can make a big difference in running time.

In addition, it is necessary to take into account the difference in weight carried between European and Japanese racing.

In general, the weight for older horses in Japanese racing is 57kg (9st) or 58kg (9st2lb) and an allowance is provided based on ages and sex.

Almond Eye broke the record time in the Japan Cup in 2018 when she was a threeyear-old filly and the weight she was required to carry was 53kg (8st5lb).

Excellent draining copes with frequent rain

To cope with Japan's frequent rainfall, the base of the turf track is composed of sandy soil for the upper layer and crushed rocks for the lower layer, both of which have high drainage properties. Therefore, after rainfall it is less likely to become too soft and the track can be kept relatively level.

Drainage in turf track

Grass Height over 12 cm

Upper A Sand with soil

Rainwater drains easily

Upper B Sand

Lower Crushed rocks ( Filter layer )

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Sunday, June 20, 2021 racingpost.com

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I

T WOULD be a big mistake to think of Japan’s relationship with horses centering solely on major racedays offering huge prize-money and staged in front of vast crowds. The connection runs much deeper in a country where horses were once an essential part of everyday life and with many traditional pastimes such as Yabusame and Kasagake archery taking place on horseback.

However, as in many industrialised countries, that connection needs to be preserved and nurtured and in Japan nothing is spared in ensuring the current generation are fully educated about equine culture and horseracing in particular. ng A comprehensive programme, involvin two equine museums, the racing promotion known as Gate J and initiatives to preserve native Japanese horse breeds and traditional horserelated events, ensures there is no chance this important link will be lost.

At the JRA Racing Museum inside Tokyo racecourse, visitors can even experience what it feels like to sit astride a horse in a starting gate or take part in oard ‘Riding Vision’, in which visitors sit on bo a robot horse and take part in a simulated ride on the track at Tokyo.

More than that, to promote understanding of horses and to create opportunities for contact with them, the JRA holds equestrian events at venues across Japan, including riding experiences and carriage rides.

And at the Miho and Ritto training centres and other sites the JRA holds equestrian events on special days such as Hippophile Day and Horse Familiarity Day.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE HORSE How Japan demonstrates its devotion to all things equine

Step inside a different world at the JRA Racing Museum

Opened at Tokyo racecourse in 1991 and operated by the Equine Cultural Affairs Foundation of Japan, the JRA Racing Museum’s aim is to enhance public knowledge and understanding of horses through racing.

The museum includes the Memorial Hall, with displays on Hall of Fame horses and horsemen, three permanent exhibition rooms, participatory displays, a gallery for themed exhibitions and thee ‘Ci l ‘Circle Vision’ audiovisual hall where footage is projected in a panoramic nine-screen, multi-image display.

Permanent exhibition rooms tell the story of racing and the history of bonds between humans and horses over thousands of years. The gallery attracts great interest from the many fanss who visit Tokyo racecourse as it features displays of racing photographs and paintings and exhibitions on racing-related themes.

In the audiovisual hall, videos of great races can be enjoyed again in large-screen visuals. These include stunning images expanded over massive screens and the world’ s first 3D panoramic video display, while in the entrance hall displays highlight big-race wins, new nominations to the Hall of Fame and topical themes.

The museum also houses a range of racing artefacts. These include winners’ prizes, past betting slips and admission tickets, paintings, sculptures and other artworks.

These are places where the equine world can be accessed and enjoyed by anyone with an interest in horses, from complete beginners to racegoing veterans.

Honouring those who help grow understanding

In 1987 the JRA Equine Cultural Awards were established with the aim of honouring individuals or organisations that have made contributions to the promotion of equine culture. Fields eligible for these awards range from literature and art to research, film, photography, manga and any works which aid in understanding equine culture.

Laura Hillenbrand, who wrote the bestselling “Seabiscuit: An American Legend”, received the award in 2004. Translated into Japanese, it was very popular and the movie of the book was a great success in Japan.

2015, the Jockey Club of Great Britain IIn 2015 receiveed the JRA Equine Cultural Awa ard of Merit in recognition for th heir generosity in giving p permission to exhibit ten oil paintings from its collection at the Tokyo Racing Museum. The award was presented to Jockey Club senior steward Roger Weatherby (left) by Masayuki G Goto, JRA president and CEO. The occasion was to honour the 60th h anniversary of the founding of the JRA A, and the paintings included highly prized works of historical and artistic value which reflected the high level of racing culture appreciated by visitors to the museum.

It was evidence of 150 years of support by the Jockey Club, not only of the JRA but of the development of racing in Japan.

Supporting Japan’s remaining native horse breeds

Then there are racing silks, jockeys’ caps, whips aand horseshoes donated byy owners, trainers and jockeys and used in runniings of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and Japan Cup.

Artworks from Hokusai to Picasso at the Equine Museum

In 1977, the JRA established the Equine Museum of Japan at Negishi Horse Racing Memorial Park, created to commemorate the beginning of western-style racing in Yokohama in the 1860s. The museum, which features a pony centre, is operated by the Equine Cultural Affairs Foundation of Japan.

The museum holds cultural artefacts divided into the fields of natural history, history, folk customs, arts, crafts and racing.

As a museum on horses, it houses some 15,000 items and its 923 pictorial artworks

include the important Kamo Kurabeuma Zu Byobu (folding screen) by Morikage Kusumi and the Uma-zukushi series of ukiyo-e prints by Katsushika Hokusai.

Representing western art are watercolors

by Delacroix and lithographs by ToulouseLautrec, Manet, Chagall and Picasso.

The museum also has an outdoor space, the Pony Centre, where thoroughbreds, ponies, native Japanese and other breeds are reared. Visitors can enjoy a hands-on experience, including riding, and can learn much about how horses function.

Get ready for a joyful experience at Gate J

Providing information on horses and racing culture, the Gate J promotion has the aim of spreading knowledge among the general public. There are two facilities, one in Shimbashi (Tokyo) and the other in Umeda (Osaka), both major urban centres.

Many parts of Japan were once home to unique native breeds of horse but today there are only eight officially recognised: the Hokkaido Washu or Dosanko; Kisouma; Noma Uma; Taishuba; Misaki Uma; Tokara Uma; Miyako Uma and Yonaguni Uma. The JRA provides support for maintaining and increasing populations of native breeds with high cultural value, particularly those threatened with extinction and designated as cultural properties. It also stages rearing displays of native breeds at racecourses and elsewhere with the aim of enhancing understanding of these breeds among the public. Many breeds are designated ‘national monuments’, fauna with a high scientific value so the localities where they are found are protected and preserved.

How horses play an important role in traditional festivals

Horses have lived side by side with humans since ancient times and, within this relationship, they have frequently played an active role in important festivals. By taking steps to preserve and promote traditional horse-themed events passed down since olden days, the JRA not only spreads equine culture and enhances public understanding, it protects valuable cultural heritage.

Events include ceremonies and festivals such as Yabusame and Kasagake horseback archery (above left), the Chagu Chagu Umako horse parade (above), Hachinohe Kiba Dakyu polo, the Nikko Toshogu Sennin Musha Gyoretsu samurai procession and the Aoi Matsuri hollyhock festival.