2021 Japanese Racing

[tachyon]

Happy New Year!!

''JRA to add “Good to Firm” on turf track condition''
Starting Jan. 1, 2021, the Japan Racing Association (JRA) will change its track condition announcement in English as per below.

https://japanracing.jp/_news2020/201218.html
※The present “Firm” condition on Turf will be divided into either “Firm” or “Good to Firm” from Jan. 1, 2021.


-- 2021 Racing Fixtures & Principal Race Schedule (JRA)
https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/schedule/jra/2021.html

-- 2021 Racing Fixtures & Principal Race Schedule (NAR)
https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/schedu ... /2021.html

-- 2021 List of JRA Graded Races
https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/schedu ... /2021.html

-- News and Media (News, Photo Gallery, JRA Awards & Nar Grand Prix, JPN Thoroughbred Rankings)
https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/news_media/

-- Enjoy Racing
https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/go_racing/

[BaroqueAgain1]

Thanks for all those great reference sources!

[CorridorZ75]

Is there a way to track workout and entries in Japan for individual horses?

[tachyon]

Is there a way to track workout and entries in Japan for individual horses?

There's no Equibase-type ''virtual stable'' services for the Japanese racing, unfortunately.
But a Japanese website ''netkeiba.com'' may allow free subscribers to register a certain number of favorite horses whose race-entries are notified by e-mail. (I'm sorry, I visit netkeiba.com very frequently, but I've never tried this notification service by myself. So I can't be 100% sure that this service works well at this point).
There's no English version for this very-popular website that contains good database, racing forms, fans boards for individual horses, etc....

https://www.netkeiba.com/?rf=navi
https://regist.netkeiba.com/account/?pid=login

Also, umanity.jp seems to have good information (in English, too).
But it doesn't seem to offer notification services.

https://umanity.jp/en/

[Della]

Thanks, Tachyon, for all this excellent information. Happy New Year!

[CorridorZ75]

Thanks as well from me.

[tachyon]

I've looked into ''Umanity'' (https://umanity.jp/en/) a little bit further.
I had not been a heavy user of that website.

If you were to follow the Japanese racing and horses in depth in English, ''Horse Racing in Japan'' (https://japanracing.jp/en/) and ''Japan Bloodstock Information System (JBIS)'' (https://www.jbis.jp/index.html) would be essential.
But I now find ''Umanity'' interesting, helpful and handy, too.
Even without a subscription, we can get to their database for the races, individual horses, sires/dams, jockeys, trainers, owners, breeders for free, by entering a ''keyword' in the link below,

https://umanity.jp/en/racedata/database_top.php


If you look for the info for Keiai Nautique(JPN)(H5. Deep Impact x Keiai Gerbera by Smarty Jones), for example, his individual page will show his next start as well!
Keiai Nautique is entered for the G3 Kyoto Kimpai for tomorrow.

https://umanity.jp/en/racedata/db/horse ... 2015100344


Next, if you look for the info for Tapit progeny racing in Japan, for example, you may get to his progeny list below.

https://umanity.jp/en/racedata/db/horse ... 048&mode=1


And by clicking a horse name, you may get to one of his progeny's page:

https://umanity.jp/en/racedata/db/horse ... 2018110086


Vanishing Point(USA)(C3. Tapit x Unrivaled Belle) is entered for a 3yo allowance for tomorrow.


I don't know who owns and/or operates Umanity.
But it looks like it's worth exploring.

[tachyon]

-- from japanracing.jp

''JRA Becomes Partner of the IFHA Conference''

https://japanracing.jp/_news2021/210106.html

About JRA

Japan Racing Association was established in 1954 as a public entity to ensure the integrity of horseracing and the development and improvement in the breeding of racehorses and other livestock in Japan. JRA operates the nationwide network of 10 racecourses and over 30 off-course betting facilities and engages in activities concerning the direct or indirect development and operation of national horseracing. JRA contributes to improvement of livestock breeding and to public and social welfare from its turnover to the National Treasury.

And JRA has released a beautiful promo video!!

''Tsugumi''
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-5VuC4 ... e=emb_logo

[BaroqueAgain1]

How did Vanishing Point do in that allowance race on the 5th?

[Northport]

How did Vanishing Point do in that allowance race on the 5th?

10th of 11

https://www.jbis.jp/horse/0001317587/record/

https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/

click 2021 then "go", then click on 2021/01/05, then click on the 6th race at Nakayama. The Japan Racing site doesn't allow copy and pasting of the URLs for individual races, but there is lots of info for each given race on the site.

[tachyon]

How did Vanishing Point do in that allowance race on the 5th?

10th of 11

https://www.jbis.jp/horse/0001317587/record/

https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/

click 2021 then "go", then click on 2021/01/05, then click on the 6th race at Nakayama. The Japan Racing site doesn't allow copy and pasting of the URLs for individual races, but there is lots of info for each given race on the site.

and in umanity::
https://umanity.jp/en/racedata/db/horse ... 2018110086

[tachyon]

-- from japanracing.jp

''Winners of the 2020 JRA Awards announced''
https://japanracing.jp/_news2021/210107.html


2020 JRA champions and what's next:

・Horse of the Year: Almond Eye(JPN) (Lord Kanaloa) ---> broodmare at Northern Farm
・Best 2-year-old colt: Danon the Kid(JPN) (Just a Way) ---> unknown
・Best 2-year-old filly: Sodashi(JPN) (Kurofunne) ---> Oka Sho (G1, April 11)
・Best 3-year-old colt: Contrail(JPN) (Deep Impact) ---> Osaka Hai (G1, April 4)
・Best 3-year-old filly: Daring Tact(JPN) (Epiphaneia) ---> Kinko Sho (G2, March 14)
・Best older colt or horse: Fierement(JPN) (Deep Impact) ---> stallion at Breeders Stallion Station
・(Best older filly or mare: Almond Eye(JPN) (Lord Kanaloa) )
・Best sprinter or miler: Gran Alegria(JPN)(Deep Impact) ---> unknown
・Best dirt horse: Chuwa Wizard(JPN)(King Kamehameha) ---> Kawasaki Kinen (Jpn1, Jan 27th)
・Best steeplechase horse: Meisho Dassai(JPN) (Suzuka Mambo) ---> Hanshin Spring Jump (March 14th)
・Special Award: Chrono Genesis(JPN) (Bago) ---> Dubai or Hong Kong or Osaka Hai

[tachyon]

Happy New Year!!

''JRA to add “Good to Firm” on turf track condition''
Starting Jan. 1, 2021, the Japan Racing Association (JRA) will change its track condition announcement in English as per below.

https://japanracing.jp/_news2020/201218.html
※The present “Firm” condition on Turf will be divided into either “Firm” or “Good to Firm” from Jan. 1, 2021.

As japanracing.jp (JRA) had announced it earlier, JRA changed its track announcement in English and old ''Firm'' condition on Turf has been divided into two categories.

Yesterday's turf condition both at Chukyo and Nakayama were labelled as ''Good to Firm'' as per below:

[tachyon]

re. JRA's change in turf condition announcement from this year

Yesterday at Kokura Racecourse, Race2 1200m turf 3yo maiden was won by Lord Kanaloa filly Styx(JPN) in eye-popping 1:07.1 (for a 3yo maiden) on a turf rated ''good-to-firm''.



I scratch my head....
What kind of turf condition does JRA want a ''firm'' to be?


-- replay of Kokura 2R 1200m turf maiden Jan 16th 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spghF617ko0

[tachyon]

Kurofune(USA)(French Deputy) passed away at the age of 23.

He was an excellent stallion at stud.
But, before that, the vast majority of racegoers in Japan should agree that Kurofune remains until today the best dirt horse who has ever been trained in Japan. We called him a ''monster'' those days and all hoped he would ship to the US to contest major G1 races on the dirt.
But he had to retire to stud as tendon injury was found a few weeks after his Japan Cup Dirt victory at 3.
Here below are the replays of his two career starts on the dirt.

-- Musashino Stakes (G3) 1600m dirt at Tokyo, Oct 27th 2001
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TSjN185tWg
chart (English)
https://www.jbis.jp/race/result/2001102 ... 1604724238

-- Japan Cup Dirt (G1) 2100m dirt at Tokyo, Nov 24th 2001
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYpTToTeCFw
chart (English)
https://www.jbis.jp/race/result/2001112 ... 1604724238


Kurofune(USA) also won a turf G1 with his massive strides.

--- NHK Mile Cup (G1) 1600m at Tokyo, May 6th 2001
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v5YhzEDrM0
chart (English)
https://www.jbis.jp/race/result/2001050 ... 1604724238




Japan Cup Dirt 2001

Kurofune(USA) was named after the ''Black Ships,'' a term used to refer to large, Western-style sea vessels, used before the Edo Period until the modern age. The term is mostly associated with the fleet of United States Navy ships, led by Commodore Matthew Perry, that arrived off the coast of Uraga in 1853. Commodore Perry and his ''Black Ships'' are thought to have made Japanese people's eyes open to overseas, so was the French Deputy US-bred grey colt.

[tachyon]

The result of fans balloting for the 2020 Horse of the Year at Netkeiba.com has been released.
That was a competitive year.
But fans voices echo the result of the official JRA Awards!

Almond Eye　7612
Contrail　1717
Chrono Genesis　812
Gran Alegria　660
Daring Tact　215
Lucky Lilac　82
Fierement　17


-- result of Netkeiba fans voting
https://news.netkeiba.com/?pid=news_vie ... rf=kmatome

-- JRA Awards (more detailed version)
https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/news_m ... /2020.html

[tachyon]

-- 2020 JPN Thoroughbred Rankings

https://japanracing.jp/en/racing/news_m ... /2020.html

2yo : Danon the Kid(JPN)(Just a Way)
3yo turf : Contrail(JPN)(Deep Impact)
3yo dirt : Cafe Pharoah(USA)(American Pharoah) & Danon Pharaoh(JPN)(American Pharoah)
4yo&up turf : Almond Eye(JPN)(Lord Kanaloa)
4yo&up dirt : Chrysoberyl(JPN)(Gold Allure)


--- Fans Balloting at ''Keiba Book'' (Japanese weekly similar to DRF) for the best race 2020

1st. Japan Cup 432
2nd. Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) 53
3rd. Arima Kinen 38
4th. Yasuda Kinen 23
5th. Hanshin Juvenile Fillies 22 <-----

[tachyon]

Interesting read!

-- from thoroughbredracing.com

https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/arti ... -1-jockey/

Exclusive interview: The life and times of the world’s #1 #jockey.

In wide-reaching feature TRC’S George Dudley speaks to Christophe Lemaire about his rise to the top, his time in Japan, the Arc, his rivals on the track and Almond Eye.

[tachyon]

The first G1 race of the year in Japan will be run tomorrow at Tokyo.

-- from paulick report
''Cafe Pharoah Among Leading Contenders For ‘Win And You’re In’ February Stakes''
https://www.paulickreport.com/news/thor ... ry-stakes/



-- comments from runners' connections (japanracing.jp)
https://japanracing.jp/_news2021/210219-02.html

--- race programme
https://japanracing.jp/_pdf/information ... 210221.pdf

[tachyon]

-- live-feed Youtube link to JRA today (Japanese TV Show)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9uCvFSjp9c

main races are:
Tokyo 東京 9R: Hyacinth Stakes (Listed -- 3rd leg of the Japan's Road to the Kentucky Derby) 00:25 EST or 21:25 PST
Kokura 小倉 11R: Kokura Daishoten (G3) 01:20 EST or 22:20 PST
Tokyo 東京 11R: February Stakes (G1) 1:40 EST or 22:40 PST