2022 Japanese Racing

[Miss Woodford]

Well...pooh. Sodashi looked ready to fire going into the stretch and then flattened out. Finished 5th. Hayayakko finished closer to the back.

[sweettalk]

Jack d'Or wins it! Sodashi 5th.

bummer. hope she rebounds better than ever, next out.

[Flanders]

Jack d'Or wins it! Sodashi 5th.

As much as I like Sodashi, I don't mind that Jack d'Or won. I always liked Silver Hawk so nice to see his line still holding on.

[tachyon]

-- replay of the G2 Sapporo Kinen (Kansai TV version - Japanese)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWYhun-Gkz4
1st 4 Jack d'Or(JPN) [Maurice(JPN) x Ravarino(USA) by Unbridled's Song(USA)] C4 57 02:01.2
2nd 3 Panthalassa(JPN) [Lord Kanaloa(JPN) x Miss Pemberley(IRE) by Montjeu(IRE)] H5 57 02:01.2 NK
3rd 9 Win Marilyn(JPN) [Screen Hero(JPN) x Cosmo Cielo(JPN) by Fusaichi Pegasus(USA)] M5 55 02:01.4 1 1/2
4th 12 Arata(JPN) H5 57 02:01.5 NK
5th 10 Sodashi(JPN) F4 55 02:01.8 1 3/4
6th 6 Glory Vase(JPN) H7 57 02:01.8 NK
7th 16 Anticipate(JPN) H5 57 02:01.9 1/2
8th 8 Fiori Chiari(JPN) M5 55 02:02.1 1
9th 13 Red Galant(JPN) H7 57 02:02.1 NK
10th 7 Hayayakko(JPN) H6 57 02:02.4 1 3/4
11th 14 Uberleben(JPN) F4 55 02:02.6 1 1/4
12th 11 Unicorn Lion(IRE) H6 57 02:03.2 3 1/2
13th 5 Satono Chronicle(JPN) H8 57 02:03.2 HD
14th 15 Cadence Call(JPN) H6 57 02:03.6 2 1/2
15th 2 Ice Bubble(JPN) H7 57 02:03.6 NK
16th 1 Makahiki(JPN) H9 57 02:04.6 6

I didn't think that Sodashi ran a bad race considering today's testing turf condition and the distance. (last year she won this race in 1:59.5 on a quicker turf)
I hope she will show her best again when she will cut back in the distance next time out.
The top two horses were very good.
Jack d'Or will head to the Tenno Sho Autumn seeking for his first G1 title.
Panthalassa might head to either the Tenno Sho Autumn or an overseas race.

[Palace Malice]

-- replay of the G2 Sapporo Kinen (Kansai TV version - Japanese)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWYhun-Gkz4
1st 4 Jack d'Or(JPN) [Maurice(JPN) x Ravarino(USA) by Unbridled's Song(USA)] C4 57 02:01.2
2nd 3 Panthalassa(JPN) [Lord Kanaloa(JPN) x Miss Pemberley(IRE) by Montjeu(IRE)] H5 57 02:01.2 NK
3rd 9 Win Marilyn(JPN) [Screen Hero(JPN) x Cosmo Cielo(JPN) by Fusaichi Pegasus(USA)] M5 55 02:01.4 1 1/2
4th 12 Arata(JPN) H5 57 02:01.5 NK
5th 10 Sodashi(JPN) F4 55 02:01.8 1 3/4
6th 6 Glory Vase(JPN) H7 57 02:01.8 NK
7th 16 Anticipate(JPN) H5 57 02:01.9 1/2
8th 8 Fiori Chiari(JPN) M5 55 02:02.1 1
9th 13 Red Galant(JPN) H7 57 02:02.1 NK
10th 7 Hayayakko(JPN) H6 57 02:02.4 1 3/4
11th 14 Uberleben(JPN) F4 55 02:02.6 1 1/4
12th 11 Unicorn Lion(IRE) H6 57 02:03.2 3 1/2
13th 5 Satono Chronicle(JPN) H8 57 02:03.2 HD
14th 15 Cadence Call(JPN) H6 57 02:03.6 2 1/2
15th 2 Ice Bubble(JPN) H7 57 02:03.6 NK
16th 1 Makahiki(JPN) H9 57 02:04.6 6

I didn't think that Sodashi ran a bad race considering today's testing turf condition and the distance. (last year she won this race in 1:59.5 on a quicker turf)
I hope she will show her best again when she will cut back in the distance next time out.
The top two horses were very good.
Jack d'Or will head to the Tenno Sho Autumn seeking for his first G1 title.
Panthalassa might head to either the Tenno Sho Autumn or an overseas race.

Have they talked about why they are not retiring Makahiki yet?

He is 9 years old, has done far enough and is a derby winner... why are they waiting so long to send him to stud?

[Starine]

I don't think Sodashi is a true 1-1/4-mile horse. I think it's a shade too far for her and her record would look at lot better if she was kept at a mile.

[Miss Woodford]

I don't think Sodashi is a true 1-1/4-mile horse. I think it's a shade too far for her and her record would look at lot better if she was kept at a mile.

She is best at a mile to be sure, but in this race it didn't seem like she tired, she just never really traveled well on the ground. She may appreciate firmer American turf

[tachyon]

-- replay of the G2 Sapporo Kinen (Kansai TV version - Japanese)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWYhun-Gkz4
1st 4 Jack d'Or(JPN) [Maurice(JPN) x Ravarino(USA) by Unbridled's Song(USA)] C4 57 02:01.2
2nd 3 Panthalassa(JPN) [Lord Kanaloa(JPN) x Miss Pemberley(IRE) by Montjeu(IRE)] H5 57 02:01.2 NK
3rd 9 Win Marilyn(JPN) [Screen Hero(JPN) x Cosmo Cielo(JPN) by Fusaichi Pegasus(USA)] M5 55 02:01.4 1 1/2
4th 12 Arata(JPN) H5 57 02:01.5 NK
5th 10 Sodashi(JPN) F4 55 02:01.8 1 3/4
6th 6 Glory Vase(JPN) H7 57 02:01.8 NK
7th 16 Anticipate(JPN) H5 57 02:01.9 1/2
8th 8 Fiori Chiari(JPN) M5 55 02:02.1 1
9th 13 Red Galant(JPN) H7 57 02:02.1 NK
10th 7 Hayayakko(JPN) H6 57 02:02.4 1 3/4
11th 14 Uberleben(JPN) F4 55 02:02.6 1 1/4
12th 11 Unicorn Lion(IRE) H6 57 02:03.2 3 1/2
13th 5 Satono Chronicle(JPN) H8 57 02:03.2 HD
14th 15 Cadence Call(JPN) H6 57 02:03.6 2 1/2
15th 2 Ice Bubble(JPN) H7 57 02:03.6 NK
16th 1 Makahiki(JPN) H9 57 02:04.6 6

I didn't think that Sodashi ran a bad race considering today's testing turf condition and the distance. (last year she won this race in 1:59.5 on a quicker turf)
I hope she will show her best again when she will cut back in the distance next time out.
The top two horses were very good.
Jack d'Or will head to the Tenno Sho Autumn seeking for his first G1 title.
Panthalassa might head to either the Tenno Sho Autumn or an overseas race.

Have they talked about why they are not retiring Makahiki yet?

He is 9 years old, has done far enough and is a derby winner... why are they waiting so long to send him to stud?

Hi Palace Malice,
many fans are worrying about Makahiki in Japan, too, and saying why he had not been retired yet.
But Makahiki is owned by Mr Makoto Kaneko, one of the most celebrated horse people in Japan, if not the best.
And we may agree that Kaneko is an owner who knows what he has to do with his horses.
Then why this happened?
I think that this is an interesting topic --- so let's look into his lifetime race record first!!

-- Makahiki's rece record:
https://www.jbis.jp/horse/0001171707/record/

His record was nearly perfect until he won the G2 Prix Niel in France at 3yo.
But, three weeks later, he finished only 14th in the Arc and things started to go wrong with the 2015 Japanese Derby winner.

Kaneko could have retired him from racing soon after his defeat in the Arc to secure a good stud deal for him.
But, as we know well, a good colt is rarely retired to stud at 3yo as long as he is sound in Japan.
So, not surprisingly, Keneko decided to race him on as an older horse.
At 4, he finished in a good 4th in the Japan Cup, which must have made Kaneko to race him on for another year.
But, it was very unfortune that he had a broken bone found in late December when all the stud deals were already closed for the following season.
At 5, off a 8 months layoff due to the injury, he managed to finish 2nd in the Sapporo Kinen and everyone applauded his gutsy effort hoping for his further success on the turf and Kaneko kept him in training (maybe to increase his stud value, too).
But, he became inconsistent and, as time goes by, I suspect that Kaneko had more and more difficulty finding a reasonable stud deal for him.
At 8, he won the G2 Kyoto Daishoten miraculously in last October.
But it looks like he lost his shine after that race.....

Makahiki and his record may tell us how difficult it is to find the right timing to send a good horse to stud.
Even Mr Makoto Kaneko can make a mistake.

[BaroqueAgain1]

Is it unheard-of in Japan for a horse like Makahiki to be gelded and retired to a second, non-breeding career?

[tachyon]

Here's the jockey license JRA issueed for the 17yo Richard Migliore when he rode The Very One(USA) in the inaugural Japan Cup in 1981.


https://twitter.com/Melabella59/status/ ... 8619329536

Thanks carmelamigliore@Melabella59 for sharing this on twitter.
It's priceless!!
He was one of my favorite jockeys in New York.

[tachyon]

Flower stands and Entry tables for Taiki Shuttle are now placed in the JRA racecourses across the country until Sep 4th.
The son of Devil's Bag will be remembered by racing fans as the best miler of all-time in Japan.
May he rest in peace.




Taiki Shuttle(USA)
https://www.jbis.jp/horse/0000287925/
13: 11-1-1

JRA has made a new video in tribute to the great champion.

-- from JRA official video:
''Memories of Taiki Shuttle''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnfQO0ybdYk

[tachyon]

-- replay of the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville 2500m on August 28th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbiskjxlL3M

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi on Stay Foolish(JPN) (2nd)
''I had thought we couldn't lose in this (modest) company...
But we are not overly pessimistic after today's defeat.
I would think that he ran a good prep here off a layoff (after his 9th place fisnish in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen).''

Stay Foolish is not Japan's best hope for the Arc this year at all.
But he still reminds me a bit of Nakayama Festa(JPN), another son of Stay Gold, who finished 2nd in the Prix Foy as well as in the Arc in 2010.
He may not dislike the Longchamp turf, good or soft.

[tachyon]

Do Deuce(JPN)(Heart's Cry), 2022 Japanese Derby winner, arrived at Chantilly on Sep 2nd.

-- from JRA
https://twitter.com/JRA_WorldRacing/sta ... 6206574592

-- from Equidia
https://twitter.com/equidia/status/1565756130151878659


workout at Ritto on August 24th

Yutaka Take (jockey)
''He was fantastic. His move definitely made me smile as he galloped willingly. He is a horse with the power. I have no worries at all at this point.''

Yasuo Tomomichi (trainer)
''This is the second time I take my horse to the Arc. I think I learned a lot from Makahiki (Japnaese Derby winner who won the Prix Niel and finished 14th on the Arc). In 2016, I think I set up Makahiki too primed before the Prix Niel. And Makahiki completely ran out of steam in the Arc which obviously was his main goal. That was my mistake.''
''This time, Do Deuce will run the Prix Niel as a final workout for the Arc. He is in an excellent condition as of today.''

[tachyon]

Duramente(JPN)(King Kamehameha) sired another cracking graded winner, when his 2yo filly Dura(JPN)[o/o Isis(JPN) by King Halo(JPN)] won the G3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes beating the boys on Sep 3rd 2022.
The Sapporo Nisai Stakes, known as a stepping-stone race for the 3yo Classic races, produced the likes of Geoglyph(JPN)(2011 winner), Sodashi(JPN)(2020 winner) and Uberleben(JPN)(2020 runner-up) over the past two years.
One to watch!!
https://www.jbis.jp/horse/0001324369/


-- replay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfvORc2XwBY
1st. Dura(JPN)(Duramente) F2
2nd. Doe Eyes(JPN)(Rulership) F2
3rd. Diamond Hands(JPN)(Satono Diamond) C2

[MySaladDays]

Such a good read. Hopefully not posted yet (sept 4th, 2022)

Trainer Naosuke Sugai speaks to the Report's Michael Cox about what his three biggest stars, Gold Ship, Just A Way and Sodashi, have taught him and how horses are the real stars of the JRA.

Gold Ship: "" he put six handlers in hospital" . How he hated other horses, except Just A Way.

Then, the photo of Sugai holding all the plushies that represent his horses. Precious!

https://asianracingreport.com/the-rocks ... -producer/

[Starine]

Thanks for sharing that. I forgot how unpredictable Gold Ship really was.

“Now that I reflect on it, comparing (Gold Ship) to a rock star, he really was, but maybe even a rock star on drugs is more accurate. He was that wild." -Sugai

[BaroqueAgain1]

I sure haven't forgotten his wild side. One of the last times I watched him race (maybe in Dubai?), he wasn't just rearing and striking out. I watched the gate crew trying to lock hands behind him to push him forward, and he was kicking back with both hinds. Double barrel, 1,200 lb., steel-shod shotgun...and he was aiming for people. I thought for sure he was going to kill someone right there in front of the spectators and TV audience.

[tachyon]

Interesting read.
Thanks for sharing!

“My job is behind the scenes, they are on the stage. My job is like a music producer, I didn’t create those horses, my job is to guide them.”

In his tailored black blazer and some ‘bling’ in the form of a gold necklace over a plain black t-shirt, Sugai certainly looks more music mogul or impresario than horse trainer.

Music producer??? That makes me giggle, haha!
Well, Naosuke Sugai was a JRA jockey before becoming a music producer.
He rode Point Flag(JPN), the dam of Gold Ship, too!!
It looks like he knows how to handle the horses at least.

Yutaka Take and Naosuke Sugai studied together both in the junior high school and in the Horse Racing School.


Yutaka Take (on the left) and Naosuke Sugai (on the right) in 1981

[tachyon]

-- video: Do Deuce at Chantilly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtFVKnS0u9o

[tachyon]

Deep Bond(JPN)(Kizuna) arrived safely at Chantilly on Sep 9th.

https://twitter.com/JRA_WorldRacing/sta ... 5227858946