Owner news

[BaroqueAgain1]

"...knowing all too well that orange is not one of the JRA’s 13 allowable colours for racing silks."

Why is orange not allowed? It's one of the six primary&secondary colors, so restricting the use seems odd.
Repole's assessment of Japanese vs. US breeding sounds pretty spot-on.

[lurkey mclurker]

from here: https://japanracing.jp/en/horsemen/jra_ ... ng.html#c4

(Application for Registration)
Art. 31 An owner who desires to undergo registration of racing colors must submit to the President, an application form describing the racing colors and accompanied by a registration fee of 3,000 yen.

2. In event an application is made under the preceding paragraph, the racing color shall be registered unless the registration is refused according to the following paragraph.

3. Registration of the racing colors described in the application form shall be refused in event it is deemed that there is a violation of restrictions under the provisions from the following Article to Article 36.

(Restriction on Racing Colors)
Art. 32 Only one kind of racing colors shall be registered for one owner.

Art. 33 Registration of racing colors shall be conducted for body and sleeve as one set.

Art. 34 A racing color other than the following 13 standard colors prescribed by the JRA shall not be used as racing colors; red, pink, yellow, green, blue, light blue, purple, lilac, brown, maroon, gray, black and white.

and then there's a whole list of patterns/designs that are allowed as well

Art. 35 No designs other than those in the following mentioned can be used as racing colors:

（1）Band (horizontal stripe for body or sleeve) ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（2）Hoop (a single band on body and sleeve) ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（3）Chevron (band or belt of chevron in shape of half diamond or sawtooth)
（4）Sash ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（5）Vertical stripe ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（6）Tartan ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（7）Check ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（8）Diamond ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（9）Inverted triangle ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（10）Tartan spot ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（11）Spot ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（12）Star ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
（13）Scattered ring, or, coin ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Art. 36 Two, or, more ground colors shall not be used for the body, or, sleeve, or, for the designs under each of the Items of the preceding Article.

[BaroqueAgain1]

OK...thanks for that info, but....WHY isn't orange allowed?
Is it like purple only allowed members of certain royal families?

[lurkey mclurker]

wikipedia did mention orange as a color restricted to royalty (the crown prince??) at some point, but also other colors were mentioned as similarly restricted that the JRA allows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The traditional colors of Japan trace their historical origins to the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System which was established in 603 by Prince Shōtoku and based on the five Chinese elements. In this system, rank and social hierarchy were displayed and determined by certain colors. Colors known as kinjiki (禁色, "forbidden colors") were strictly reserved for the robes of the Imperial family and highest ranking court officials; for example, the color ōtan (orange) was used as the color for the robes of the Crown Prince and use by anyone else was prohibited. Colors known as yurushiiro (許し色, "permissible colors") were permitted for use by the common people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradition ... s_of_Japan

hopefully tachyon will know...? i don't like orange myself so i just think it's funny but i'm sure there has to be a reason...

[Flanders]

Repole bought some colts and fillies in Japan during the Select Sale. I love this!

Japan sales are starting to get international buyers, this is great.

https://x.com/Kontenasan_bf/status/1810255951057813618

Hip 49 - grey colt (Contrail - Sound Barrier, by Agnes Digital) - 1/2 to MGSW Sound Chiara, dam is a G2SW. 3rd dam is Lady's Secret

Hip 76 - brown colt (Drefong - Casale, by Manhatten Cafe) - first foal of the winning dam. Dam is a 1/2 to Ushba Tesoro. 3rd dam is G2 Sixieme Sens

Hip 90 - bay filly (Kizuna - Ginger Punch, by Awesome Again) - 1/2 to G1 Potager, MGSW/MG1p Rouge Buck, SW Tenkaharu. Dam is Ginger Punch

Hip 122 - chestnut filly (Nadal - Lelievre, by Lord Kanaloa) - dam is a 1/2 to CH/MG1 Lucky Lilac. 2nd dam is G1 Lilacs and Lace

Hip 152 - dkb/br colt (Drefong - Tammy The Torpedo, by More Than Ready) dam is a MG3SW

Nice pick-ups. I'll look forward to following this bunch in the States.

Also bought 2 foals:
hip 406 - dkb/br filly (Kizuna - Fashion Plate, by Old Fashioned) dam is a G1SW

hip 411 - bay filly (Lord Kanaloa - Persi's Best, by Deep Impact) dam was a winner, 2nd dam is G1 Persistently, 4th dam is Heavenly Prize

[tachyon]

"...knowing all too well that orange is not one of the JRA’s 13 allowable colours for racing silks."

Why is orange not allowed? It's one of the six primary&secondary colors, so restricting the use seems odd.
Repole's assessment of Japanese vs. US breeding sounds pretty spot-on.

from here: https://japanracing.jp/en/horsemen/jra_ ... ng.html#c4

Art. 34 A racing color other than the following 13 standard colors prescribed by the JRA shall not be used as racing colors; red, pink, yellow, green, blue, light blue, purple, lilac, brown, maroon, gray, black and white.

OK...thanks for that info, but....WHY isn't orange allowed?
Is it like purple only allowed members of certain royal families?

wikipedia did mention orange as a color restricted to royalty (the crown prince??) at some point, but also other colors were mentioned as similarly restricted that the JRA allows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The traditional colors of Japan trace their historical origins to the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System which was established in 603 by Prince Shōtoku and based on the five Chinese elements. In this system, rank and social hierarchy were displayed and determined by certain colors. Colors known as kinjiki (禁色, "forbidden colors") were strictly reserved for the robes of the Imperial family and highest ranking court officials; for example, the color ōtan (orange) was used as the color for the robes of the Crown Prince and use by anyone else was prohibited. Colors known as yurushiiro (許し色, "permissible colors") were permitted for use by the common people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradition ... s_of_Japan

hopefully tachyon will know...? i don't like orange myself so i just think it's funny but i'm sure there has to be a reason...

That's a great question, BaroqueAgain1 !!
Very interesting.

And thank you four your insight, lurkey mclurker !!
I never thought about it.

JRA was inaugurated in 1954 taking over all the racing functions and operations of the ‘’government horseracing’’ that had been implemented after the World War Ⅱ.
Those 13 standard colors for the racing silks had been set by the ''goverment horseracing'' and JRA must just have taken over the old system.
So even JRA people may not know why orange is not allowed for the silks now ????

And does this restriction derive from the ‘’Twelve Level Cap and Rank System’’ lurkey mclurker mentioned above? (Wow!! I never imagined I would be reminded of ‘’冠位十二階‘’ that was said to be implemented in 603 by Prince Shotoku ''聖徳太子'' in this forum !!!)


Shotoku Taishi

You are a great historian of Japan, even if I don’t know yet if this is the real answer... and it remains a mystery....
I'm too young, haha.

JRA started to allow orange color for the racing caps when they set eight brackets for its racings in 1966. As you may know, orange is for the seventh bracket.
Interestingly, orange color can be used in NAR which started in 1964. NAR allows 12 standard colors, including orange, for the racing silks.

[BaroqueAgain1]

It makes sense if the restriction on the use of orange in silks stems from centuries-old observations of rank.
I like the fact that modern Japan still honors such ancient traditions.

[Palace Malice]

Orange is one of my favorite colors and I'm always annoyed when I play Winning Post and I can't pick it

I never knew why it wasn't allowed so it's good to know. Thank you Tachyon!

[tachyon]

If you are really interested in the color that was only used for the crown prince in Japan, please visit the following link.

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BB%84 ... 9%E8%A2%8D

黄丹袍 = Ouninohou

But I think that it's going to be a wonderful opportunity for JRA to break away from one of the oldest traditions, if Mike Repole takes part in the Japanese racing as an owner.
Yes, I do hope that JRA will allow him to use his blue and orange silk!!!

[lurkey mclurker]

LOL i hope they let him use his silks too, i wonder if he can file an appeal or ask for a waiver of some sort...

that was a neat link tachyon, thank you for sharing it! i knew about the symbolism of mandarin ducks in chinese culture but not that they were similarly important in japanese culture too! although i'm feeling my age seeing the photos, i cannot believe it's been 30ish years since the crown prince (now emperor) married...

[tachyon]

LOL i hope they let him use his silks too, i wonder if he can file an appeal or ask for a waiver of some sort...

that was a neat link tachyon, thank you for sharing it! i knew about the symbolism of mandarin ducks in chinese culture but not that they were similarly important in japanese culture too! although i'm feeling my age seeing the photos, i cannot believe it's been 30ish years since the crown prince (now emperor) married...

It seems that time flies as we get older... I got the same feel, too.

Anyway, to my knowledge, JRA has never explained the reasons WHY their 13 standard colors for the racing silks had been chosen and WHY orange color was not included.
I'm now deeply interested in this topic and already convinced 99% that this comes from the old tradition and that the restriction of orange color to the crown prince was implemented sometime before Heian Period.
But what I'm most curious about is why JRA has not explained the reasons in public.

Is it because JRA really don't know the reasons, those 13 standard colors being set by their predecessor?
Or, it it because they feel it's a sort of politically-sensitive issue they don't want to elaborate now for some reasons ????
I'm very curious, haha!

I always believe that JRA has to be open to everything if they really want to internationalize our racing!

[Squeaky]

John Stewart giving away Puca T-shirts to fans at SAR https://x.com/jstewartrr/status/1812189 ... 52596?s=46

[tachyon]

Repole Stable
@RepoleStable

It was another active “night” at the sales in . We picked-up two yearling fillies, one by Kitasan Black and another by Saturnalia bringing us to 10 bought in Japan this year, 7 yearlings, 2 foals and a 2yo.

I can’t wait til we see them in action!!!!!

https://x.com/RepoleStable/status/1815890547707445505

hip 274 : Bay Filly - Saturnalia(JPN) x Kiss to Remember(USA) by Big Brown(USA)
https://www.hba.or.jp/catalog/20240701/ ... 0274-E.pdf

hip 279 : Bay Filly - Kitasan Black(JPN) x Big Up(JPN) by Neo Universe(JPN)
https://www.hba.or.jp/catalog/20240701/ ... 0279-E.pdf

[Palace Malice]

Repole Stable
@RepoleStable

It was another active “night” at the sales in . We picked-up two yearling fillies, one by Kitasan Black and another by Saturnalia bringing us to 10 bought in Japan this year, 7 yearlings, 2 foals and a 2yo.

I can’t wait til we see them in action!!!!!

https://x.com/RepoleStable/status/1815890547707445505

hip 274 : Bay Filly - Saturnalia(JPN) x Kiss to Remember(USA) by Big Brown(USA)
https://www.hba.or.jp/catalog/20240701/ ... 0274-E.pdf

hip 279 : Bay Filly - Kitasan Black(JPN) x Big Up(JPN) by Neo Universe(JPN)
https://www.hba.or.jp/catalog/20240701/ ... 0279-E.pdf

I really hope at least one of them will become successful so even more international buyers come to Japan!

[tachyon]

@RepoleStable
https://x.com/RepoleStable/status/1825257114392006889

Warning to All Turf Stakes!!!!!


We are now buying horses in Japan, France, England, Ireland, South America, Australia and of course the United States.

[BaroqueAgain1]

He could rename his stable the Five Continents Stable.

[Squeaky]

John Stewart doing the same

[Squeaky]

John Hendrickson, former husband of MaryLou Whitney, dies at 59 of unreported causes. Question-what will happen to the Whitney fortune now? Her home and property in SAR has been for sale for many millions…did MaryLou have children? https://www.drf.com/news/john-hendricks ... ies-age-59

[Flanders]

John Hendrickson, former husband of MaryLou Whitney, dies at 59 of unreported causes. Question-what will happen to the Whitney fortune now? Her home and property in SAR has been for sale for many millions…did MaryLou have children? https://www.drf.com/news/john-hendricks ... ies-age-59

It will depend what his will says.

Yes she had 5 kids. She left them little compared to what the husband got. And put a clause in her will that if they challenged it, they were going to get nothing. One got 10m, one got 5m, two got 1m and one got 200k. She gave 2 houses to former employees and everything else to her husband. I was looking at it from a normal person's point of view so I changed what I had originally typed. I imagine they are all well off anyway.

[Diver52]

John Hendrickson, former husband of MaryLou Whitney, dies at 59 of unreported causes. Question-what will happen to the Whitney fortune now? Her home and property in SAR has been for sale for many millions…did MaryLou have children? https://www.drf.com/news/john-hendricks ... ies-age-59

It will depend what his will says.

Yes she had 5 kids. She left them little compared to what the husband got. And put a clause in her will that if they challenged it, they were going to get nothing. One got 10m, one got 5m, two got 1m and one got 200k. She gave 2 houses to former employees and everything else to her husband. I was looking at it from a normal person's point of view so I changed what I had originally typed. I imagine they are all well off anyway.

An heir can still challenge a will with an in terrorem clause, and if the challenge is successful, of course the clause becomes inoperative and the heir takes his/her statutory share. It's a risk that is sometimes worth taking, if you are left very little and have a strong case of undue influence or testator incompetence. But obviously that didn't happen with Mary Lou Whitney's wll. /i]