Japanese Horse Racing in 2020

Topic

• The COVID-19 epidemic has caused a variety of effects on the horse racing industry.
  In particular, races were held with no crowd or limited number of spectators at the racecourse.
• Two years and five months of renovation work has begun at Kyoto Racecourse.
  Because of this, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Mile Championship were held at Hanshin Racecourse that year.
• Contrail became a undefeated Triple Crown horse.
• Daring Tact became an undefeated Triple Crown filly.
• It was a year with many “For the first time in history”.
  ///
  Deep Impact and Contrail became the first sire and crop to become the first undefeated Triple Crown winners in history.
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  Daring Tact is the first undefeated Triple Crown filly.
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  It was the first time in history that a colt and filly Triple Crown winner were born in the same year.
  Of course, it’s also the first time in history that two horses have gone undefeated.
  ///
  In the Tenno Sho (Autumn), Almond Eye became the first JRA horse ever to win eight G1 races on turf.
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  Almond Eye, Contrail and Daring Tact were the three Triple Crown winners in the Japan Cup.
  It was the first time in history that three Triple Crown horses had run in the same race.
  In the race, Almond Eye won her ninth G1 race on turf and retired.
  ///
  In the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, Sodashi became the first white-haired horse in history to win a G1 race.
  This is probably the first time in the history of the world that a white horse has won a G1 race.
  (The difference between a white-haired horse and a gray-haired horse is whether or not the horse was born with white hair.)
  Also in the race, Yoka Yoka, a horse born in Kumamoto Prefecture, ran and finished 5th.
  This is the first time in history that a racehorse born in Kumamoto Prefecture has run in a G1 race, and the first time in history that a racehorse born in the Kyushu region has finished in the top five in a G1 race.
  (Kumamoto Prefecture Wikipedia) (Kyushu Region Wikipedia)
• Contrail, Daring Tact, Gran Alegria and Almond Eye won three G1 races.
  Almond Eye won the Horse of the Year.
• Fillies and Mares was very active.
  Almond Eye, Gran Alegria, Chrono Genesis, Lucky Lilac and etc…
• This is my opinion from here.
  This year’s races were often won by horses with the ability to do so.
  I also think that COVID-19 is the reason for this, as some others have said.
  I think the horses were able to show off their abilities without any unnecessary stress because of the limited access to crowds on the Racecourses and people in the stables and training centers.
  Japanese horse racing fans are very enthusiastic and many of them cheer loudly.
  There is no doubt that it is these passionate fans that have made Japan the best-selling horse-tickets country in the world and have made the Japanese horse racing industry so huge.
  However, many people say that Japanese horse racing fans have the worst spectator etiquette in the world.
  It’s been a year where I think the attitude of the fans and the coverage of the horse racing press may have had a lot of negative effects on the horses.
  I hope that as many people as possible will think about how their actions will affect the horses and act accordingly.

Flat-G1 races held by JRA

Races	Track	age / (Colt Filly Gelding)	1st
February Stakes	Tokyo D1600	over 4 / CFG	Mozu Ascot	◆	E
Takamatsunomiya Kinen	Chukyo T1200	over 4 / CFG	Mozu Superflare	◆	E
Osaka Hai	Hanshin T2000	over 4 / CFG	Lucky Lilac	◆	E
Oka Sho	Hanshin T1600	3 / F	Daring Tact	◆	E
Satsuki Sho	Nakayama T2000	3 / CF	Contrail	◆	E
Tenno Sho (Spring)	Kyoto T3200	over 4 / CFG	Fierement	◆	E
NHK Mile Cup	Tokyo T1600	3 / CF	Lauda Sion	◆	E
Victoria Mile	Tokyo T1600	over 4 / F	Almond Eye	◆	E
Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks)	Tokyo T2400	3 / F	Daring Tact	◆	E
Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)	Tokyo T2400	3 / CF	Contrail	◆	E
Yasuda Kinen	Tokyo T1600	over 3 / CFG	Gran Alegria	◆	E
Takarazuka Kinen	Hanshin T2200	over 3 / CFG	Chrono Genesis	◆	E
Sprinters Stakes	Nakayama D1200	over 3 / CFG	Gran Alegria	◆	E
Shuka Sho	Kyoto T2000	3 / F	Daring Tact	◆	E
Kikuka Sho	Kyoto T3000	3 / CF	Contrail	◆	E
Tenno Sho (Autumn)	Tokyo T2000	over 3 / CFG	Almond Eye	◆	E
Queen Elizabeth II Cup	Hanshin T2200	over 3 / F	Lucky Lilac	◆	E
Mile Championship	Hanshin T1600	over 3 / CFG	Gran Alegria	◆	E
Japan Cup	Tokyo T2400	over 3 / CFG	Almond Eye	◆	E
Champions Cup	Chukyo D1800	over 3 /CFG	Chuwa Wizard	◆	E
Hanshin Juvenile Fillies	Hanshin T1600	2 / F	Sodashi	◆	E
Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes	Hanshin T1600	2 / CF	Grenadier Guards	◆	E
Hopeful Stakes	Nakayama T2000	2 / CF	Danon the Kid	◆	E
Arima Kinen	Nakayama T2500	over 3 / CFG	Chrono Genesis	◆	E

J・G1 races (Steeplechase)

Races	Track	age / (Colt Filly Gelding)	1st
Nakayama Grand Jump	Nakayama J4250	over 4 / CFG	Oju Chosan	◆
Nakayama Daishogai	Nakayama J4100	over 4 / CFG	Meisho Dassai	◆

G1 races held by NAR

Races	Track	age / (Colt Filly Gelding)	1st
Kawasaki Kinen	Kawasaki D2100	over 4 / CFG	Chuwa Wizard	G
Kashiwa Kinen	Funabashi D1600	over 4 / CFG	Wide Pharaoh	G
Teio Sho	Ohi D2000	over 4 / CFG	Chrysoberyle	G
Japan Dirt Derby	Ohi D2000	3 / CFG	Danon Pharaoh	G
Mile Championship Nambu Hai	Morioka D1600	over 3 / CFG	Arctos	◆
JBC Ladies’ Classic	Ohi D1800	over 3 / F	Fashionista	◆
JBC Sprint	Ohi D1200	over 3 / CFG	Sabuno Junior	◆
JBC Classic	Ohi D2000	over 3 / CFG	Chrysoberyle	◆
Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun	Kawasaki D1600	2 / CFG	Alain Barows	G
Tokyo Daishoten	Ohi D2000	over 3 / CFG	Omega Perfume	G

JRA Award

Horse of the Year	Almond Eye
Best Two-Year-Old Colt	Danon the Kid
Best Two-Year-Old Filly	Sodashi
Best Three-Year-Old Colt	Contrail
Best Three-Year-Old Filly	Daring Tact
Best Older Male Horse	Fierement
Best Older Filly or Mare	Almond Eye
Best Sprinter or Miler	Gran Alegria
Best Dirt Horse	Chuwa Wizard
Best Steeplechase Horse	Meisho Dassai
Special Award	Chrono Genesis

 

Leading sire in Japan

Deep Impact

 

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