Orfevre, winner of Japan's Triple Crown, fell one vote short of being a unanimous choice for the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year title for 2011.
Monday, January 23, 2012
The first classic race in Japan to be run since the devastating earthquake and tsunami took place at Tokyo Racecourse on April 24 when the Japanese Two Thousand Guineas (Jpn-I) was won by Orfevre.
Sunday, April 24, 2011Earthquake damage to Nakayama Racecourse has forced the rescheduling and relocation of Japan's first classic race, the Japanese 2000 Guineas (Jpn-I) to Tokyo Racecourse. The race will be run April 24 instead of April 17.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Japan Racing Association held its first races March 19 since the nation was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Four group races are affected by the cancellation. Racing will be held at Hanshin and Kokura racecourses.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Reports from different areas of Japan have so far indicated no major farm damage on Hokkaido as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Tracks and OTBs in the Northeast district have been damaged.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Breeders' Cup Challenge series will be expanding to Japan this year.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
For the second year in a row, top race mare Vodka was voted Horse of the Year in Japan, becoming the first female to win the title twice.
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Japan Racing Association has announced that all JRA graded races will be open to foreign-trained horses starting in 2010.
Monday, January 04, 2010
TVG, in partnership with Emerald Downs, is expanding its coverage of horse racing from Japan for the fifth consecutive year to include 18 group I races, the most ever televised by TVG.
Thursday, February 19, 2009Vodka, a 4-year-old filly who won two grade I stakes against horses of all ages and of both genders, became the first filly/mare to claim the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year title in 11 years.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Nearly four months to the day after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Darley Japan operation earned a rare license to compete on the exclusive Japan Racing Association circuit, the privilege was lost at the end of November.
Friday, December 14, 2007Kenji Tsuchikawa, 63, was appointed president and chief executive officer of the Japan Racing Association effective Sept. 1. He joined the JRA in 1968 as a veterinary surgeon.
Thursday, September 06, 2007About 200 veterinarians were dispatched Aug. 15 to check 5,000 racehorses in Japan for equine influenza after 20 animals at a training center were found to be positive for the virus, published reports said.
Thursday, August 16, 2007By Ray Paulick - The Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers is employing a classic carrot and stick approach with the Japan Racing Association, acknowledging through official recognition of 60 graded stakes that the JRA's racing quality is high, but warning the organization that no further advancements will be recognized until non-Japanese owners are licensed to compete in that country.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006Sheikh Mohammed owns a rapidly growing breeding operation in Japan, but he can't get an owner's license from the Japan Racing Association (JRA) even though he has tried for years.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006Delegates from 16 countries along with each country's associated veterinarians and observers met to exchange information pertaining to Thoroughbred racing, breeding, sales and general equine health at the bi-annual International Breeders Meeting May 30, 2006 in Tokyo.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006TVG is expanding its live coverage from Japan in 2006 in partnership with Emerald Downs, and will air 14 programs, beginning Feb. 18 and concluding with the presentation of the Japan Cup (Jpn-I) Nov. 25.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006Several states have announced their state-bred champions who have proven themselves worthy of receiving honors in 2005.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006Deep Impact, the first colt to claim all three Triple Crown races while still undefeated since Symboli Rudolf 21 years ago, has been named the near-unanimous winner of the Japan Racing Association's 2005 Horse of the Year award, collecting 285 out of 291 votes.
Monday, January 23, 2006Competing internationally for the first time, 23-year-old Rafael Bejarano rode to a fourth-place finish in the 19th World Super Jockey Series at Hanshin Race Course on Sunday.
Sunday, December 04, 2005Top jockeys Edgar Prado and Rafael Bejarano will represent North America in the 19th World Super Jockey Series at Japan's Hanshin Racecourse Dec. 3-4, said Joe Ferrer, Bejarano's agent. The riders traveled to Japan to participate in the competition that has attracted 14 jockeys from five different continents.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005Yoshino Matsumoto is willing to do just about anything to get a spot on the rail at the finish line for major races at Japan Racing Association tracks -- including camping out by the front gate for as long as a week.
Sunday, November 27, 2005Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (gr. I) winner Lava Man, who will try to give trainer Doug O'Neill his second victory in three years in the Japan Cup Dirt, worked six furlongs in 1:12 1/5 at Hollywood Park Saturday morning and is set to head to Japan on Tuesday.
Saturday, November 12, 2005TVG will present six live racing telecasts from Japan beginning Sept. 10 as part of an agreement between TVG and the Japan Racing Association (JRA) granting TVG exclusive Japanese racing telecast and advanced deposit wagering rights in the U.S. Racing will air from 10 p.m.-midnight PT.
Friday, September 02, 2005Zenno Rob Roy, whose three group I wins included a score in the Japan Cup, was named Horse of the Year and champion older male by the Japan Racing Association.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005By Ray Paulick - In many ways, the Japan Racing Association is the envy of the racing world. As a branch of the national government's ministry of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, the JRA controls all facets of the industry, including racecourse management, scheduling, marketing, licensing, drug testing, and pari-mutuel operations.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004By Ray Paulick - Though its brightest days may be in the past, the Japan Racing Association has decided to allow a little more sun to shine on a sport and industry that for the past 50 years has virtually been closed to outsiders.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004Japanese-trained horses swept the top three positions in the Japan Racing Association's two major group I international races, when Zenno Rob Roy won the Japan Cup and Time Paradox took the Japan Cup Dirt, both run at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 28 under sunny skies.
Sunday, November 28, 2004Racing organizations in Australia, England, and Japan announced a six-race series for sprinters, the Global Sprint Challenge, that will use free or subsidized travel instead of a cash bonus as an incentive for participation.
Thursday, November 25, 2004Racing organizations in Australia, England, and Japan announced a six-race series for sprinters, the Global Sprint Challenge, that will use free or subsidized travel instead of a cash bonus as an incentive for participation.
Thursday, November 25, 2004Syndicate manager Robert Clay announced today that Three Chimneys stallion Silver Charm has been purchased by the Japan Racing Association to stand in Japan in 2005.
Friday, October 29, 2004The Japan Racing Association will honor Laura Hillendbrand with the JRA Equine Cultural Award for her book-turned-major motion picture "Seabiscuit." The JRA will hold an awards ceremony on Jan. 26.
Thursday, January 15, 2004By Barbara Bayer -- Over six months have passed since I reported the tragic tale of Ferdinand. When I set about getting the story, I had little idea of what it would lead to, what far-reaching repercussions the story would have as it set off a conflagration of emotion across the U.S. that spread quickly to Japan and back to me.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Considering the shortage of horse owners in the U.S., maybe it's time to emulate the successful racing clubs that are popular in Japanese racing.
Tuesday, December 02, 2003Japan's Admire Groove held off favored country mate Still in Love for a nose victory in Sunday's Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Cup (Jpn-I), giving jockey Yutaka Take an unprecedented third straight win in the race for fillies and mares at Kyoto Racecourse.
Sunday, November 16, 2003Dual group I winner Alamshar, the sole horse to beat recent Arc winner Dalakhani, has been sold to the Japan Racing Association for stallion duty beginning next year.
Monday, October 06, 2003By Ray Paulick -- The JRA should take a firm stand and ban the slaughter of Thoroughbreds in Japan.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003By Ray Paulick -- Breeders' Cup purses have not kept pace with inflation --and neither have nomination fees/
Tuesday, December 17, 2002Jockey Frankie Dettori wins both the Japan Cup and Japan Cup Dirt with Falbrav and Eagle Cafe, respectively.
Sunday, November 24, 2002The Thoroughbred Corp.'s War Emblem, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner who has been purchased for stud duty in Japan by the Yoshida family's Shadai Stallion Station, has been nominated for the Nov. 23 Japan Cup Dirt, the main track companion race to the Japan Cup turf race held the following day.
Thursday, October 17, 2002The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships aren't the only races being run this Saturday. Just ask Ron Anson, who with wife Susie owns a 4-year-old colt named Sign of Fire, scheduled to run at Tokyo Racecourse on Saturday in the $750,000 Musashino Stakes (Jpn-III).
Wednesday, October 24, 2001Kent Desormeaux won the Kentucky Derby in 1998 and 2000, but in 2001 his best Derby hope may come on May 27 in the Japanese Derby at Tokyo racecourse. Desormeaux has agreed to ride in Japan on a three-month license from the Japan Racing Association, beginning on April 28, the date of a key trial race for the Japanese classic.
Wednesday, March 21, 2001Like its ailing economy, racing in Japan is slumping. The Japan Racing Association reported a third consecutive year of declines in 2000 in both on-track attendance and total handle. With government-sanctioned wagering on soccer set to begin in Japan this year, 2001 promises to be a major challenge for the JRA.
Friday, March 09, 2001English champion Warning, who started at stud at Khalid Abdullah's Banstead Manor Farm in England before being sold to the Japan Racing Association in 1996, died of acute heart failure at the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association's Shizunai Stud.
Wednesday, December 27, 2000
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