Horny Harry
18-09-2002, 16:07
A Review of JRA Races in the 1st Half of 2002
By Kenichi Nomoto (reporter for the Nihon Keizai Shimbun)
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Manhattan Cafe (by Sunday Silence, USA) bested the 125th Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto Racecourse on April 28.
http://www.jair.jrao.ne.jp/library/journal/v10n4/photo_01.jpg
As the first half of 2002 progressed, Japan's economy finally showed signs that the long recession might be bottoming out. GDP growth stood at 5.7 percent on an annual basis for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001 (January-March), the first positive growth in a year. In May, the government announced that the downturn had ended. However, with overall unemployment hitting 5.2 percent in April, the employment situation remained unoptimistic. With feelings of uncertainty cropping up in the U.S. economy at the beginning of June, there was still no solution for such negative elements as dependence on exports to the U.S. and a lack of consumer confidence.
The FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea, impacted greatly on leisure trends. Held for the first time in Asia, this major event attracted broad interest not limited to soccer fans and received lively coverage in the mass media. Professional baseball rearranged its June schedule in an effort to minimize the impact. But with considerably less media exposure, the horse racing industry was unable to avoid the side effects. As of June 9, JRA's turnover was down 4.3 percent compared to the previous year.
3-year-olds Vie for Leading Spot
Let's review race trends for the first half of this year. The free-for-all continued in the closely-watched Classic events for 3-year-olds. Few match-ups between leading horses and many horses compiling good records resulted in no clear front-runner as late as March. The winner of the March Spring Stakes (GII), Tanino Gimlet (by Brian's Time, USA), was considered the top contender, but the colt placed third in his next race, the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas, GI), despite a hard charge from behind. The victor was another Brian's Time offspring, No Reason, who after debuting with two consecutive wins, then finished seventh in the Wakaba Stakes trial. A lottery for entry into the Satsuki Sho was held among seven horses with two wins, with two horses permitted entry. No Reason, guided by jockey Brett Doyle who came to Japan from the U.K. after obtaining a short-term license, was permitted entry. Second place finisher Tiger Cafe (by Sunday Silence, USA) was ridden by Italian jockey Mirco Demuro. This was the first time in a Classic race that horses ridden by foreign jockeys occupied the top two places.
Yutaka Take's injuries from a fall at the end of February were a factor in bringing this sort of situation about. Take demonstrated a phenomenal recovery and attempted a comeback at the end of April. Backed by overwhelming support, he rode Tanino Gimlet in the May NHK Mile Cup (GI), trying for the first win by a Japan-bred horse. However, he placed third again after encountering a fatal disadvantage, two other horses blocking his way on the straight. The winner was Telegnosis, another Japan-bred horse and one of Tony Bin's offspring. After losing to Tanino Gimlet and placing second by a 0.1-second margin in the Spring Stakes, Telegnosis skipped the Satsuki Sho due to fatigue, but recovered to compete in this race, and for the first time since the race began seven years ago, overcame the foreign-bred horses' hold on the title. His sire, Tony Bin (IRE, by Kampala, GB), died in March the year before last, but his other offspring have fared well both last year and this, with Jungle Pocket taking last year's Japan Cup and Lady Pastel grabbing the Oaks' crown.
Tanino Gimlet was again the favorite in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, GI). The tough schedule of successive starts in the Satsuki Sho, NHK Mile Cup and Japanese Derby drew some criticism, but Tanino Gimlet demonstrated his physical and mental strength in the most important race with a stirring charge down the homestretch. Owner Yuzo Tanimizu is the current chairman of the Japan Owners' Association and his late father, Nobuo, was the owner of the winning horses in the 1968 and 1970 Derbys. Symboli Kris S (USA, by Kris S, USA) placed second. The Japanese Derby was partially opened to foreign-trained horses last year, and the fifth place finish by Kurofune (USA, by French Deputy, USA) was the best result. With a Japanese horse winning the NHK Mile Cup and a foreign horse taking second in the Derby, horse racing entered a new stage of globalization this year.
Meanwhile, the free-for-all among 3-year-old fillies exceeded that among the colts. A whole series of preliminaries ended up inconclusively and Queen Cup (GIII) winner Shinin' Ruby (by Sunday Silence) was the favorite in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas, GI), due in part to expectations related to jockey Yukio Okabe's quest to win all of the eight former major races. However, thanks partly to the effects of having shed 24kg, she fell to a third place finish. Breaking away from a fine starting position in the number three gate, Arrow Carry (by Last Tycoon, IRE) won. This horse moved to JRA after debuting in local Hokkaido races. In last year's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (GI) she charged to a hard-fought second place finish.
Shinin' Ruby was again the favorite in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, GI), but placed fifth. Ridden well by jockey Yutaka Yoshida, Smile Tomorrow (by White Muzzle, GB) came from behind for the win. Chapel Concert (by Sunday Silence) took second. Overall, the race progressed at a sluggish pace.
Older Horse Category Dominated
by 4-year-olds
Among older horses, 4-year-olds are currently the focus. With consecutive GII victories since the beginning of this year, Narita Top Road (by Soccer Boy) was the favorite for the Tenno Sho (Spring, GI), but Manhattan Cafe (by Sunday Silence) took the early lead in the race and gained his third GI victory by a neck, holding off Yutaka Take on Jungle Pocket. Narita Top Road trailed in third place. After last year's win in the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix, GI), he suffered an inexplicable sixth place defeat in the Nikkei Sho (GII) in March, but recovered in the distance race that is his forte. There is an interval of nearly two months between the Tenno Sho and Takarazuka Kinen (GI) and because the temperature is also high in June it was decided early on not to run Narita Top Road and Manhattan Cafe, while the only one left, Jungle Pocket, was pulled 10 days before the race due to concerns about his legs. With Air Shakur (by Sunday Silence) the only entry with a GI victory, the Takarazuka Kinen ended up with a sub-par line-up. Fresh off a second-place finish in the Yasuda Kinen (GI), Dantsu Flame (by Brian's Time), who finished second in last year's Satsuki Sho and Derby, was the favorite and responded to the fans' support in the race. It was his first victory in six GI races. Tsurumaru Boy (by Dance in the Dark), another 4-year-old, finished second.
2002 (January to June) JRA and Local Government
Racing and Betting
JRA Local Government
Racing Days 120 920
Total Gross Turnover 1,492,304,137,500 YEN 243,833,694,800 YEN
Daily Average Gross Sales 12,435,867,800 YEN 265,036,625 YEN
Total Attendance (On-course) 4,505,846 3,960,808
Total Number of Starters 21,320 98,191
Japan-based Horses Fair Well in Sprint,
Mile Events
Interest was focused on how horses that were active internationally would do in the sprint and mile events, but in the end Japan-based horses took the titles. Shonan Kampf (by Sakura Bakushin O), as yet without a graded race victory, won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (GI) flying away. This meant that three generations of Japan-bred horses Ñ Sakura Yutaka O (by Tesco Boy, GB), Sakura Bakushin O and Shonan Kampf Ñ had achieved GI crowns. Admire Cozzene (by Cozzene, USA) came in second, showing signs of a return to form by the top 2-year-old of 1998. Next, at the Yasuda Kinen, attention was focused on Agnes Digital (USA, by Crafty Prospector, USA), and Eishin Preston (USA, by Green Dancer, USA) who won a GI event at the Hong Kong International races at the end of last year.
Agnes Digital had an easy win at the February Stakes (GI), a February domestic GI dirt race. He traveled to the Dubai World Cup (GI) in high spirits, but came in sixth there, partly due to physical problems. He later faced off against Eishin Preston at Hong Kong's Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (GI) and lost. Agnes Digital finished second. Agnes Digital subsequently was given a break to recuperate and was not entered in the Yasuda Kinen. Eishin Preston entered as the favorite after returning to Japan, but was unable to get his engine in gear, placing fifth despite charging up from behind. The victory went to Admire Cozzene, who had started from a favorable position. After winning the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (now the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, GI) at the age of 2, Admire Cozzene suffered fractures of both forelegs and was forced to recuperate for a year and eight months. He had found it quite difficult to regain his former strength after returning, but this year gained a long-awaited win in the Tokyo Shimbun Hai (GIII) at the end of January. He followed with another victory in the Hankyu Hai (GIII) and second place in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. He was ridden by Hiroki Goto, who the year before last had achieved 100 wins, a JRA record held only by 16 people, but had no GI victories and attained his first win on the 54th try.
Sales of the new types of pari-mutuel bets, the Trio and Exacta, will begin in earnest during the latter half of the year, but because the very popular Tokyo Racecourse is closed for renovations, it appears that JRA will continue to face tough prospects from an operational standpoint.
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By Kenichi Nomoto (reporter for the Nihon Keizai Shimbun)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manhattan Cafe (by Sunday Silence, USA) bested the 125th Tenno Sho (Spring) at Kyoto Racecourse on April 28.
http://www.jair.jrao.ne.jp/library/journal/v10n4/photo_01.jpg
As the first half of 2002 progressed, Japan's economy finally showed signs that the long recession might be bottoming out. GDP growth stood at 5.7 percent on an annual basis for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001 (January-March), the first positive growth in a year. In May, the government announced that the downturn had ended. However, with overall unemployment hitting 5.2 percent in April, the employment situation remained unoptimistic. With feelings of uncertainty cropping up in the U.S. economy at the beginning of June, there was still no solution for such negative elements as dependence on exports to the U.S. and a lack of consumer confidence.
The FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea, impacted greatly on leisure trends. Held for the first time in Asia, this major event attracted broad interest not limited to soccer fans and received lively coverage in the mass media. Professional baseball rearranged its June schedule in an effort to minimize the impact. But with considerably less media exposure, the horse racing industry was unable to avoid the side effects. As of June 9, JRA's turnover was down 4.3 percent compared to the previous year.
3-year-olds Vie for Leading Spot
Let's review race trends for the first half of this year. The free-for-all continued in the closely-watched Classic events for 3-year-olds. Few match-ups between leading horses and many horses compiling good records resulted in no clear front-runner as late as March. The winner of the March Spring Stakes (GII), Tanino Gimlet (by Brian's Time, USA), was considered the top contender, but the colt placed third in his next race, the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas, GI), despite a hard charge from behind. The victor was another Brian's Time offspring, No Reason, who after debuting with two consecutive wins, then finished seventh in the Wakaba Stakes trial. A lottery for entry into the Satsuki Sho was held among seven horses with two wins, with two horses permitted entry. No Reason, guided by jockey Brett Doyle who came to Japan from the U.K. after obtaining a short-term license, was permitted entry. Second place finisher Tiger Cafe (by Sunday Silence, USA) was ridden by Italian jockey Mirco Demuro. This was the first time in a Classic race that horses ridden by foreign jockeys occupied the top two places.
Yutaka Take's injuries from a fall at the end of February were a factor in bringing this sort of situation about. Take demonstrated a phenomenal recovery and attempted a comeback at the end of April. Backed by overwhelming support, he rode Tanino Gimlet in the May NHK Mile Cup (GI), trying for the first win by a Japan-bred horse. However, he placed third again after encountering a fatal disadvantage, two other horses blocking his way on the straight. The winner was Telegnosis, another Japan-bred horse and one of Tony Bin's offspring. After losing to Tanino Gimlet and placing second by a 0.1-second margin in the Spring Stakes, Telegnosis skipped the Satsuki Sho due to fatigue, but recovered to compete in this race, and for the first time since the race began seven years ago, overcame the foreign-bred horses' hold on the title. His sire, Tony Bin (IRE, by Kampala, GB), died in March the year before last, but his other offspring have fared well both last year and this, with Jungle Pocket taking last year's Japan Cup and Lady Pastel grabbing the Oaks' crown.
Tanino Gimlet was again the favorite in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, GI). The tough schedule of successive starts in the Satsuki Sho, NHK Mile Cup and Japanese Derby drew some criticism, but Tanino Gimlet demonstrated his physical and mental strength in the most important race with a stirring charge down the homestretch. Owner Yuzo Tanimizu is the current chairman of the Japan Owners' Association and his late father, Nobuo, was the owner of the winning horses in the 1968 and 1970 Derbys. Symboli Kris S (USA, by Kris S, USA) placed second. The Japanese Derby was partially opened to foreign-trained horses last year, and the fifth place finish by Kurofune (USA, by French Deputy, USA) was the best result. With a Japanese horse winning the NHK Mile Cup and a foreign horse taking second in the Derby, horse racing entered a new stage of globalization this year.
Meanwhile, the free-for-all among 3-year-old fillies exceeded that among the colts. A whole series of preliminaries ended up inconclusively and Queen Cup (GIII) winner Shinin' Ruby (by Sunday Silence) was the favorite in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas, GI), due in part to expectations related to jockey Yukio Okabe's quest to win all of the eight former major races. However, thanks partly to the effects of having shed 24kg, she fell to a third place finish. Breaking away from a fine starting position in the number three gate, Arrow Carry (by Last Tycoon, IRE) won. This horse moved to JRA after debuting in local Hokkaido races. In last year's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (GI) she charged to a hard-fought second place finish.
Shinin' Ruby was again the favorite in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, GI), but placed fifth. Ridden well by jockey Yutaka Yoshida, Smile Tomorrow (by White Muzzle, GB) came from behind for the win. Chapel Concert (by Sunday Silence) took second. Overall, the race progressed at a sluggish pace.
Older Horse Category Dominated
by 4-year-olds
Among older horses, 4-year-olds are currently the focus. With consecutive GII victories since the beginning of this year, Narita Top Road (by Soccer Boy) was the favorite for the Tenno Sho (Spring, GI), but Manhattan Cafe (by Sunday Silence) took the early lead in the race and gained his third GI victory by a neck, holding off Yutaka Take on Jungle Pocket. Narita Top Road trailed in third place. After last year's win in the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix, GI), he suffered an inexplicable sixth place defeat in the Nikkei Sho (GII) in March, but recovered in the distance race that is his forte. There is an interval of nearly two months between the Tenno Sho and Takarazuka Kinen (GI) and because the temperature is also high in June it was decided early on not to run Narita Top Road and Manhattan Cafe, while the only one left, Jungle Pocket, was pulled 10 days before the race due to concerns about his legs. With Air Shakur (by Sunday Silence) the only entry with a GI victory, the Takarazuka Kinen ended up with a sub-par line-up. Fresh off a second-place finish in the Yasuda Kinen (GI), Dantsu Flame (by Brian's Time), who finished second in last year's Satsuki Sho and Derby, was the favorite and responded to the fans' support in the race. It was his first victory in six GI races. Tsurumaru Boy (by Dance in the Dark), another 4-year-old, finished second.
2002 (January to June) JRA and Local Government
Racing and Betting
JRA Local Government
Racing Days 120 920
Total Gross Turnover 1,492,304,137,500 YEN 243,833,694,800 YEN
Daily Average Gross Sales 12,435,867,800 YEN 265,036,625 YEN
Total Attendance (On-course) 4,505,846 3,960,808
Total Number of Starters 21,320 98,191
Japan-based Horses Fair Well in Sprint,
Mile Events
Interest was focused on how horses that were active internationally would do in the sprint and mile events, but in the end Japan-based horses took the titles. Shonan Kampf (by Sakura Bakushin O), as yet without a graded race victory, won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (GI) flying away. This meant that three generations of Japan-bred horses Ñ Sakura Yutaka O (by Tesco Boy, GB), Sakura Bakushin O and Shonan Kampf Ñ had achieved GI crowns. Admire Cozzene (by Cozzene, USA) came in second, showing signs of a return to form by the top 2-year-old of 1998. Next, at the Yasuda Kinen, attention was focused on Agnes Digital (USA, by Crafty Prospector, USA), and Eishin Preston (USA, by Green Dancer, USA) who won a GI event at the Hong Kong International races at the end of last year.
Agnes Digital had an easy win at the February Stakes (GI), a February domestic GI dirt race. He traveled to the Dubai World Cup (GI) in high spirits, but came in sixth there, partly due to physical problems. He later faced off against Eishin Preston at Hong Kong's Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (GI) and lost. Agnes Digital finished second. Agnes Digital subsequently was given a break to recuperate and was not entered in the Yasuda Kinen. Eishin Preston entered as the favorite after returning to Japan, but was unable to get his engine in gear, placing fifth despite charging up from behind. The victory went to Admire Cozzene, who had started from a favorable position. After winning the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (now the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, GI) at the age of 2, Admire Cozzene suffered fractures of both forelegs and was forced to recuperate for a year and eight months. He had found it quite difficult to regain his former strength after returning, but this year gained a long-awaited win in the Tokyo Shimbun Hai (GIII) at the end of January. He followed with another victory in the Hankyu Hai (GIII) and second place in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. He was ridden by Hiroki Goto, who the year before last had achieved 100 wins, a JRA record held only by 16 people, but had no GI victories and attained his first win on the 54th try.
Sales of the new types of pari-mutuel bets, the Trio and Exacta, will begin in earnest during the latter half of the year, but because the very popular Tokyo Racecourse is closed for renovations, it appears that JRA will continue to face tough prospects from an operational standpoint.
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