Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: Dolce More faces NHK Mile Cup test while Lane aims to keep the fire burning

Adrian Webber has all the latest from the JRA including Damian Lane's hot streak, and a look at some of the two-year-olds preparing to debut in the coming weeks.

Tenno Sho (Spring) G1 Guide

The 3200 metre Tenno Sho (Spring), or ‘Emperor’s Prize’, is the JRA's longest Group 1 event and has been won by some of Japan's biggest equine stars, including Mayano Top Gun, T M Opera O (twice), Kitasan Black (twice) and the great Deep Impact.

Homan Ho

JRA Blackbook: talented grey to reboot as mile Force?

A classy son of Kitasan Black resumed with a cracking run over the Kyoto mile, while at Tokyo Heart's Cry colt Sastrugi showed his staying potential stepping out to 2300 metres for the first time.

Video

Asian Racing Review: Hong Kong stars to chase Yasuda Kinen glory?

Michael Cox and Andrew Le Jeune dissect the week's happenings in Asian racing as they bring you the latest on possible Yasuda Kinen starts for two Hong Kong stars, and address the 'puzzling' speculation surrounding Joao Moreira's future.

David Morgan

Sol Oriens is another feather in Kitasan Black’s cap

The brilliant Satsuki Sho winner is by the impressive young sire Kitasan Black out of a mare that has surprised her former trainer in establishing her place as a proven producer of quality racehorses in Japan.

Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: another Classic stunner as Sol Oriens shines

JRA broadcaster Adrian Webber recaps all the weekend action and picks through recent happenings, including the reopening of the revamped Kyoto racecourse.

Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: idols in the vending machine but Liberty Island is the real deal

Adrian Webber takes a look at the Satsuki Sho prospects and has news of the injured and returning, along with a well-known jockey’s daughter starting out at the JRA school.

David Morgan

Lord Kanaloa has the edge as the old sires give way to the new

Japan’s greatest sprinter might not be its greatest sire, but as his son Panthalassa is emphasising, he can produce versatile, top-class types, and for now he is the front-runner in the post-Deep Impact stallion rankings.

Homan Ho

JRA Blackbook: Lemaire deems Phantom Thief worthy of ‘high level races’

Christophe Lemaire has endorsed Phantom Thief's Classic credentials following a strong Kyodo News Hai win, while Yasuo Tomomichi may have unearthed another exceptional miler in Justin Sky.

Homan Ho

JRA Blackbook: another staying star for Kitasan Black?

A pair of well-bred three-year-olds signal future stardom following contrasting victories on the weekend, but both will need time.

David Morgan

Japan’s stallions in 2023: freshman sires to watch, new North American influences and the Deep Impact dilemma

This week's Asian Bloodstock Report analyses Japan’s stallion landscape as the freshman sires that entered the breeding sheds in the immediate wake of Deep Impact’s passing will soon have their first runners in Japan.

Homan Ho

JRA Blackbook: Sol Oriens dominant in Keisei Hai, stakes Satsuki Sho claim

The Takahisa Tezuka-trained Sol Oriens emerged as a G1 Satsuki Sho chance with a Group 3 victory at Nakayama, while a "more mature" middle-distance dirt performer continued on his winning ways.