Michael Cox

Liberty Island makes the hype look understated in Group 1 romp

Sunday Racing’s superstar filly Liberty Island was expected to win the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) but jockey Yuga Kawada ensured there was no doubting the filly’s dominance.

David Morgan

Japan tops Zac Purton’s summer plans

Hong Kong’s soon-to-be six-time champion jockey is making arrangements to ride a summer spell in Japan for the first time in eight years.

Asian Racehorse Rankings

2023 Tokyo Yushun rankings: Satsuki Sho shake-up

The first leg of the colts' Triple Crown has been run and won, pushing a worthy new leader to the top of the board as five previously unranked three-year-olds enter the top 18.

David Morgan

Yasuda Kinen target for Serifos

Mitsu Nakauchida’s Group 1 winner is in fine fettle after travelling to Dubai and back and will be suited by the return to a mile at Tokyo.

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

Liberty Island makes Yankee Rose the height of fashion

Japanese breeders have sourced top international broodmare prospects for decades but in recent years they have cherry-picked Group 1-winning mares from Australia and the latest rising star is rich reward for that approach.

David Morgan

Liberty Island’s Oka Sho brilliance stunned even the expectant

Mitsumasa Nakauchida has long known that Liberty Island possesses rare talent but the filly’s stunning Classic win under Yuga Kawada went beyond what he had envisaged

Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: cherry blossoms signal the first Classic is almost here

It’s springtime in Japan and Adrian Webber has his eye on emerging talents ready to bloom, recaps the Dubai action, and looks ahead to the Osaka Hai and the Oka Sho.

David Morgan

Nakauchida believes Dubai Turf is right fit for Serifos

Trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida also outlines Group 1 plans for star filly Liberty Island and the talented Prognosis, while Grenadier Guards stays home for Sunday’s G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen.

Homan Ho

JRA Blackbook: turf convert builds on near-perfect record at Hanshin

One-time NAR galloper Danon Timpani made light work of his Hanshin opposition to make it five career wins from six starts on Sunday, while a daughter of Henny Hughes registered an even more dominant victory at the same track a day earlier.

Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: Deep Bond’s hat-trick bid and goodbye Heart’s Cry

As Yuga Kawada and Christophe Lemaire continue their early season tussle in the jockey standings, JRA broadcaster Adrian Webber flags up the weekend’s Hanshin Daishoten fixture and looks at the comings and goings on the JRA scene.

David Morgan

Deep Impact’s boys secure stud berths

Future opportunities to stand a son of the late Deep Impact could well be limited so securing a classy stallion by the great Japanese champion looks sound business for Haras Vacación, and Windsor Park and Mapperley Studs.

Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: Japanese contingent sets sights on Saudi Arabia

Christophe Lemaire's new record, some Joao Moreira magic and a concerted Saudi Cup meeting raid all feature in Adrian Webber's run-down of JRA news from home and abroad.