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BRINGING ASIAN RACING TO THE WORLD

osaka hai
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David Morgan

Is the Tenno Sho Autumn a two-horse race?

Equinox is the clear favourite to win Sunday’s big race at Tokyo, but can Do Deuce prove his Derby superiority to be right? JRA expert David Morgan takes a look at some of the key questions around the Group 1 clash.

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David Morgan

Yutaka Take: the human face of Japan’s racing revolution

David Morgan profiles the man who has been a constant through the last 40 years of Japanese racing and whose fame transcends the sport in his country.

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Andrew Le Jeune

LJ Confidential: Sodashi fever provides opportunity at the odds

Sodashi will have the Tokyo crowd at fever pitch but given the hype around the great white hope, perhaps the best play is to look elsewhere to some high class rivals who could represent value. Andrew Le Jeune previews all the Hong Kong simulcast action.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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
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Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: Liberty Island in the Oka Sho spotlight

Adrian Webber has the latest happenings around the JRA from Classic musings to Kawada’s continuing hot streak, to the Ho O man’s Group 1 ambitions.
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David Morgan

Richards stable to benefit from Easter buys

Hong Kong buyers were active at Inglis this week, among them Jamie Richards who is finding his feet in his new sphere after a slow start, and his five Easter purchases signal valuable support from his owners

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Homan Ho

JRA Blackbook: Durezza makes mess of start, and rivals, at Nakayama

A well-bred staying colt overcame severe trouble at the start to win at Nakayama, while the talented but luckless Danon the Kid looks back to his best after a resolute third in the G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin.

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Video

Asian Racing Review: answering the Nature Strip retirement ‘question’

Michael Cox and Andrew Le Jeune weigh-in on the Nature Strip retirement debate on this week's episode of Asian Racing Review, as they analyse all the weekend's Group 1 action from Australia and Japan.

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Osaka Hai G1 Guide

First run in 1957, the Osaka Hai was only upgraded to Grade 1 status in 2017 but has already established itself as one of Japan's most anticipated contests.

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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.

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David Morgan

Equinox exemplifies the sense in letting the sport’s stars race on

It is normal for Japanese horses, including champions, to race for multiple seasons and the rest of the world would do well to follow suit to improve competition and build fan connections.

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Bren O’Brien

Turning it up to 11: Deep Impact to add yet another chapter

Three and a half years since his shock death, Deep Impact looks destined to add an 11th Japanese sires’ title to his resume when the season ends on December 31.

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Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: All set for an Arima Kinen thriller

Adrian Webber takes a look at this weekend’s big feature at Nakayama as well as what else is happening in Japanese racing around the Christmas season.

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Adrian Webber

Keiba Diary: Forget Hong Kong for a minute, the rising stars are out at Hanshin

Adrian Webber shares his observations from Japan with the juvenile fillies’ pecking order to be decided this weekend, a Saudi campaign on the agenda, and the latest on the upcoming Arima Kinen.

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Bren O’Brien

Dirt move yields Group 1 reward for Jun Light Bolt

A superbly timed ride from Yukito Ishikawa saw Jun Light Bolt claim his first Group 1 success in the Champions Cup at Chukyo on Sunday.

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