2015 News

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Winners of the 2014 JRA Awards announced

On January 6, Gentildonna was announced as a double winner for the JRA Awards for 2014. Gentildonna won both the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year for 2014 and Best Older Filly or Mare award. Gentildonna dominated the voting for the Horse of the Year award with 231 votes out of 285. Just a Way and Epiphaneia had received 51 and one respectively.

The Horse of the Year title is the highest honor given to JRA-registered race horses and is selected by the Horse of the Year Selection Committee represented by journalists of various dailies and magazines.

The JRA Awards ceremony will be held on January 26.

Note: All information, including ages and race performances, are as of December 31, 2014, unless otherwise indicated.

■RACEHORSES

Gentildonna (JPN)

Video
Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1 - English)

2014 Horse of the Year - Gentildonna - Connection Comments

Owner: Sunday Racing Co. Ltd., Shunsuke Yoshida, representative
“It is a great honor for Gentildonna to have been selected as Horse of the Year. Last year, Gentildonna captured the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) in the spring and held off a powerful field in her final race, the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1), to add a magnificent finishing touch of perfection. I want to express my thanks for her having been able to end, without mishap, a career of over three years as racehorse and, after it all, receive an award such as this.”

Trainer: Sei Ishizaka
“I believe this award is in recognition of her performance over the entire year. After winning the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) in the spring, she failed to win two races in the autumn at Tokyo, and then, with her aimed for the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1), there was much talk regarding it being her first time at Nakayama Racecourse and of whether she could handle a right-handed track and other such, but she defied it all, and I believe her winning the Arima Kinen had a great impact. I want to express my appreciation to all those fans who supported her through to the end.”

Jockey: Keita Tosaki
“I think it is an honor to have been named the Horse of the Year in her retirement year, and I feel very happy to have been able to ride this horse. She has retired, but I believe she will, as a broodmare, give us many fine offspring. I hope they will have your support and I myself would like very much to be able to ride some of them.”

Best Two-Year-Old Colt:

Danon Platina (JPN)

Video
Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1 - English)

Best Two-Year-Old Filly:

Shonan Adela (JPN)

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Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1 - English)

Best Three-Year-Old Colt:

Isla Bonita (JPN)

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Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (G1 - English)

Best Three-Year-Old Filly:

Harp Star (JPN)

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Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) (G1 - English)

Best Older Colt or Horse:

Just a Way (JPN)

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Yasuda Kinen (G1 - English)

Best Sprinter or Miler:

Snow Dragon (JPN)

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Sprinters Stakes (G1 - English)

Best Dirt Horse:

Hokko Tarumae (JPN)

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Champions Cup (G1 - English)

Best Steeplechase Horse:

Apollo Maverick (JPN)

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Nakayama Grand Jump (J-G1)

■TRAINERS & JOCKEYS

*Best Trainer (races won): Yoshito Yahagi (56 wins)

*Best Trainer (winning average): Kazuo Fujisawa (0.170%)

*Best Trainer (money earned): Katsuhiko Sumii (1,817,684,400 Yen)

*Best Trainer (training technique): Katsuhiko Sumii

JRA Best Jockey (races won): Keita Tosaki (146 wins)

JRA Best Jockey (winning average): Yuga Kawada (0.166%)

JRA Best Jockey (money earned): Yasunari Iwata (2,878,528,000 Yen)

**MVJ - Most Valuable Jockey: Keita Tosaki 56 points

Best Steeplechase Jockey: Shinya Kitazawa (12 wins)

Best Jockey (newcomer): Fuma Matsuwaka (47 wins)

*Trainers' figures include National Association of Racing (NAR; Racing by Local Governments) and overseas race results.

**The MVJ is determined by points allotted a jockey for his or her ranking in four different categories for designated JRA, NAR and overseas races. The four categories are "number of wins," "win average," "earnings," and "number of rides for the year." The MVJ award is bestowed upon the jockey with the highest total points.

■2014 JRA Equine Cultural Award

Winner: “The Golden Journey: A Horse Beyond Imagination – the Story of Stay Gold (book)

Recipient: Toshinori Ishida

Recipient Profile: Toshinori Ishida – Born in Tokyo in 1966. Graduated Waseda University, Dept. of Literature, Literary Arts. Worked at Sankei Sports newspaper as a racing reporter and, from 1993, as a freelance writer.

Winner Summary: Stay Gold, winning in Hong Kong his first G1 in the last race of his career, went to stud with no great promise of success for his future. But, delivering us such horses as Orfevre, Gold Ship and Fenomeno, Stay Gold is now one of Japan’s leading stallions. This non-fiction work follows his tracks through the ties of blood.

Reason for Recognition: The book, amid the somewhat difficult concept of “pedigree,” and through the story of the stallion Stay Gold, depicts the capabilities of a horse and the pleasures of racing as seen from the perspective of pedigree and does so in terms easily understandable even by those not familiar with racing. The book is lauded due to its ability to stir wide interest in racing and pedigree.

(Note)
The JRA Equine Cultural Award and Award of Merit recognize those persons (or organizations) that have contributed to the development of equine culture through such mediums as literature, critique, art, film and music, photography and performance.

■2014 JRA Equine Cultural Award - Award of Merit

Winner: The Jockey Club (UK)

Reason for Recognition:
 The Jockey Club, in line with the 60th anniversary of the founding of the JRA, has given permission to exhibit 10 artworks (oil paintings) from the club’s treasured collection in a special exhibit at the Tokyo Racecourse Racing Museum in the town of Fuchu.Entitled "JRA 60th Anniversary Special Exhibition "Treasured Paintings of the Jockey Club"," the selected paintings include highly prized works of historical and artistic value and will surely be equally prized by lovers of fine art, and, as evidence once again of the high level of racing culture, are sure to deepen interest and further the understanding of racing.
 The special lending of these paintings are also evidence of the over 150 years of Jockey Club’s close support, not only of the JRA but of the development of modern racing in Japan. This award recognizes the great contributions made to the development and promotion of Japan’s equine culture.

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Results of the 2014 JRA Awards (Total Votes: 285)

Horse of the Year

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Gentildonna (JPN)	231
2	Just a Way (JPN)	51
3	None	2
4	Epiphaneia (JPN)	1
Total		285

Best Two-Year-Old Colt

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Danon Platina (JPN)	285
Total		285

Best Two-Year-Old Filly

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Shonan Adela (JPN)	285
Total		285

Best Three-Year-Old Colt

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Isla Bonita (JPN)	170
2	One and Only (JPN)	109
3	Toho Jackal (JPN)	4
4	None	2
Total		285

Best Three-Year-Old Filly

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Harp Star (JPN)	170
2	Nuovo Record (JPN)	112
3	None	2
4	Shonan Pandora (JPN)	1
Total		285

Best Older Colt or Horse

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Just a Way (JPN)	242
2	Epiphaneia (JPN)	31
3	Gold Ship (JPN)	11
4	None	1
Total		285

Best Older Filly or Mare

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Gentildonna (JPN)	285
Total		285

Best Sprinter or Miler

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Snow Dragon (JPN)	193
2	Copano Richard (JPN)	34
3	Just a Way (JPN)	32
4	Mikki Isle (JPN)	12
4	None	12
6	Copano Rickey (JPN)	2
Total		285

Best Dirt Horse

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Hokko Tarumae (JPN)	276
2	Copano Rickey (JPN)	9
Total		285

Best Steeplechase Horse

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Apollo Maverick (JPN)	179
2	Red Kingdom (JPN)	103
3	None	3
Total		285