2015 News

August 29, 2015

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2015 WASJ - Moreira Works Magic from Day One

[Day One Summary]

“Magic Man” Joao Moreira began his first race-day at Sapporo Racecourse with a win in Race 1 that marked his first JRA win of his career and scored two wins out of six rides before kicking off the All-Star series with a runner-up effort behind Koji Fujita in the first leg of the four-race series. He then turned in a terrific performance on fourth choice Jungle Cruise in the second leg to claim a total of 35 points that made him a clear winner by 10 points at the end of the day. Yutaka Take followed with 25 points, finishing fifth and second in the two races while NAR jockey Koji Fujita also marked his first JRA win with an impressive 1/2-length victory with outsider J’ouvre Aile in the first leg of the jockey championship series.
“After winning the first race today-and I was given a really good horse to ride-it gave me a lot of confidence. In the second leg of the World All-Star series, I was able to have a beautiful run through the race and a beautiful clear run in the straight, and he let out pretty strongly. So overall, my day was perfect. Throughout the day, I had some really good rides and I was able to make good use of them. Going into tomorrow with that confidence, I can hope to keep up that strike rate and hope to get some more winners. If I end up winning the jockey championship, I would be delighted and it would be like a dream come true,” commented Moreira.
Meanwhile, it was a close match between team “WAS” and “JRA” with the former having a slight edge over the latter by two points.

2015 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS POINT CHART

Standing Jockey Team August 29, 2015 August 30, 2015 Total
Points
1st Leg 2nd Leg 3rd Leg 4th Leg
1 Joao Moreira (HK) WAS 2nd (15) 1st (20) th () th () 35
2 Yutaka Take (JRA) JRA 5th (10) 2nd (15) th () th () 25
3 Koji Fujita (NAR) WAS 1st (20) 9th (3) th () th () 23
4 Yuichi Fukunaga (JRA) JRA 6th (6) 3rd (13) th () th () 19
5 Craig Williams (AUS) WAS 7th (5) 4th (11) th () th () 16
6 Yuichi Shibayama (JRA) JRA 3rd (13) 10th (2) th () th () 15
7 Thierry Jarnet (FR) WAS 4th (11) 14th (1) th () th () 12
8 Keita Tosaki (JRA) JRA 14th (1) 5th (10) th () th () 11
9 Yasunari Iwata (JRA) JRA 8th (4) 6th (6) th () th () 10
10 Mirco Demuro (JRA) JRA 13th (1) 7th (5) th () th () 6
10 Norihiro Yokoyama (JRA) JRA 10th (2) 8th (4) th () th () 6
12 Yuji Iwahashi (NAR) WAS 9th (3) 12th (1) th () th () 4
13 Hayley Turner (GB) WAS 11th (1) 11th (1) th () th () 2
13 Russel Baze (USA) WAS 12th (1) 13th (1) th () th () 2
World All-Star (WAS) team : 94 points JRA team : 92 points
*1st: 20 points / 2nd: 15 points / 3rd: 13 points / 4th: 11 points / 5th: 10 points / 6th: 6 points / 7th: 5 points / 8th: 4 points / 9th: 3 points / 10th: 2 points / 11th: 1 point / 12th: 1 point / 13th: 1 point / 14th: 1 point

[2015 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS 1ST LEG]

Saturday, August 29, 2015    Sapporo Racecourse    9th Race    Post Time: 14:25
3-year-old & up, Allowance (5Million & Less), 2,600 meters (about 13 furlongs), turf, right-handed
3-y-o: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 58kg (about 128 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 14 runners

FP BK PP Horse Sex
Age		 Jockey Weight
(kg)		 Margin Odds (Fav)
1 4 6 J'ouvre Aile (JPN) H5 Koji Fujita 58.0 2:40.5 19.7 (8)
2 6 10 Jun Fight Kun (JPN) C3 Joao Moreira 56.0 1/2 4.3 (2)
3 7 11 Grandiflora (JPN) F3 Yuichi Shibayama 54.0 4 29.2 (10)
4 2 2 Leonids (JPN) C4 Thierry Jarnet 58.0 1/2 3.5 (1)
5 3 3 Kineo World (JPN) C4 Yutaka Take 58.0 Nose 8.5 (5)
6 3 4 Smash Smile (JPN) G7 Yuichi Fukunaga 58.0 1-1/4 49.1 (13)
7 1 1 Street Oberon (USA) C3 Craig Williams 56.0 3 7.7 (4)
8 4 5 Fumino Sniper (JPN) G4 Yasunari Iwata 58.0 Neck 17.5 (7)
9 7 12 Monte Eclipse (JPN) H6 Yuji Iwahashi 58.0 3/4 14.1 (6)
10 8 14 Dream Chaser (JPN) C3 Norihiro Yokoyama 56.0 1/2 44.9 (12)
11 5 7 Scarlet Devil (JPN) C3 Hayley Turner 56.0 1/2 24.3 (9)
12 5 8 Flawless Dancer (JPN) F3 Russell Baze 54.0 Neck 6.4 (3)
13 6 9 Bell Wood Cairn (JPN) C3 Mirco Demuro 56.0 DS 58.3 (14)
14 8 13 Laurel Tornado (JPN) C4 Keita Tosaki 58.0 8 42.7 (11)
FP= Final Position   BK= Bracket Number   PP = Post Position   B = Blinkers   DS=Distance
NOTE:Figures quoted under Odds are Win Odds, which show the amount of money you get back per single unit (100yen), and Fav indicates the order of favorites.

WINNING TIME: 2:40.5 GOING: Firm WEATHER: Fine
Fractional Time (sec./furlong): 13.0 - 11.3 - 11.4 - 11.7 - 11.6 - 12.8 - 13.4 - 13.0 - 12.2 - 12.3 - 12.7 - 12.3 - 12.8
Last 4 furlong: 50.1 Last 3 furlong: 37.8
Positions at each corner:  1st corner (*7,14)-11,13,1,2(6,10)(4,12)(3,8)9-5
2nd corner (*7,14)11,13(1,2)(6,10,12,8,9)4,3-5
3rd corner (2nd lap) (*7,2)(1,8)10(14,13,11)3(6,12,9)4,5
4th corner (2nd lap) (*2,10)7,1(6,11)(14,8,5)(4,3)-12-13=9

Note1: Underlined bold number indicates the winning horse.
Note2: Horse numbers are indicated in the order of their positions at each corner, with the first position listed first. Two or more horses inside the same parentheses indicate that they were positioned side by side. Hyphens between the horse numbers indicate that there is distance between the former and the latter. The asterisk indicates a slight lead.

1st: (6) Koji Fujita-keen to start, reserved in mid-field, 4th to enter lane, powerful stretch run, caught Moreira a few strides before the wire after picking off Jarnet 150 meters out
2nd: (10) Joao Moreira-relaxed in mid-pack, steadily advanced in backstretch, made strong bid from outside, first to enter straight, ran gamely but pinned in final strides
“The colt was very strong and I thought we had the win, but since we were up front earlier than I had hoped, we became the target. But the horse fought very well.”
3rd: (11) Yuichi Shibayama-pressed pace behind the two front runners early, made wide bid rounding last turn in 6th, good stretch kick, tagged Jarnet in last 50 meters
4th: (2) Thierry Jarnet-reserved in mid-division, launched early bid turning 3rd corner, right beside Moreira at top of stretch, ran out of steam for 4th
“His seemed a little out of breath. Maybe it was because he’s just back from a break.”
5th: (3) Yutaka Take-sat near rear, wide and late entering straight, good finishing kick picking off tiring leaders, a nose short to Jarnet
6th: (4) Yuichi Fukunaga-unhurried between 9th and 10th, edged up to for final bid, ran for home well but belatedly
7th: (1) Craig Williams-4th to 5th in early stages, made early bid before 3rd corner, lacked needed response in stretch
“He lost speed in the last furlong. The distance may be too long for the colt.”
8th: (5) Yasunari Iwata-trailed in rear after missing break, improved position turning wide in the last two corners, even paced at stretch
9th: (12) Yuji Iwahashi-around 4th from last early, edged up but fell back again in backstretch, passed tiring rivals in stretch
10th: (14) Norihiro Yokoyama-gunned from outside, alternated front position with Turner, gradually fell back to midfield, failed to respond in stretch
11th: (7) Hayley Turner-rallied for lead, set pace, started to weaken turning for home.
“This was my first ride in Japan but the track was easy to ride. We were able to make a good start and I wanted him to stay on until the end, but he ran out of steam. Perhaps the distance was too long for him.”
12th: (8) Russell Baze-reserved towards rear, got keen along backstretch, came up empty
“I tried to keep the filly from going by settling her behind other horses without success. She followed the horse in front that made an early move after the second corner and had nothing left at the end.”
13th: (9) Mirco Demuro-raced towards rear, briefly improved position in backstretch but ran out of steam before entering lane
14th: (13) Keita Tosaki-surged out to settle 4th from front, retreated before last corner.

[2015 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS 2ND LEG]

Saturday, August 29, 2015   Sapporo Racecourse   11th Race   Post Time: 15:35
3-year-old & up, Allowance (16Million & Less), 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs), turf, right-handed
3-y-o: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 58kg (about 128 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 14 runners

FP BK PP Horse Sex
Age		 Jockey Weight
(kg)		 Margin Odds (Fav)
1 5 8 Jungle Cruise (JPN) G6 Joao Moreira 58.0 2:00.5 7.8 (4)
2 7 12 Mieno Wonder (JPN) H5 Yutaka Take 58.0 1-1/4 9.5 (5)
3 4 6 Red Solomon (JPN) C3 Yuichi Fukunaga 56.0 1-1/4 6.4 (3)
4 1 1 Ja Esperanza (JPN) H6 Craig Williams 58.0 Neck 25.0 (10)
5 2 2 Lord Effort (JPN) H7 Keita Tosaki 58.0 Nose 5.2 (2)
6 4 5 Dantsu Cancer (JPN) F4 Yasunari Iwata 56.0 Head 10.3 (6)
7 3 4 Blanc Neige (JPN) F4 Mirco Demuro 56.0 Neck 3.8 (1)
8 3 3 Tokai Aurora (JPN) H8 Norihiro Yokoyama 58.0 1-1/4 19.0 (9)
9 8 13 Omega Heart Rock (JPN) F4 Koji Fujita 56.0 2-1/2 35.8 (11)
10 6 10 Le Falchion (JPN) C4 Yuichi Shibayama 58.0 Nose 13.7 (8)
11 5 7 Bernini (JPN) H6 Hayley Turner 58.0 3-1/2 12.7 (7)
12 6 9 Tosen Harukaze (JPN) H5 Yuji Iwahashi 58.0 2 53.0 (12)
13 8 14 Shonan Birkin (JPN) M5 Russell Baze 56.0 1-3/4 62.2 (13)
14 7 11 Susan Great (JPN) H7 Thierry Jarnet 58.0 6 100.3 (14)

WINNING TIME: 2:00.5 GOING: Firm WEATHER: Fine
TURNOVER FOR THE DAY: ¥ 4,686,233,500 ATTENDANCE: 13,748
Fractional Time (sec./furlong): 12.8 - 11.2 - 12.1 - 12.2 - 12.2 - 12.1 - 11.9 - 12.4 - 11.6 - 12.0
Last 4 furlong: 47.9  Last 3 furlong: 36.0
Positions at each corner:  1st corner (6,*13)(1,4,11,14)(2,8,10)7(5,12)-3-9
2nd corner (*6,13)11(1,4,14)(2,8,10)(7,12)5-3-9
3rd corner (*6,13)(11,14)(1,4,10)12(2,8)7(5,3)-9
4th corner (*6,13,4,12)1(8,14)(2,11,10)(5,7,3)-9

1st: (8) Joao Moreira-waited in mid-division, changed lanes to outside, powerful late charge in last 100m
“He’s a great horse. He stretched really strongly in the last stretch. I’ll say it again but he’s really a great horse.”
2nd: (12) Yutaka Take-3rd from last, edged forward through backstretch, gained headway turning 4-wide, took front entering lane, nailed by winner 50m out
3rd: (6) Yuichi Fukunaga-set pace after taking front before 1st corner, overtaken by first two finishers in stretch but stayed on strongly to finish 3rd
4th: (1) Craig Williams-hugged rails 3rd to 4th from front, ran gamely behind Fukunaga to finish 4th
“He broke well and we were able to sit in a good position as planned but too late for the final kick when we found a clear path.”
5th: (2) Keita Tosaki-raced behind Williams on rails, steered outside entering lane, good effort
6th: (5) Yasunari Iwata-2nd to 3rd from rear, moved out for clear path, unleashed strong late charge, fastest over last 3 furlongs
7th: (4) Mirco Demuro-traveled 2-wide around 4th or 5th, slipped out and rallied with Take at top of stretch, then weakened
8th: (3) Norihiro Yokoyama-traveled 2nd from rear, made wide bid in last turn, mild late response
9th: (13) Koji Fujita-spurted to front from wide stall, dueled with Fukunaga up to last turn, used up
10th: (10) Yuichi Shibayama-settled in mid-division, made mild bid, even-paced throughout
11th: (7) Hayley Turner-sat 4th or 5th from rear, found brief traffic at top of lane, never fired
“He broke well but seemed to be disturbed by the horses in front of him and I had trouble going around the corners.”
12th: (9) Yuji Iwahashi-off slow, trailed in far rear, failed to menace
13th: (14) Russell Baze-positioned well chasing the pace but wide throughout, tired and faded in stretch
“I wanted to save ground more but it just didn’t work out that way. He was a bit keen and I tried to keep him in hand but he was used up at the end.”
14th: (11) Thierry Jarnet-pressed pace in 3rd to 4th earlier, lost momentum before final turn, nothing left “2,000m may be too much for this horse. He had nothing left.”

World All-Star Jockeys

Taking place of the World Super Jockeys Series held either on the last weekend of November or the first weekend of December since 1987 at Tokyo and Hanshin-it was held temporarily at Kyoto in 1990-the WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS commenced as a renewed version this year. The annual event popular in Japan and throughout the world, which has boasted a total of more than 200 top-caliber participants from abroad, was staged at Sapporo Racecourse during the summer for the first time.
In this series, points are awarded to each jockey according to their placing in each race, and the total points accumulated from the four races run over the two-day period are calculated at the end of the second day to determine the champion. At the same time, a newly constituted team competition is carried out where the overseas jockeys and the NAR (National Association of Racing; local public racing) jockeys form the “Team WAS (World All-Star)” to compete against the “Team JRA” jockeys, in their bid to attain the most points as a team.
The overseas and NAR jockeys this year were Russel Baze (USA) from North America, Hayley Turner (GB) and Thierry Jarnet (FR) representing Europe, Craig Williams (AUS) from Oceania, Joao Moreira (HK) representing Asia, Koji Fujita from NAR Kanazawa who gained his ticket to the series by winning the Super Jockeys Trial and Yuji Iwahashi from NAR Hokkaido who sat at the top of the jockey standings (races won) in the region from April 2014 to July this year.
The JRA jockeys taking on the challenges were Mirco Demuro who earned his seat by claiming the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and Keita Tosaki, the JRA Most Valuable Jockey (MVJ) of 2014. Yuichi Shibayama and Norihiro Yokoyama* from the Eastern district and Yuichi Fukunaga, Yasunari Iwata and Yutaka Take from the Western District were also among the lineup as the leaders in the jockey rankings as of July 26 in wins (* Masayoshi Ebina was initially among those representing the Eastern district but was injured from a fall earlier on the first day and replaced by Norihiro Yokoyama).
Last year’s World Super Jockeys Series was held at Tokyo Racecourse on the Japan Cup weekend at the end of November where Suguru Hamanaka claimed his first title in his third challenge while Yuichi Fukunaga secured second place, and Keita Tosaki and Hironobu Tanabe were tied at third.

[Other Races Ridden by Foreign Participants]

1st race: Two-Year-Olds (Maiden, Fillies), turf, 1,500m, 13 runners
  Joao Moreira-1st on Sumire (JPN, F2, Daiwa Major), 4th favorite
  Craig Williams-8th on Derma Oichi (JPN, F2, by Dream Journey), 11th favorite
4th race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), dirt, 1,700m, 13 runners
  Joao Moreira-1st on Baby Tapit (AUS, C3, by Tapit), favorite
  Craig Williams-4th on Win Espacio (JPN, C3, by Neo Universe), 6th favorite
5th race: Two-Year-Olds (Newcomer), dirt, 1,700m, 13 runners
  Joao Moreira-8th on Born to Wins (JPN, C2, by Casino Drive), 6th favorite
  Craig Williams-11th on Nishino Luck (JPN, F2, by Zenno Rob Roy), 11th favorite
  Thierry Jarnet-13th on Yah Man (JPN, F2, by Harbinger), 8th favorite
6th race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), turf, 2,000m, 15 runners
  Craig Williams-1st on Hanaichige (JPN, F3, by Chichicastenango), 5th favorite
  Joao Moreira-12th on Aliviar (JPN, C3, by Zenno El Cid), 2nd favorite
7th race: Three-Year-Olds & Up (Allowance (5Million & Less), Fillies), turf, 1,200m, 16 runners
  Joao Moreira-7th on Curren Stacey (JPN, F4, by Admire Japan), 3rd favorite
  Thierry Jarnet-13th on I’m Your Dream (JPN, F4, by Fuji Kiseki), 7th favorite
  Craig Williams-16th on Nishino Nika (JPN, M5, by Statue of Liberty), 14th favorite
8th race: Three-Year-Olds & Up (Allowance (5Million & Less)), dirt, 1,000m, 12 runners
  Joao Moreira-3rd on Lucky Dan (JPN, C3, by Stravinsky), 4th favorite
10th race: Chitose Tokubetsu (Allowance (5Million & Less)), turf, 1,500m, 13 runners
  Craig Williams-12th on Arma Crayon (JPN, C3, by Fusaichi Richard), 11th favorite
  Joao Moreira-6th on Jewel Planet (JPN, G4, by Deep Impact), 5th favorite
12th race: Poplar Tokubetsu (Allowance (10Million & Less)), dirt, 1,700m, 13 runners
  Joao Moreira-7th on Salty Comment (USA, C3, by Smart Strike), 2nd favorite

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