2017 News
Winners of the 2016 JRA Awards announced
On Jan. 10, Kitasan Black was announced as a double winner for the JRA Awards for 2016. Kitasan Black won both the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year for 2016 and Best Older Colt or Horse award. In the voting for the Horse of the Year award, Kitasan Black received 134 votes out of 291, with Maurice and Satono Diamond receiving 90 and 66 votes, 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 30.
Note: All information, including ages and race performances, are as of December 31, 2016, unless otherwise indicated.
■RACEHORSES
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Black Tide Sugar Heart (Sakura Bakushin O) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ono Shoji |
| Trainer | Hisashi Shimizu |
| Jockey | Yutaka Take |
| Breeder | Yanagawa Bokujo |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 3 / 6 |
| Earnings in 2016 | 711,930,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) Japan Cup (G1) |
| Video | |
|---|---|
| Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1 - English) |
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| Japan Cup (G1 - English) |
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2016 Horse of the Year Connection Comments
Owner: Ono Shoji (Mr. Saburo Kitajima)
“I am deeply thrilled and thankful that my horse, Kitasan Black, has been recognized with the prestigious Horse of the Year award. On this occasion, I wish to express my thanks to not only those in the horse racing industry, but also to all the racing fans who rooted for him. We will continue to give it our best with Kitasan Black again this year, so I thank you in advance for your ongoing support.”
Trainer: Hisashi Shimizu
“I am thrilled to have been given the Horse of the Year honor. Rarely do we come across a horse of his caliber, and I am extremely grateful for it. Throughout the year, he was able to run in all the races that we had planned for him – he really is something special. Last year, he had the honor of running in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) and the Arima Kinen (G1) as the fan’s top pick, and now being selected as the Horse of the Year, I hope he will live up to the expectations this year.”
Jockey: Yutaka Take
“I was able to partner with him throughout the year, so I am extremely thrilled to hear that he has been chosen as the Horse of the Year. I am grateful for Kitasan Black who ran his best throughout the whole year. Having been selected for this award amid all the other candidates who had great performances makes it even more special. He is a horse loved by many fans, so I hope to live up to the expectations that come with the award and continue to give our best this year as well.”
Best Two-Year-Old Colt:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Deep Impact Satono Amazones (Danehill) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Hajime Satomi |
| Trainer | Kazuo Fujisawa |
| Jockey | Hirofumi Shii |
| Breeder | Hajime Satomi |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 3 / 5 |
| Earnings in 2016 | 91,347,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1) |
| Video | |
|---|---|
| Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1 - English) |
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Best Two-Year-Old Filly:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Frankel Stacelita (Monsun) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Kazuo Fujisawa |
| Jockey | Christophe Lemaire |
| Breeder | Shadai Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 3 / 3 |
| Earnings in 2016 | 89,498,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) |
| Video | |
|---|---|
| Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1 - English) |
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Best Three-Year-Old Colt:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Deep Impact Malpensa (Orpen) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Hajime Satomi |
| Trainer | Yasutoshi Ikee |
| Jockey | Christophe Lemaire |
| Breeder | Northern Racing |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 4 / 6 |
| Earnings in 2016 | 660,764,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) (G1) Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) (G1 - English) |
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| Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1 - English) |
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Best Three-Year-Old Filly:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Deep Impact Singhalese (Singspiel) |
|---|---|
| Owner | U.Carrot Farm |
| Trainer | Sei Ishizaka |
| Jockey | Kenichi Ikezoe |
| Breeder | Northern Racing |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 4 / 5 |
| Earnings in 2016 | 279,426,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1 - English) |
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Best Older Filly or Mare:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Deep Impact Chrysoprase (El Condor Pasa) |
|---|---|
| Owner | U.Carrot Farm |
| Trainer | Takashi Kubota |
| Jockey | Masayoshi Ebina |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 1 / 6 |
| Earnings in 2016 | 200,768,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Takarazuka Kinen (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Takarazuka Kinen (G1 - English) |
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Best Sprinter or Miler:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Deep Impact Star Isle (Rock of Gibraltar) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Mizuki Noda |
| Trainer | Hidetaka Otonashi |
| Jockey | Suguru Hamanaka |
| Breeder | Northern Racing |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 2 / 5 |
| Earnings in 2016 | 228,469,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Mile Championship (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mile Championship (G1 - English) |
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Best Dirt Horse:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
French Deputy Kyoei Truth (Fuji Kiseki) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Hiroshi Yamada |
| Trainer | Noboru Takagi |
| Jockey | Takuya Ono |
| Breeder | Okada Stud |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 1 / 7 (NAR 0/ 6) |
| Earnings in 2016 | 174,634,000 Yen (NAR 74,400,000 Yen) |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Champions Cup (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Champions Cup (G1 - English) |
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Best Steeplechase Horse:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Stay Gold Shadow Silhouette (Symboli Kris S) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Chosan Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Shoichiro Wada |
| Jockey | Shinichi Ishigami |
| Breeder | Naoyoshi Nagayama |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 4 / 5 |
| Earnings in 2016 | 208,824,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Nakayama Grand Jump (J-G1) Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nakayama Grand Jump (J-G1) |
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| Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1) |
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Special Award:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Screen Hero Mejiro Frances (Carnegie) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Kazumi Yoshida |
| Trainer | Noriyuki Hori |
| Jockey | Ryan Moore |
| Breeder | Togawa Bokujo |
| Wins / Starts in 2016 | 3 / 5 (Oversea 2 / 2) |
| Earnings in 2016 | 568,487,500 Yen (Oversea 345,249,500 Yen) |
| Principal Wins in 2016 | Champions Mile (G1) Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1) Hong Kong Cup (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1 - English) |
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■TRAINERS & JOCKEYS
*Best Trainer (races won): Yoshito Yahagi (61 wins)
*Best Trainer (winning average): Noriyuki Hori (0.201%)
*Best Trainer (money earned): Noriyuki Hori (1,945,108,600 Yen)
*Best Trainer (training technique): Noriyuki Hori
JRA Best Jockey (races won): Keita Tosaki (187 wins)
JRA Best Jockey (winning average): Christophe Lemaire (0.237%)
JRA Best Jockey (money earned): Christophe Lemaire (4,040,748,000 Yen)
**MVJ (Most Valuable Jockey): Keita Tosaki 58 points
Best Steeplechase Jockey: Shinichi Ishigami (15 wins)
Best Jockey (newcomer): Takuya Kowata (45 wins)
***Special Award (jockey): Shigefumi Kumazawa
*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.
***In recognition of Kumazawa's longtime performance both on flat and steeplechase racing (1,008 career wins, including 215 in steeplechase races)
■2016 JRA Equine Cultural Award
Winner: Satta no Kuroi Kouma (book)
Recipient: Mugiho Omata (Author) / Yuki Sasameya (Illustration)
(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.
Results of the 2016 JRA Awards (Total Votes: 291)
Horse of the Year| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Kitasan Black(JPN) | 134 |
| 2 | Maurice(JPN) | 90 |
| 3 | Satono Diamond(JPN) | 66 |
| 4 | None | 1 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Two-Year-Old Colt
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Satono Ares(JPN) | 280 |
| 2 | Rey de Oro(JPN) | 11 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Two-Year-Old Filly
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Soul Stirring(JPN) | 290 |
| 2 | Rieno Tesoro(USA) | 1 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Three-Year-Old Colt
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Satono Diamond(JPN) | 286 |
| 2 | Makahiki(JPN) | 5 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Three-Year-Old Filly
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Sinhalite(JPN) | 277 |
| 2 | Jeweler(JPN) | 6 |
| 3 | Vivlos(JPN) | 3 |
| 3 | Major Emblem(JPN) | 3 |
| 5 | None | 2 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Older Colt or Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Kitasan Black(JPN) | 201 |
| 2 | Maurice(JPN) | 90 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Older Filly or Mare
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Marialite(JPN) | 233 |
| 2 | Queens Ring(JPN) | 46 |
| 3 | Straight Girl(JPN) | 5 |
| 4 | None | 4 |
| 5 | Mikki Queen(JPN) | 2 |
| 6 | Rouge Buck(JPN) | 1 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Sprinter or Miler
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Mikki Isle(JPN) | 169 |
| 2 | Maurice(JPN) | 52 |
| 3 | Big Arthur(JPN) | 29 |
| 4 | Red Falx(JPN) | 23 |
| 5 | None | 13 |
| 6 | Logotype(JPN) | 2 |
| 7 | Jeweler(JPN) | 1 |
| 7 | Danon Legend(USA) | 1 |
| 7 | Major Emblem(JPN) | 1 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Dirt Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Sound True (JPN) | 156 |
| 2 | Awardee(USA) | 82 |
| 3 | Copano Rickey(JPN) | 28 |
| 4 | None | 15 |
| 5 | Moanin(USA) | 6 |
| 6 | Apollo Kentucky(USA) | 4 |
| Total | 291 |
Best Steeplechase Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Oju Chosan(JPN) | 291 |
| Total | 291 |
