2020 News
Winners of the 2019 JRA Awards announced
On Jan. 7, Lys Gracieux was announced as a double winner for the JRA Awards for 2019. Lys Gracieux won both the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year for 2019 and Best Older Filly or Mare award. In the voting for the Horse of the Year award, Lys Gracieux received 271 votes out of 274.
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 27.
Note: All information, including ages and race performances, are as of December 31, 2019, unless otherwise indicated.
■RACEHORSES
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Heart's Cry Liliside (American Post) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carrot Farm |
| Trainer | Yoshito Yahagi |
| Jockey | Damian Lane |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 3 / 5 (Overseas 1 / 2) |
| Earnings in 2019 | 747,663,900 Yen (Overseas 266,435,900 Yen) |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | Takarazuka Kinen (G1) Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1) Cox Plate (Australia, G1) |
| Video | |
|---|---|
| Takarazuka Kinen (G1 - English) |  |
| Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1 - English) | |
2019 Horse of the Year Connection comments
Owner: Hiroaki Akita, President & CEO of Carrot Farm
“I’d like to express my sincerest thanks to all those people involved with Lys Gracieux, all those at the stable and all those at the farm. I wish to express my appreciation and my gratitude to the trainer and to everyone who has been a part in caring for Lys Gracieux as she matured, from her debut until now.”
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi
“I, as a trainer, am proud to have received such a prestigious award and I am grateful to Lys Gracieux. With her retirement, it has been sad to part ways but I will look forward to seeing her children. I would like to thank all those who have lent us their support.”
Best Two-Year-Old Colt:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Deep Impact Rhodochrosite (Unbridled's Song) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Shinji Maeda |
| Trainer | Yoshito Yahagi |
| Jockey | Yuichi Fukunaga |
| Breeder | North Hills Co. Ltd. |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 3 / 3 |
| Earnings in 2019 | 111,267,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | Hopeful Stakes (G1) |
| Video | |
|---|---|
| Hopeful Stakes (G1 - English) |
|
Best Two-Year-Old Filly:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Daiwa Major Malacostumbrada (Lizard Island) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carrot Farm |
| Trainer | Takeshi Matsushita |
| Jockey | Yuichi Kitamura |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 3 / 3 |
| Earnings in 2019 | 102,708,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) |
| Video | |
|---|---|
| Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1 - English) |
|
Best Three-Year-Old Colt:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Lord Kanaloa Cesario (Special Week) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carrot Farm |
| Trainer | Katsuhiko Sumii |
| Jockey | Christophe Lemaire |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 2 / 5 |
| Earnings in 2019 | 338,590,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (G1 - English) |
|
|
Best Three-Year-Old Filly:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Deep Impact Tapitsfly (Tapit) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Kazuo Fujisawa |
| Jockey | Christophe Lemaire |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 2 / 3 |
| Earnings in 2019 | 208,603,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) (G1 - English) |
|
|
Best Older Colt or Horse:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Stay Gold Summer Eternity (Admire Cozzene) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Win Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Yoshihiro Hatakeyama |
| Jockey | Masami Matsuoka |
| Breeder | Cosmo View Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 4 / 6 (Overseas 2 / 2) |
| Earnings in 2019 | 520,279,800 Yen (Overseas 415,914,800 Yen) |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Hong Kong, G1) LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (Hong Kong, G1) |
Best Sprinter or Miler:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Stay Gold Will Power (King Kamehameha) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Silk Racing Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Hidetaka Otonashi |
| Jockey | Yuichi Fukunaga |
| Breeder | Northern Racing |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 3 / 6 (Overseas 0/ 1) |
| Earnings in 2019 | 292,504,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | Yasuda Kinen (G1) Mile Championship (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yasuda Kinen (G1-English) | |
|
| Mile Championship (G1-English) |
|
|
Best Dirt Horse:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Gold Allure Chrysoprase (El Condor Pasa) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carrot Farm |
| Trainer | Hidetaka Otonashi |
| Jockey | Yuga Kawada |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 5 / 5 (NAR 3 / 3) |
| Earnings in 2019 | 217,602,000 Yen (NAR 107,000,000 Yen) |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | Champions Cup (G1) Japan Dirt Derby |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Champions Cup (G1 - English) |
|
|
Best Steeplechase Horse:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Shingun Opera Devena (Tokai Teio) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Shigenori Isaka |
| Trainer | Keiji Takaichi |
| Jockey | Mitsuki Kaneko |
| Breeder | Hikaru Bokujo |
| Wins / Starts in 2019 | 4 / 6 |
| Earnings in 2019 | 160,861,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2019 | Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1) |
|
|
■TRAINERS & JOCKEYS
*Best Trainer (races won): Takayuki Yasuda (64 wins)
*Best Trainer (winning average): Mitsumasa Nakauchida (0.225)
*Best Trainer (money earned): Yoshito Yahagi (2,214,248,900 Yen)
*Best Trainer (training technique): Mitsumasa Nakauchida
JRA Best Jockey (races won): Christophe Lemaire (164 wins)
JRA Best Jockey (winning average): Yuga Kawada (0.260%)
JRA Best Jockey (money earned): Christophe Lemaire (3,547,238,000 Yen)
**MVJ (Most Valuable Jockey): Christophe Lemaire (44 points)
Best Steeplechase Jockey: Kazuma Mori
Best Jockey (newcomer): Arata Saito
*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.■JRA Equine Cultural Award
Winner: "The Royal Family”
Recipient: Kazumasa Hayami
(Note)
The JRA Equine Cultural Award recognizes 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 2019 JRA Awards (Total Votes: 274)
Horse of the Year| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Lys Gracieux | 271 |
| 2 | Almond Eye | 2 |
| 3 | Chrysoberyl | 1 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Two-Year-Old Colt
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Contrail | 197 |
| 2 | Salios | 77 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Two-Year-Old Filly
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Resistencia | 274 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Three-Year-Old Colt
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Saturnalia | 124 |
| 2 | Admire Mars | 107 |
| 3 | Chrysoberyl | 24 |
| 4 | Roger Barows | 15 |
| 5 | World Premiere | 3 |
| 6 | None | 1 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Three-Year-Old Filly
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Gran Alegria | 121 |
| 2 | Loves Only You | 99 |
| 3 | Chrono Genesis | 47 |
| 4 | None | 7 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Older Colt or Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Win Bright | 136 |
| 2 | Indy Champ | 118 |
| 3 | Suave Richard | 11 |
| 4 | Fierement | 6 |
| 5 | None | 2 |
| 6 | Glory Vase | 1 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Older Filly or Mare
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Lys Gracieux | 271 |
| 2 | Almond Eye | 3 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Sprinter or Miler
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Indy Champ | 211 |
| 2 | Admire Mars | 38 |
| 3 | Tower of London | 22 |
| 4 | Mr Melody | 3 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Dirt Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Chrysoberyl | 270 |
| 2 | Omega Perfume | 4 |
| Total | 274 |
Best Steeplechase Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Shingun Michael | 175 |
| 2 | Oju Chosan | 95 |
| 3 | None | 4 |
| Total | 274 |
