2023 News

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Winners of the 2022 JRA Awards announced

On Jan. 10, Equinox was announced as a double winner for the JRA Awards for 2022. Equinox won both the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year for 2022 and Best Three-Year-Old Colt award. In the voting for the Horse of the Year award, Equinox received 282 votes out of 288.

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.
Note: All information, including ages and race performances, are as of December 31, 2022, unless otherwise indicated.

■RACEHORSES

Equinox (JPN)

Video
Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1 - English)
Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1 - English)

Comments from the horse's connections

Owner: Masashi Yonemoto, CEO of Silk Racing Co., Ltd.
“Allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude for having been selected for this distinguished award. Last year, Equinox impressed upon me just how much he had matured in all his races, and each and every time, his performance was magnificent. He was especially impressive in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), with his sharp turn of foot and powerful final drive down the stretch, and then in the Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix), as he rounded the final turn brimming with energy and pulled away in the straight. I believe he still has some growing to do and I am very much looking forward to this year’s races. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank everyone involved with his care, at the stable and on the farms, and to all the fans who have given us their constant support.”

Trainer: Tetsuya Kimura
“It is an honor to receive the prestigious award for Horse of the Year. This would not have been possible without, firstly, the owner and stable staff, and the support of all those connected with the horse, including the fans and their encouragement. Thank you very much.”

Jockey: Christophe Lemaire
“Equinox gradually improved over the past year. Especially from the autumn, when he had matured into an adult, he gave us some brilliant performances, such as in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Arima Kinen. I am very much looking forward to this year as well.”

 

Best Two-Year-Old Colt:

Dolce More (JPN)

Video
Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1 - English)

Best Two-Year-Old Filly:

Liberty Island (JPN)

Video
Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1 - English)

Best Three-Year-Old Filly:

Stars on Earth (JPN)

Video
Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) (G1 - English)
Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1 - English)

Best Older Colt or Horse:

Titleholder (JPN)

Video
Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1-English)
Takarazuka Kinen (G1-English)

Best Older Filly or Mare:

Geraldina (JPN)

Video
Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1-English)

Best Sprinter or Miler:

Serifos (JPN)

Video
Mile Championship (G1-English)

Best Dirt Horse:

Cafe Pharoah (USA)

Video
February Stakes (G1 - English)

Best Steeplechase Horse:

Oju Chosan (JPN)

Video
Nakayama Grand Jump (J-G1)

■TRAINERS & JOCKEYS

*Best Trainer (races won): Yoshito Yahagi (64 wins)
*Best Trainer (winning average): Mitsumasa Nakauchida (0.195)
*Best Trainer (money earned): Yoshito Yahagi (1,916,755,400 Yen)
*Best Trainer (training technique): Tetsuya Kimura

JRA Best Jockey (races won): Yuga Kawada (143 wins)
JRA Best Jockey (winning average): Yuga Kawada (0.259)
JRA Best Jockey (money earned): Yuga Kawada (3,157,091,000 Yen)
Grand Prize: Yuga Kawada
**MVJ (Most Valuable Jockey): Keita Tosaki (47 points)
Best Steeplechase Jockey: Shinichi Ishigami
Best Jockey (newcomer): Seina Imamura

*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

Winning work
“Kiso Uma to Ikiru; Kaze Wataru Sato, Kaida Kogen” (Living with the Kiso Horses; the Windy Village of Kaida Highland”

Award Recipient
Asahi Broadcasting Nagano Co., Ltd.

Recipient Description
Asahi Broadcasting Nagano Co., Ltd.
A TV Asahi-affiliated broadcaster with Nagano Prefecture as its broadcasting target area

Overview of winning work
The work is a documentary series following the horses of Kiso Horse Village in the Nagano Prefecture town of Kaida Kogen. The series, while touching on the area’s history amid the beautiful backdrop of the local nature, follows, over the span of a year, the horses and the activities and lives of the people working to preserve Japan’s indigenous Kiso horse.

Reason for recognition
The work won acclaim for raising viewers’ awareness of the native horses through not only the heart-warming scenes of the people living together with the Kiso horses like family, but also through the work’s raw and thought-provoking depiction of the harshness of life.

 

■JRA Equine Cultural Award, Special Award

Winning work
“Happy People Make Happy Horses; Kazuo Fujisawa’s Last 400 Days as Trainer”

Award Recipients
(Production and writing) NHK and Express Sports
(Production) NHK Global Media Service

Recipient Descriptions
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Japanese broadcasting station, a special corporation responsible for public broadcasting

Express Sports Co. Ltd.
Production company specializing in the broadcast and distribution of sports-related programs

NHK Global Media Services, Inc.
An NHK-affiliated organization producing mainly news and international programs

Overview of winning work
A program taking a closeup look at Kazuo Fujisawa, a renowned trainer who has left a great mark on Japanese horse-racing. The program conveys not only Fujisawa’s horse-oriented training methods founded on his own beliefs, but also his kind and humane treatment of horses.

Reason for recognition
The work won acclaim for its thorough and detailed story of how Fujisawa brought from England a way of working closely with horses, how he got results with his training methods based on his own convictions, and how he refused to be shaken from others. Adding to the acclaim is the recognition of the significance the story carries for people working in the industry, as well as the work’s ability to convey not only the story but also the charm of the man himself.

 

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Results of the 2022 JRA Awards (Total Votes: 288)

Horse of the Year

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Equinox	282
2	Titleholder	6
Total		288

Best Two-Year-Old Colt

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Dolce More	279
2	Dura Erede	7
3	Derma Sotogake	2
Total		288

Best Two-Year-Old Filly

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Liberty Island	288
Total		288

Best Three-Year-Old Colt

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Equinox	285
2	Do Deuce	3
Total		288

Best Three-Year-Old Filly

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Stars on Earth	286
2	Stunning Rose	2
Total		288

Best Older Colt or Horse

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Titleholder	280
2	Vela Azul	6
3	Shahryar	1
3	Panthalassa	1
Total		288

Best Older Filly or Mare

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Geraldina	239
2	Sodashi	32
3	Songline	6
4	Win Marilyn	5
5	Shonan Nadeshiko	3
5	None	3
Total		288

Best Sprinter or Miler

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Serifos	156
2	Naran Huleg	36
3	Sodashi	34
4	Gendarme	26
5	Songline	18
6	None	11
7	Stars on Earth	2
7	Danon Scorpion	2
7	Meikei Yell	2
10	Dancing Prince	1
Total		288

Best Dirt Horse

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Cafe Pharoah	184
2	Jun Light Bolt	94
3	T O Keynes	3
3	None	3
5	Dancing Prince	2
6	Shonan Nadeshiko	1
6	Chuwa Wizard	1
Total		288

Best Steeplechase Horse

Place	Horse	Votes
1	Oju Chosan	138
2	Nishino Daisy	137
3	None	8
4	Hokko Mevius	5
Total		288