2026 News
Winners of the 2025 JRA Awards announced
On Jan. 6, Forever Young was announced as a triple winner for the JRA Awards for 2025. Forever Young won the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year, Best Older Colt or Horse and Best Dirt Horse award. In the voting for the Horse of the Year award, Forever Young received 226 votes out of 248.
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, 2025, unless otherwise indicated.
■RACEHORSES
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Real Steel Forever Darling (Congrats) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Susumu Fujita |
| Trainer | Yoshito Yahagi |
| Jockey | Ryusei Sakai |
| Breeder | Northern Racing |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 3 / 4 (Overseas 2/3, NAR 1/1) |
| Earnings in 2025 | 2,370,242,900 Yen (Overseas 2,330,242,900 Yen, NAR 40,000,000 Yen) |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Saudi Cup (G1) Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) |
Best Two-Year-Old Colt:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Saturnalia Balladist (Heart's Cry) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Silk Racing Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Tatsuya Yoshioka |
| Jockey | Cristian Demuro |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 2 / 3 |
| Earnings in 2025 | 93,624,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | 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) |
Drefong Epice Arome (Daiwa Major) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Katsumi Yoshida |
| Trainer | Tomokazu Takano |
| Jockey | Kohei Matsuyama |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 2 / 4 |
| Earnings in 2025 | 84,768,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1) |
| Video | |
|---|---|
| Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1 - English) |
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Best Three-Year-Old Colt:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Leontes Museum Hill (Heart's Cry) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Daisuke Takayanagi |
| Jockey | Cristian Demuro |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 3 / 6 |
| Earnings in 2025 | 915,264,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (G1) Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (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) |
Admire Mars Rottenmeier (Kurofune) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Silk Racing Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Kazutomo Mori |
| Jockey | Christophe Lemaire |
| Breeder | Tenei Horse Park Ltd |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 3 / 5 (Overseas 0/1) |
| Earnings in 2025 | 321,061,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) (G1) Shuka Sho (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) (G1 - English) | |
|
| Shuka Sho (G1 - English) | |
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Best Older Filly or Mare:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Suave Richard Roca (Harbinger) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Tetsuya Kimura |
| Jockey | Keita Tosaki |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 2 / 4 |
| Earnings in 2025 | 276,256,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1 - English) | |
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Best Sprinter:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Lord Kanaloa Ciliege (Sakura Bakushin O) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Hajime Satomi |
| Trainer | Noriyuki Hori |
| Jockey | Joao Moreira |
| Breeder | Shirai Stud Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 1 / 5 (Overseas 0/3) |
| Earnings in 2025 | 335,572,700 Yen (Overseas 135,708,700 Yen) |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1 - English) | |
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Best Miler:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Palace Malice India Mantuana (Wilburn) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd. |
| Trainer | Tomokazu Takano |
| Jockey | Yuga Kawada |
| Breeder | Shadai Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 2 / 3 |
| Earnings in 2025 | 391,970,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Yasuda Kinen (G1) Mile Championship (G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yasuda Kinen (G1 - English) | |
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| Mile Championship (G1 - English) | |
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Best Steeplechase Horse:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Kitasan Black Clarinet (Giant's Causeway) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Masatoshi Haramura |
| Trainer | Takaki Iwato |
| Jockey | Taro Kusano |
| Breeder | Shimokobe Farm |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 2 / 4 |
| Earnings in 2025 | 165,684,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Nakayama Grand Jump (J-G1) Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1) |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nakayama Grand Jump (J-G1) |
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| Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1 - English) |
|
|
Special Award:
| Sire Dam (Sire of Dam) |
Gleneagles Calayana (Sinndar) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Aga Khan Studs |
| Trainer | Francis-Henri Graffard |
| Jockey | Mickael Barzalona |
| Breeder | Haras De S.A. Aga Khan Scea |
| Wins / Starts in 2025 | 1 / 1 |
| Earnings in 2025 | 503,780,000 Yen |
| Principal Wins in 2025 | Japan Cup (G1) |
 |
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Japan Cup (G1 - English) |
|
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■TRAINERS & JOCKEYS
*Best Trainer (races won): Haruki Sugiyama (61 wins)
*Best Trainer (winning average): Tetsuya Kimura (0.224)
*Best Trainer (money earned): Yoshito Yahagi (3,616,918,600 Yen)
*Best Trainer (training technique): Haruki Sugiyama
JRA Best Jockey (races won): Christophe Lemaire (147 wins)
JRA Best Jockey (winning average): Christophe Lemaire (0.270)
JRA Best Jockey (money earned): Ryusei Sakai (5,089,697,500 Yen)
**MVJ (Most Valuable Jockey): Keita Tosaki (50 points)
Best Steeplechase Jockey: Kayata Komaki
Best Jockey (newcomer): N/A
*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 Dream Seen by the Eye for Horses: The Days Shigeyuki Okada Challenged Sunday Silence” |
 |
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(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 2025 JRA Awards (Total Votes: 248)
Horse of the Year| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Forever Young | 226 |
| 2 | Museum Mile | 18 |
| 3 | Jantar Mantar | 2 |
| 4 | Croix du Nord | 1 |
| 4 | Masquerade Ball | 1 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Two-Year-Old Colt
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Cavallerizzo | 190 |
| 2 | Lovcen | 56 |
| 3 | Pyromancer | 1 |
| 3 | None | 1 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Two-Year-Old Filly
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Star Anise | 247 |
| 2 | None | 1 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Three-Year-Old Colt
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Museum Mile | 213 |
| 2 | Masquerade Ball | 27 |
| 3 | Croix du Nord | 8 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Three-Year-Old Filly
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Embroidery | 246 |
| 2 | Kamunyak | 2 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Older Colt or Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Forever Young | 208 |
| 2 | Jantar Mantar | 19 |
| 3 | Danon Decile | 11 |
| 4 | Calandagan | 7 |
| 5 | Bellagio Opera | 2 |
| 6 | Meisho Tabaru | 1 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Older Filly or Mare
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Regaleira | 176 |
| 2 | W Heart Bond | 64 |
| 3 | Ascoli Piceno | 5 |
| 4 | None | 3 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Sprinter
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Satono Reve | 198 |
| 2 | Win Carnelian | 42 |
| 3 | None | 8 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Miler
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Jantar Mantar | 248 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Dirt Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Forever Young | 230 |
| 2 | W Heart Bond | 9 |
| 3 | Mikki Fight | 7 |
| 4 | Costa Nova | 2 |
| Total | 248 |
Best Steeplechase Horse
| Place | Horse | Votes |
| 1 | Ecoro Duel | 248 |
| Total | 248 |
