2024 JRA Awards

Croix du Nord (JPN)

Video (Croix du Nord)
Hopeful Stakes (G1 - English) Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	2 (March 21, 2022)
Sex / Color	Colt / Brown
Sire	Kitasan Black
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Rising Cross (Cape Cross)
Owner	Sunday Racing Co., Ltd.
Breeder	Northern Racing
Trainer	Takashi Saito
Jockey	Yuichi Kitamura
Season Record / Earnings	3 starts: 3 wins / ¥ 116,789,000 (US$ 752,000)
Principal Wins in 2024	Hopeful Stakes (G1) Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (G2)

Croix du Nord, who was perfect with three wins out of as many starts, was selected as the 2024 Best Two-Year-Old Colt with 249 votes, overwhelming second-place Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes victor Admire Zoom with just 7 votes. The brown colt will attempt to follow the footsteps of 2020 Triple Crown victor Contrail, whose debut in 2019 also included victories in the Hopeful Stakes and the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes, when he heads directly to the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas, G1, 2,000m) on April 20.

The son of Kitasan Black won his debut start in June over 1,800 meters by 2-1/2 lengths after racing in second position. In the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes after a five-month break, Croix du Nord settled in about third, took command at the 400-meter pole and, despite being challenged by the eventual runner-up, still managed to cross the wire 3/4 length in front for his first grade-race victory.

In the year-end Hopeful Stakes, Croix du Nord was sent to post as the heavy favorite. He broke sharply from gate six but allowed the early leaders to pass, settling off the rails in mid-division behind a brisk pace. Gradually making headway, the unbeaten colt found another gear in the stretch from third or fourth and continued to accelerate as he reached the top of the uphill stretch to win by a comfortable two-length margin.

Arma Veloce (JPN)

Video (Arma Veloce)
Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1 - English) Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	2 (February 15, 2022)
Sex / Color	Filly / Dark Bay
Sire	Harbinger
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Rakuami (Daiwa Major)
Owner	Teruo Ono
Breeder	Northern Racing
Trainer	Hiroyuki Uemura
Jockey	Mirai Iwata
Season Record / Earnings	3 starts: 2 wins & 1 second / ¥ 85,600,000 (US$ 551,000)
Principal Wins in 2024	Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1)

Arma Veloce secured the title of 2024 Best Two-Year-Old Filly by winning the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. The Harbinger filly, who concluded her two-year-old season with two wins and a second in three starts, has the first spring classic, the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, 1,600m) on April 13, as her initial target for 2025.

The daughter of Harbinger began her career at Sapporo in August, where she broke from an outside draw to set the pace and held off some fast-closing rivals for a neck victory. In the following Sapporo Nisai Stakes, Arma Veloce settled around sixth on the rails and made headway after the third corner to duel with the eventual winner in the stretch but finished second by a nose.

Posted fifth favorite in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies following a three-month break, Arma Veloce broke smoothly and chased the pacesetter in mid-division. The dark bay filly never missed a beat after circling wide into the straight and turned in a terrific burst of speed on the outside, powering past her rivals into contention in the last 100 meters and drew away to win by a comfortable margin.

Danon Decile (JPN)

Video (Danon Decile)
Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (G1 - English)Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	3 (April 6, 2021)
Sex / Color	Colt / Chestnut
Sire	Epiphaneia
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Top Decile (Congrats)
Owner	Danox Co., Ltd.
Breeder	Shadai Farm
Trainer	Shogo Yasuda
Jockey	Norihiro Yokoyama
Season Record / Earnings	4 starts: 2 wins & 1 third / ¥ 500,886,000 (US$ 3.2 M)
Career Record / Earnings	7 starts: 3 wins & 1 third / ¥ 512,486,000 (US$ 3.3 M)
Principal Wins in 2024	Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) Keisei Hai (G3)

Danon Decile outclassed Forever Young to be named Best Three-Year-Old Colt in 2024 by winning the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and demonstrating his competence against older foes with a third in the year-end Arima Kinen.

Danon Decile began his career in October of his two-year-old season and registered his first win three weeks later, before concluding his debut year with a fourth in the Kyoto Nisai Stakes (G3, 2,000m) in November. The chestnut colt kicked off his three-year-old season with his first graded win in the Keisei Hai, where he came from fifth wide in the last two corners and drove hard in the stretch to take command just before the wire, winning by 3/4 length over the fast-closing Urban Chic, who went on to win the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger). Danon Decile was scheduled to run in the ensuing Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), but was withdrawn shortly before the race due to lameness in his right foreleg.

Later, as the ninth favorite in the Tokyo Yushun, Danon Decile quickly took command, but then was eased back to third or fourth. Eyeing the race favorite on the outside, the son of Epiphaneia saved ground along the rails, including around the final turns, and then used an inside opening to unleash a powerful drive and break away from the pack for a two-length victory.

In the Kikuka Sho, Danon Decile, who was well rested after the Tokyo Yushun, secured an early lead along the rails, but was boxed in and pushed back to third from the rear along the backstretch. Despite a valiant bid to advance in the straight with the second-fastest finishing speed, the colt was unable to get into contention and finished sixth. He concluded the season in the Arima Kinen, his first challenge against older foes, where he took the lead to set a slow pace and held on until being overtaken by two fast-closing finishers 50 meters out to finish third.

Cervinia (JPN)

Video (Cervinia)
Shuka Sho (G1 - English) Video
Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1 - English) Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	3 (February 3, 2021)
Sex / Color	Filly / Bay
Sire	Harbinger
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Cecchino (King Kamehameha)
Owner	Sunday Racing Co., Ltd.
Breeder	Northern Farm
Trainer	Tetsuya Kimura
Jockey	Christophe Lemaire
Season Record / Earnings	4 starts: 2 wins / ¥ 365,667,000 (US$ 2.4 M)
Career Record / Earnings	7 starts: 4 wins & 1 second / ¥ 403,424,000 (US$ 2.6 M)
Principal Wins in 2024	Shuka Sho (G1) Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1)

Cervinia, only the fifth filly and first since Mikki Queen in 2015 to win both the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and Shuka Sho for three-year-olds, was named Best Three-Year-Old Filly, beating stablemate and Arima Kinen champion Regaleira by 124 votes. The filly will start her four-year-old season with the Kyoto Kinen (G2, 2,200m) on February 16.

Foaled by Cecchino, a G2 winner and 2016 Yushun Himba runner-up, Cervinia debuted at age two in June and broke her maiden two months later in her second start (1,800m) by a convincing six lengths. She won her first graded title in the following Artemis Stakes (G3, 1,600m) in late October but was withdrawn from the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies due to a minor leg problem.

Cervinia began her three-year-old season in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), where the filly failed to respond in the straight and finished a disappointing 13th, but she redeemed herself a month later by winning the Yushun Himba. The bay filly settled in mid-field right beside the race favorite and Oka Sho champion Stellenbosch before turning wide into the lane, rallied briefly with rivals near the 200-meter pole, and then shifted gears in the last 100 meters to overtake Stellenbosch in the final strides to secure the G1 title by half a length.

As the favorite in her autumn kick-off, the Shuka Sho, the daughter of Harbinger was unhurried in a mid-pack position, but then readily responded before the 200-meter pole for a convincing 1-3/4-length victory. In the ensuing Japan Cup, Cervinia chased the slow pace in mid-field and remained in contention when the eventual winner Do Deuce overtook her before the 400-meter marker. Although unable to match the winner’s speed, Cervinia held off several other rivals to finish fourth in her first challenge against older foes.

Stunning Rose (JPN)

Video (Stunning Rose)
Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1-English) Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	5 (January 18, 2019)
Sex / Color	Mare / Bay
Sire	King Kamehameha
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Rosa Blanca (Kurofune)
Owner	Sunday Racing Co., Ltd.
Breeder	Northern Farm
Trainer	Tomokazu Takano
Jockey	Cristian Demuro
Season Record / Earnings	5 starts: 1 win / ¥ 133,654,000 (US$ 0.9 M)
Career Record / Earnings	18 starts: 6 wins, 2 seconds & 1 third / ¥ 426,216,000 (US$ 2.7 M)
Principal Wins in 2024	Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1)

Queen Elizabeth II Cup victor Stunning Rose was selected Best Older Filly or Mare with 138 votes, beating out Victoria Mile winner Ten Happy Rose with 95 votes. Boasting two G1 titles, the King Kamehameha mare will now begin her new career as a broodmare at Northern Farm where she herself was bred.

Stunning Rose began her career as a two-year-old and registered 1-1-1 out of five starts. The following season she won her first two starts, the latter in the Flower Cup (G3, 1,800m), and then was second by 1-1/4 lengths in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m). That autumn she added two more graded wins in the Shion Stakes (G3, 2,000m) and the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m). But she finished 12th in the Victoria Mile, the second start of her four-year-old campaign, after which she was diagnosed with peritendinitis in her left foreleg, forcing her to the sidelines.

When she attempted to return, Stunning Rose struggled to regain her form. She was eighth in the 2024 Osaka Hai in March and failed to finish in the top five in her next two starts. After a 3.5-month break, she was posted third favorite under Cristian Demuro in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. The five-year-old mare chased the frontrunners down the backstretch in fourth, made her move to swiftly take the lead on the last corner, and then romped to the wire unthreatened for an impressive two-length victory. She capped off her racing career in the year-end Arima Kinen, where she sat wide around sixth but failed to reach contention in the stretch and finished eighth.

Lugal (JPN)

Video (Lugal)
Sprinters Stakes (G1-English) Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	4 (March 7, 2020)
Sex / Color	Colt / Brown
Sire	Duramente
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Atab (New Approach)
Owner	Yoshimasa Ema
Breeder	Mishima Bokujo
Trainer	Haruki Sugiyama
Jockey	Atsuya Nishimura
Season Record / Earnings	4 starts: 2 wins / ¥ 214,997,000 (US$ 1.4 M)
Career Record / Earnings	14 starts: 4 wins, 4 seconds & 1 third / ¥ 294,860,000 (US$ 1.9 M)
Principal Wins in 2024	Sprinters Stakes (G1) Silk Road Stakes (G3)

Lugal was selected Best Sprinter of 2024 by a wide 159-vote margin for claiming the Sprinters Stakes over rival Mad Cool, winner of the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. The five-year-old brown will aim for his second G1 title in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1, 1,200m) on March 30, and then probably head to Hong Kong for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (G1, 1,200m) on April 27.

After debuting as a two-year-old in November 2022, the Duramente colt broke his maiden in his fourth career start in January 2023, his three-year-old season, and registered another win two starts later in the Tachibana Stakes (Listed, 1,400m) in May. He capped off the season with two wins and three runner-up efforts, including the Aoi Stakes (G3, 1,200m) and the Keihan Hai (G3, 1,200m).

Lugal commenced his 2024 season in the Silk Road Stakes, where he chased the leader in second, took the lead 300 meters out and pulled away for a three-length victory. As race favorite in the following Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the brown colt broke sharply and settled close to the pace in fourth or fifth, but failed to show much after shifting to the outside on the last turn and faded to tenth. After the race, the colt was found to have a fracture in his left foreleg.

Returning six months later as ninth favorite in the Sprinters Stakes, Lugal broke sharply from an outer draw and settled in third behind a super-fast pace. Responding willingly to his jockey’s urging, the colt advanced to second at the top of the stretch, continued to accelerate strongly to catch the frontrunner 100 meters out and then held off strong challenges to win by a neck. In the ensuing Hong Kong Sprint, his first overseas endeavor, the brown colt broke slowly and settled towards the rear early, made headway on the outside but was checked 300 meters out and showed little thereafter to finish 11th.

Soul Rush (JPN)

Video (Soul Rush)
Mile Championship (G1-English) Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	6 (March 28, 2018)
Sex / Color	Horse / Dark Bay
Sire	Rulership
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Eternal Bouquet (Manhattan Cafe)
Owner	Tatsue Ishikawa
Breeder	Shimokobe Farm
Trainer	Yasutoshi Ikee
Jockey	Taisei Danno
Season Record / Earnings	5 starts: 2 wins, 2 seconds & 1 third / ¥ 450,541,600 (US$ 2.9 M)
Career Record / Earnings	23 starts: 8 wins, 4 seconds & 2 thirds / ¥ 775,192,100 (US$ 5.0 M)
Principal Wins in 2024	Mile Championship (G1) Milers Cup (G2)

Soul Rush claimed his long-awaited G1 title in the Mile Championship and was named Best Miler of 2024 after a consistent season in which he was 2-2-1 from five starts over a mile. The veteran mile specialist will continue to race this year and aim for another G1 title in the Yasuda Kinen on June 8.

The son of Rulership won his first and only start as a two-year-old, but after fruitless attempts at middle distances in his three-year-old campaign, the dark bay immediately demonstrated his skill in mile races by scoring wins in his last two starts of the season. The Rulership colt then stepped up in class and landed his first graded title in the Milers Cup in April of the following year. While notching another graded title in the Keisei Hai Autumn Handicap (G3, 1,600m) in his five-year-old season, Soul Rush’s best effort at the G1 level was a runner-up effort in the Mile Championship that year.

In his first start in 2024, the G2 Milers Cup, the six-year-old sat wide in mid-division, took command near the 200-meter pole and turned in the fastest late kick to win by 1-3/4 lengths. In the following Yasuda Kinen, Soul Rush rallied impressively from mid-pack but was unable to match the top two contestants, finishing a third by just a nose to the runner-up.

After turning in a second in his kick-off start of the autumn season, he was posted fourth favorite in his seventh G1 challenge, the Mile Championship at Kyoto. Running in eighth or ninth as the field fanned out into the stretch, Soul Rush launched an incredible drive to take the lead near the 100-meter marker and drew clear, pulling away for a solid 2-1/2-length victory. Returning to the Hong Kong Mile after finishing fourth the previous year, Soul Rush circled wide into the lane from well back, launched a powerful late charge and, although unable to threaten the winner, closed within 1-1/4 lengths for second.

Lemon Pop (USA)

Video (Lemon Pop)
Champions Cup (G1-English) Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	6 (February 15, 2018)
Sex / Color	Horse / Chestnut
Sire	Lemon Drop Kid
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Unreachable (Giant's Causeway)
Owner	Godolphin
Breeder	Mr. & Mrs. Oliver S. Tait
Trainer	Hiroyasu Tanaka
Jockey	Ryusei Sakai
Season Record / Earnings	4 starts: 3 wins / ¥ 278,444,000 (US$ 1.8 M)
Career Record / Earnings	18 starts: 13 wins & 3 seconds / ¥ 760,200,000 (US$ 4.9 M)
Principal Wins in 2024	Champions Cup (G1) Mile Championship Nambu Hai (L) Sakitama Hai (L)

Lemon Pop, the first back-to-back Best Dirt Horse since Espoir City in 2009 and 2010, won his second consecutive Champions Cup title and also claimed two major titles in NAR—the Sakitama Hai and the Mile Championship Nambu Hai. The U.S.-bred horse retired from racing at the end of the 2024 season and will stand as a stallion at Darley Japan Stallion Complex from this year.

The son of Lemon Drop Kid won both of his starts as a two-year-old, but then was sidelined for 12 months with a leg problem. Returning in December of the following year, he was runner-up in his only start as a three-year-old, but during his four-year-old season in 2022 Lemon Pop won four of six starts and finished second in his first graded challenge, the Musashino Stakes (G3, dirt, 1,600m). He followed up as a five-yead-old by earning the 2023 Best Dirt Horse title after winning the February Stakes (dirt, 1,600m) and the Champions Cup, becoming only the fourth horse to win both G1 dirt events in the same year.

The six-year-old chestnut began his 2024 campaign with his second overseas challenge in the Saudi Cup, but showed little after racing in mid-division on the rails to finish 12th. Back home in the Sakitama Hai four months later, Lemon Pop stalked the pacesetter before taking the lead around the third corner and then held off some strong challengers for a comfortable two-length victory. After a four-month summer break, he claimed his second straight Mile Championship Nambu Hai title with a wire-to-wire victory, holding off February Stakes winner Peptide Nile by 3/4 length.

In his final start, the Champions Cup, Lemon Pop broke smoothly from the inside gate and took command after rallying for the lead. The defending champion continued to set the pace and pulled away after entering the lane, and despite an incredible late charge by the eventual runner-up, he held on for a photo-finish victory to become the first horse to defend the Cup title since Transcend in 2010 and 2011.

Nishino Daisy (JPN)

Video (Nishino Daisy)
Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1) Video

Age (Date of Foaling)	8 (April 18, 2016)
Sex / Color	Horse / Bay
Sire	Harbinger
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Nishino Hinagiku (Agnes Tachyon)
Owner	Shigeyuki Nishiyama
Breeder	Nishiyama Stud
Trainer	Noboru Takagi
Jockey	Yusuke Igarashi
Season Record / Earnings*	4 starts: 1 win & 1 third / ¥ 95,782,000 (US$ 617,000) *steeplechases only
Career Record / Earnings*	12 starts: 3 wins, 2 seconds & 3 thirds / ¥ 214,933,000 (US$ 1.4 M) *steeplechases only
Principal Wins in 2024	Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1)

Nishino Daisy was voted Best Steeplechase Horse by winning the Nakayama Daishogai, becoming the third horse to win the race twice since 1999, and finishing third in the Nakayama Grand Jump. The two-time J-G1 winner was retired at the end of the season and will now stand as a stallion at Hakuba Bokujo.

In the flat, Nishino Daisy scored three wins from 20 starts, including two G3 titles—the Sapporo Nisai Stakes (1,800m) and the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes (1,800m) in 2018—but was switched to steeplechase racing from his second start as a six-year-old in 2022 and won the Nakayama Daishogai that year. Though winless in 2023, he marked a runner-up effort in the Nakayama Daishogai.

Nishino Daisy commenced the 2024 season with a fourth in the Hanshin Spring Jump. In the following Nakayama Grand Jump, he stayed close to the pace in fourth, overtook the leader after the fifth jump and, despite showing signs of fatigue and being passed with two fences to go, continued to battle into the stretch and found another gear in the final furlong to secure third, 5-1/2 lengths back.

After opening his autumn campaign with a fourth in the Tokyo High-Jump, Nishino Daisy was posted fourth favorite in the year-end Nakayama Daishogai. The eight-year-old bay traveled wide after a smooth break and closed in on the frontrunner, jumping the second fence in second behind the race favorite. Dropping back to fourth and continuing to travel wide as the three frontrunners took turns leading, the son of Harbinger made his move on the early backstretch, took command heading into the final jump and drew clear on final uphill stretch to win impressively by five lengths.

Forever Young (JPN)

Age (Date of Foaling)	3 (February 24, 2021)
Sex / Color	Colt / Bay
Sire	Real Steel
Dam (Sire of Dam)	Forever Darling (Congrats)
Owner	Susumu Fujita
Breeder	Northern Racing
Trainer	Yoshito Yahagi
Jockey	Ryusei Sakai
Season Record / Earnings	6 starts: 4 wins & 2 thirds / ¥ 539,062,000 (US$ 3.5 M)
Career Record / Earnings	9 starts: 7 wins & 2 thirds / ¥ 623,262,000 (US$ 4.0 M)
Principal Wins in 2024	Tokyo Daishoten (G1) UAE Derby (G2) Saudi Derby (G3) Japan Dirt Classic (L)

Forever Young, despite missing the title of Best Three-Year-Old Colt by 41 votes, received a Special Award for his accomplishments on dirt both in Japan and overseas. As one of the top dirt specialists representing Japan, the Real Steel colt will begin his 2025 season with the Saudi Cup (G1, dirt, 1,800m) on February 22 and then head to the Dubai World Cup (G1, dirt, 2,000m) on April 5.

Forever Young scored a four-length victory in his two-year-old debut (dirt, 1,800m) in October and then took two major NAR titles—the JBC Nisai Yushun (Listed, dirt, 1,800m) and the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (Listed, dirt, 1,600m)—to remain undefeated in 2023.

The bay colt began his three-year-old season in the Saudi Derby, his first overseas endeavor, where he traveled wide in mid-division and launched an impressive late kick to catch subsequent G1 winner Book’em Danno just before the wire for a head victory. In the following UAE Derby, he took command 200 meters from home after racing wide in sixth position and then pulled away to a two-length victory. Flying to the U.S. for the Kentucky Derby, the unbeaten colt closed in on the leader with a powerful drive after a slow break, but lost ground circling wide into the homestretch and then being bumped from the outside by the eventual runner-up to finish a nose-and-nose third in a photo finish. Nevertheless, the result was a significant improvement for Japanese runners, who had never finished higher than sixth.

Back home and well rested for five months, Forever Young kicked off his autumn season with the Japan Dirt Classic for three-year-olds, where he stalked the leader in second and led from the early stretch for a 1-1/4-length victory. Flying back to the U.S. for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, his first challenge against older foes, the colt ran around fourth on the rails and, while not threatening the top two finishers, secured third place by half a length. In his final outing of the season, the Tokyo Daishoten, Forever Young chased the pacesetter in second and took the lead in the early stretch to hold off 2024 Champions Cup runner-up Wilson Tesoro by 1-3/4 lengths for his first international G1 victory.

Results of the 2024 JRA Awards (Total Votes: 256)

2024 JRA Trainers Ranking

2024 JRA Jockeys Ranking