2018 JRA Awards

As a new year dawns, the JRA gets together and celebrates the best of the best from the previous year. Japanese journalist gather and vote on the best racehorses of the last year while the trainer and jockey awards are selected mostly by statistics. Let's have a look at what made 2018 such a fantastic year in the Japan Racing Association.

Horse of the Year & Champion Three-Year-Old Filly - Almond Eye(JPN)
If there was one Japanese horse's name, the world memorized last year it would be Almond Eye(JPN). This brilliantly diverse and spectacularly fast filly finished the 2018 season undefeated, winning her first start, the G3 Shinzan Kinen in early January. She followed that up with a solid victory in the first leg of the Filly Triple Tiara, the Oka Sho(Japanese 1000 Guineas), the only time in her career to date that she didn't go to post as the favorite. Her solid defeat of 2017 Champion Two-Year-Old Filly had the country chattering about her potential, but she had to take on the 2400m Japanese Oaks next. Up until that point the filly had never raced past a mile, and her sire was 2013 Horse of the Year and Champion Sprinter/Miler Lord Kanaloa(JPN), who also was never tried past a mile. Her dam, Fusaichi Pandora(JPN), was a quality runner herself she ran second in the Japanese Oaks in 2006 and later that year she won the 2200m G1 Queen Elizabeth Hai. After a career that had her winning between 1600m and 2200m and placing in many other quality races, stamina was going to be a variable that Almond Eye(JPN) could have inherited. She went to post in the G1 Japanese Oaks as the favorite and did not disappoint. At no point did the 2400m race look too much for her, out running her sire and dam. After her Oaks win, she became a star in the JRA and fans were thrilled to watch her try for the Filly Triple Tiara which she did and won just as impressively as any of her previous starts. She was being compared to 2012 & 2014 Horse of the Year Gentildonna(JPN) by many news sources, especially after it was announced that Almond Eye(JPN) would take on the Japan Cup as a three-year-old, just like Gentildonna(JPN) did in 2012. Despite a few remaining questions about the filly going to the Japan Cup, she went to post as the favorite and crossed the finish line as not only the second three-year-old filly to win the Triple Tiara and Japan Cup but also a World Record Breaker. She expertly sat off the quick pace of Kiseki(JPN) during the mile and a half event and flew past him with very little cajoling. This was a win heard round the world, and Almond Eye(JPN), Enable(GB), and Winx(AUS) have been talked about in the same breath by horsemen and women all over the globe. When it came time to vote for the JRA Awards, Almond Eye(JPN) was the obvious pick for Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and was awarded it unanimously, but in a fantastic turn, she became the first-ever filly to unanimously be voted JRA Horse of the Year. With a long international challenge planned for the filly in 2019, she will get even more international exposure than she did last year.

Champion Two-Year-Old Colt - Admire Mars(JPN)
Only 30 votes separated G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes winner Admire Mars(JPN) and G1 Hopeful Stakes winner Saturnalia(JPN), but with the son of Daiwa Major(JPN)'s win in the G2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes, he was the most likely to come out on top at the end of the vote. Undefeated in four starts last year, Admire Mars(JPN) debuted on June 30th at Chukyo Racecourse finishing a nose in front of eventual G3 Niigata Nisai Stakes winner Cadence Call(JPN). A little less than a month later he made a big statement in the ungraded Chukyo Nisai Stakes winning by three lengths. He won his next start and first graded stakes victory in the G2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes in mid-November by three-fourths of a length. Admire Mars(JPN) proved that early bloomers could finish the year strong by winning the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes on December 16th by a strong two lengths. He and Saturnalia(JPN) will likely face off for real later this spring in the three-year-old classics.

Champion Two-Year-Old Filly - Danon Fantasy(JPN)
Unless a filly wins the G1 Hopeful Stakes, this G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies will likely remain the divisions deciding race almost every year, and last year the race was won by Danon Fantasy(JPN). Much like Admire Mars(JPN) though, this impressive two-year-old had already racked up another graded stakes win before her first G1 outing. Despite losing her debut to eventual G3 winner Gran Alegria(JPN), the filly who decide to run in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, Danon Fantasy(JPN) bounced back three months later to win her second start. In November she won the G3 Fantasy Stakes as her prep before her G1 debut. The stunning daughter of Deep Impact(JPN) will have all eyes on her this spring as she heads to the filly classics, likely facing Gran Alegria(JPN) again.

Champion Three-Year-Old Colt - Blast Onepiece(JPN)
Usually reserved for the Japanese Derby winner, the Arima Kinen wasn't the only major event Blast Onepiece(JPN) upset in 2018. While he received 114 votes for the title, Wagnerian(JPN), the Derby winner, received 88 votes. Le Vent Se Leve(JPN)'s strong three-year-old campaign over the dirt took away another 69 votes that would have been up in the air otherwise as well, but it was still Blast Onepiece(JPN) to take home the Championship title after a season that ended with the biggest win of them all. He started the year in an allowance for winners of one, where he destroyed the field by four lengths going 2400m at Tokyo in February. The following month he won the 1800m G3 Mainichi Hai comfortably as well, earning his place in the Japanese Derby; however, he had to settle for 5th. After taking the summer off, he was back and beat older horses in the 2000m G3 Niigata Kinen in September, which they used as a prep for the G1 Kikuka Sho(Japanese St. Leger). Unfortunately again, the race didn't work out in his favor, and he finished fourth. He'd been second favorite in the Derby and favorite in the Kikuka Sho so going into the Arima Kinen, and there could have been more doubters out there than ever before, he dipped a little but still went to post as third favorite. After a little bit of rain that week, the ground had a bit of give which favors his large and imposing frame well, and he beat the favorite, four-year-old Rey de Oro(JPN) by a neck. Big things will be expected of this big colt in 2019, but his talent can't be denied, nor can his worthiness for this award.

Champion Four-Year-Old and Up Male - Rey de Oro(JPN)
This award is likely derived from the second half of 2018 and not the first half, which saw the 2017 Derby winner start with a third-place finish in the G2 Kyoto Kinen in February before heading off to Dubai. Despite being one of the more popular horses in the race, the pace did not suit him all, and he ran a lack lust 4th. They gave him six months off, bringing him back in the G2 All Comers at the end of September, where he finally regained his winning form once again. A month later he and Lemaire took the G1 Tenno Sho Aki in spectacular fashion. While he skipped the Japan Cup, a race he finished second in 2017, he targeted the year-end G1 Arima Kinen instead. Sadly, he wasn't able to catch three-year-old Blast Onepiece(JPN) before the wire, but his efforts were more than enough to secure him champion older male.

Champion Four-Year-Old and Up Filly - Lys Gracieux(JPN)
There were four-year-olds and up who won more, like Miss Panthere(JPN), but no mare in 2018 tried as hard at the highest level with consistency and managed to bag at least one G1 like Lys Gracieux(JPN). She has been a filly plagued with close calls and near misses most of her career. At the beginning of 2018, she had already been second in three different G1 outings. She started her year with a nice win against males in the G3 Tokyo Shinbun Hai in February beefing finishing third in the G2 Hanshin Himba Stakes in April. She was unable to catch Jour Polaire(JPN) at the wire of the G1 Victoria Mile in May, giving her her fourth G1 runner up effort of her career. After finishing a disappointing 8th in the G1 Yasuda Kinen, the filly got the summer off before pursuing races with a little more distance. She finished second again by narrow margins in the G2 Fuchu Himba Stakes in October, but the tables finally turned in her favor in November. After two full years on the turf, she finally got up to win the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Hai, needing every inch of the 2200m race and every advantage skilled rider Joao Moreira could give her. She is a come from behind kind of filly, meaning every ending is that much more thrilling, but the style comes with risks, like those felt in her final start of 2018, the G1 Hong Kong Vase where she finished second yet again. Her continued solid showings during all but one of her 2018 outings made it clear that she was a special filly who will be around again in 2019 to bring us more thrills at the finish line, but hopefully a few more in her favor than last year.

Champion Short Distance Horse- Fine Needle(JPN)
Though retired just a few weeks ago to stand stud at Darley Japan as their first entirely homegrown stallion, Fine Needle(JPN) had a heck of a 2018 campaign. The son of Darley stallion Admire Moon(JPN) started 2018 with a solid win in the G3 Silk Road Stakes at the end of January as a prep for the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, which he won by a nose over G1 winner Let's Go Donki(JPN). After giving Godolphin Japan their first G1 win in the JRA, he went to Hong Kong for the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize, where he finished a promising fourth. After taking the summer off the then five-year-old captured a second consecutive G2 Centaur Stakes. Less than a month later he gave Godolphin Japan their second JRA G1 win when he won the G1 Sprinters Stakes at the end of September. Winning both JRA Sprint G1s are is feat rarely accomplished in Japan, with only five horses having achieved it before, including the mighty Lord Kanaloa(JPN). With the Milers category spread out amongst two different horses, Fine Needle(JPN) was the only horse able to go "a mile or under" who showed the consistent talent to earn this award for 2018. Despite a disappointing 9th place finish in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint in December, the now six-year-old will retire to carry on his ability next to his sire Admire Moon(JPN) at Darley's Stallion Complex in Hokkaido.

Champion Dirt Horse - Le Vent Se Leve(JPN)
It has been a while since Japan has seen such a dominant force run over the dirt, while the Gold Dream(JPN) has been working hard to maintain the crown he captured last year but after a few runner up efforts and scratching from the G1 Champions Cup in December he was snubbed completely from consideration and three-year-old Le Vent Se Leve(JPN) received nearly all the votes. While he was initially on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, some sore shins kept him out of training early in the year. He ran second in the ungraded Fukuryu Stakes in early April, but that would be his last and only career blemish. In June, he won the G3 Unicorn Stakes by three and a half lengths before venturing into the NAR cross over races to win the JPN1 Japan Dirt Derby by a length and a half over Omega Perfume(JPN) in July, his first score at 2000m. He was back in October to run in the JPN1 Mile Champion Stakes Nambu Hai in Morioka, where he defeated Gold Dream(JPN) by a length and a half. He closed out his year with a stellar performance in the JRA's G1 Champions Cup in December, pulling away easily to win by a comfortable two and half lengths. Five wins last year, three of them being JPN1 or G1 made him the clear champion of the dirt in 2018. America and Dubai will be hungry for this colt's amazing closing abilities in 2019, but whether he will go abroad or rack up more wins at home in 2019 is still up in the air.

Champion Steeplechase Horse - Oju Chosan(JPN)
Despite having run only once over jumps in 2018, Oju Chosan(JPN) was the overwhelming choice for Champion Steeplechase Horse in Japan. He convincingly continued his steeplechase domination this past April in the JG1 Nakayama Grand Jump. Afterward, his connections decided they wanted to try to take him to the flat again and point towards the G1 Arima Kinen at the end of December. He proved a fruitful journey as the old soldier racked up two allowance wins before running 9th in the Arima Kinen. They have decided to keep the eight-year-old in training for flat races again last year and are even considering sending him to Dubai. An avid fan favorite, the son of Stay Gold(JPN)'s Jumps career, might be over for good if he can continue to improve in graded stakes company.

Trainer Awards
Leading Trainer by Wins - Hideaki Fujiwara
A trainer known more for his ability to condition his horses just right than to rack up big win numbers in the winners' circle, this perennially top ten trainer ended the year on the very top for 2018 with 58 wins, including the G1 Satsuki Sho with Epoca d'Oro(JPN) in April. He only races 301 times in 2018, but he had 58 wins, 52 seconds and 34 thirds giving him an in the money percentage 47.8%, and has only gone under 40% once in the past six years while never being lower than 24.7% in his early days. The hard work of a dedicated and fine-tuned stable staff was able to bring the quality not only to the board last year but to the winners' circle as well. This kind of hard work, focusing on the horse while trying to play the racing schedule, especially when there is only racing on the weekend, at the same time is tricky as any trainer will tell you, but in 2018, Fujiwara Stables had that game figured out.

Leading Trainer by Win Percentage & Special Skill Award- Tetsuya Kimura
By JRA standards, Mr. Kimura is still a very young and up and coming trainer and has had many promising horses over the years, but none as promising as Stelvio(JPN), a Lord Kanaloa(JPN) colt who gave the forty-seven-year-old his first G1 winner. Since opening his stable in 2011, the ambitious trainer has strived hard to be the best, and his skill could not be proved more accurately than by winning the award for win percentage, a hard distinction to succeed in in any category, and for any trainer, a 21.5% strike rate is very impressive. With a freshly minted four-year-old Stelvio(JPN) ready to take on the Japanese Miler scene in 2019, Mr. Kimura should have a quality year to look forward to yet again.

Leading Trainer by Earnings - Yasuo Tomomichi
When you look into the ranks of the Tomomichi Stable, it is no wonder that the trainer ended the year with the highest earnings. While one might think it would go to Sakae Kunieda, the trainer of Almond Eye(JPN) and Mr. Tomomichi had only two horses win graded stakes races, and both of them won a G2 and a G1. Wagnerian(JPN) won the G1 Japanese Derby along with the G2 Kobe Shinbun Hai, while Admire Mars(JPN) won the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes along with the G2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes. It is when you look at the other horses of his that hit the board you begin to understand why he raked in the most money as the talented trainer had many close calls aside from winning his second Japanese Derby. Vivlos(JPN) finished second in the G1 Dubai Turf and the G1 Hong Kong Mile, Cheval Grand(JPN) was second and third in the G1 Tenno Sho Haru and G1 Arima Kinen. Etario(JPN) and You Can Smile(JPN) were second and third in the G1 Kikuka Sho. Beach Samba(JPN) was third in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, and those are only counting the G1 races he hit the board in. Each year he has some of the best-bred horses in Japan walking around his stables, so it is no wonder he raked in the prize money like he did in 2018.

Jockey Awards
Leading Jockey by Wins - Christophe Lemaire
Leading Jockey by Win Percentage - Christophe Lemaire
Leading Jockey by Earnings - Christophe Lemaire
Most Valuable Jockey Award - Christophe Lemaire
No jockey had a better 2018 than Christophe Lemaire in Japan. Every award possible for a JRA jockey to get was claimed by the French native for his performance last year. He ended the year with 215 wins in the JRA, surpassing Yutaka Take's long-standing record of 212 wins set in 2005. His win percentage was higher than any other jockey, 27.8% and he raked in ¥4,660,235,000 in prize money, which shouldn't be surprising since he won seven G1 races in the JRA alone and 12 other graded stakes in the JRA, including the JPN1 JBC Sprint which was held at Kyoto last year. He also won the MVJ award which is determined by a points system based on all the factors above as well as the number of races ridden. Each year since getting his license in 2015, his performance has improved more and more, so it will be exciting to see what 2019 holds for the JRA's only French-Japanese jockey.

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Satomi Oka (Ms)
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