Almond Eye Crowned Japan Horse of the Year

Almond Eye has seen off her rivals in the race to be crowned Japan's 2020 Horse of the Year, just as she frequently did on the track, with the dazzling mare attracting 236 of the 283 votes.

The nation's awards are determined by the votes of 283 horse racing journalists, and in the Horse of the Year category, the vast majority went for the record-breaking mare, whose year, and career, was topped by a second victory in the Japan Cup (G1) in November.

Almond Eye, also Japan's Horse of the Year in 2018, was retired from racing after becoming the first horse in Japanese history to win nine grade 1s on turf.

Triple Crown hero Contrail started second favorite for the Japan Cup behind market leader Almond Eye. He finished runner-up to her there and occupied the same berth in the Horse of the Year stakes, with 44 votes.

Superstar miler Gran Alegria, who won three grade 1s in 2020, received two votes, while the fillies' Triple Crown heroine, Daring Tact, who was third in the Japan Cup, received one.

Contrail and Daring Tact took out the 3-year-old awards, Gran Alegria won the sprinter/miler category, while stunning white filly Sodashi was named juvenile filly of the year.

Masashi Yonemoto of Silk Racing Co. Ltd., owners of Almond Eye, said: "First of all, I am very honored to have been selected for the prestigious Horse of the Year title. I would like to thank all the people involved in this horse, including the Sakae Kunieda stable and Northern Farm staff.

"She has retired safely and has started her new career as a broodmare, so please continue to support her as her children make their debuts."

Kunieda said: "Last year she won three grade 1 races, finishing her career while maintaining her brilliance. All I can say is thank you to Almond Eye. I think it was thanks to the support of the owners, breeders, and fans that we were able to win the Horse of the Year award."

Lemaire, who had a spectacular 2020 himself, added: "She was strong last year. She showed high potential from age of 2 and worked hard up to and including her last run. I'm glad that she ran safely to the end and retired.

"She is an unforgettable horse for me. I was happy to be able to ride her for three years, and am looking forward to seeing her babies."

The recent Arima Kinen (Grand Prix, G1) winner was Chrono Genesis, who won the special award, after which trainer Takashi Saito said: "I am very grateful and I am honored to be selected. At the Arima Kinen, she was the number one fans' vote, with the highest number of votes in history, and I think it was important that she could run as expected.

"I will do my best to aim for the big races with her this year as well."

Shunsuke Yoshida of owners the Sunday Racing Co Ltd., suggested that the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1), the Dubai Turf (G1), the Osaka Hai (G1), and the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) in Hong Kong were all under consideration for Chrono Genesis.

JRA 2020 Awards

• Horse of the Year: Almond Eye (Trainer Sakae Kunieda)
• Best 2-year-old colt: Danon the Kid (Takayuki Yasuda)
• Best 2-year-old filly: Sodashi (Naosuke Sugai)
• Best 3-year-old colt: Contrail (Yoshito Yahagi)
• Best 3-year-old filly: Daring Tact (Haruki Sugiyama)
• Best older colt or horse: Fierement (Takayuki Tezuka)
• Best older filly or mare: Almond Eye (Sakae Kunieda)
• Best sprinter or miler: Gran Alegria (Kazuo Fujisawa)
• Best dirt horse: Chuwa Wizard (Ryuji Okubo)
• Best steeplechase horse: Meisho Dassai (Yuji Iida)
• Special Award: Chrono Genesis (Takashi Saito)