NYRA's Turf Triple Times Up Well for Japan-Based Horses

The New York Racing Association's Turf Triple Crown may be a mere two weeks old, but the $5.2 million series for 3-year-olds already has caught the attention of international horsemen.

Ryota Sensui, the senior manager of the Japan Racing Association's office in Stamford, Conn., said Japanese owners and trainers are open to participating in the new races due to their summertime scheduling and large purses.

The new turf series for 3-year-olds—an open series and one for fillies—fit comfortably into a five-month gap between the second and third legs of Japan's two Triple Crown series.

"I believe Japanese horses may come because there are no major stakes in Japan for them at that time of year. They will either rest or run in another country like the United States, especially at classic distances," Sensui said. "The top 3-year-olds probably will not come, but those right below them may consider it. We have a smaller number of owners in Japan than the United States, but we have larger stables and our horsemen are usually looking for different races to place their horses."

In Japan, the Triple Crown of turf races begins April 14 with the 1 1/4-mile Satsuki Sho (G1) at Nakayama Racecourse and is followed by the 1 1/2-mile Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) May 26 at Toyko Racecourse. The trio concludes Oct. 20 with the 1 7/8-mile Kikuka Sho (G1) at Kyoto Racecourse.

For fillies, the Japan classics include the one-mile Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1) April 7 at Hanshin Racecourse, the 1 1/2-mile Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1) May 19 at Toyko, and the 1 1/4-mile Shuka Sho (G1) Oct. 13 at Kyoto.

NYRA scheduled its Turf Triple on the first weekends of July, August, and September, adding races at Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park to complement the existing grade 1 stakes at Belmont during the Stars and Stripes Racing Festival in early July.

The "Turf Trinity" begins with the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) at Belmont July 6, moves to Saratoga Aug. 4 for the debut of the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby, and concludes at Belmont with the first running of the 1 1/2-mile Jockey Club Derby Sept. 7.

Each of the three races, which are contested at distances matching the dirt Triple Crown, offers a purse of $1 million.

The "Triple Tiara" for fillies features three $750,000 stakes: the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) July 6 at Belmont, the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Oaks at the Spa Aug. 2, and the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Oaks Sept. 7 at Belmont.

The Saratoga Oaks and Jockey Club Oaks are new additions to the NYRA stakes schedule.

Sensui said the opportunity to race at Saratoga is an attractive incentive for Japanese horsemen.

"Saratoga is a very famous racetrack in Japan," he said, "and there would be great interest in racing there."

Martin Panza, NYRA's senior vice president of racing operations, has been pleased with the initial response from foreign horsemen to the new series.

"We're trying to recruit horses from Japan," Panza said. "The time of year makes it attractive for them. So far, we've received a positive response from international horsemen to the new races, but we have to do our job and follow through with everything and get those horses here."

Since the Belmont Derby and Oaks were launched in 2014, there has been one foreign victor in each of the stakes. In 2018, the Belmont Derby had two Europeans in a field of nine, and the Belmont Oaks attracted three among a field of 10, including the victorious Athena from the barn of trainer Aidan O'Brien.

Japan's Go for the Summit was expected to run in last year's Belmont Derby, but travel arrangements from Japan could not be worked out. Since then, problems with carriers such as Air Nippon have been resolved, and Aerolithe was able to ship from Japan to the United States for the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park, where she finished ninth.

Almond Eye, who swept Japan's 2018 Turf Triple Crown for fillies, is expected to compete in the $6 million Dubai Turf Sponsored By DP World (G1) March 30 at Meydan.