Only the Beginning for Japanese Horses Racing in U.S.?

It was not long ago that horses from Japan appeared in American stakes races about as often as Congressional elections roll around.

Yet as 2019 slips past its halfway point, runners from Japan have been involved in major American races at an unparalleled rate.

With two starters—Master Fencer and Jodie—entered in the Turf Triple stakes July 6 during the Stars and Stripes Racing Festival at Belmont Park, it will bring the number of Japanese entrants in 2019 U.S. grade 1 stakes to five.

A year ago, there were none.

Add in a victory by the fabulous Japan Cup (G1) winner Almond Eye in the $6 million Dubai Turf Sponsored by DP World (G1) in March and it's clear that Japanese horsemen are more willing than ever before to leave their island nation and tackle the best international competition they can find.

"I would say there is so much interest among Japanese horsemen not only in major stakes races here in America but also in big races around the world. They would venture out to run overseas when they find the right opportunities that would suit their horses. It could be said that having two 3-year-olds in the Stars and Stripes stakes would be a reflection of the current trend among our horsemen," said Takahiro Uno, general manager of the Japan Racing Association's New York representative office.

While Japanese runners have found victory to be elusive on American shores, their connections have displayed tremendous sportsmanship by competing in some of the United States' best and richest races.

It started in the $6.7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) when the 5-year-old mare Aerolithe took on males in the Jan. 26 stakes at Gulfstream Park. She finished ninth on yielding turf but showed her class two starts later when she was second in the Yasuda Kinen (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse.

Then it was Master Fencer's turn. Taking advantage of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, he secured a spot in the $3 million Run for the Roses for owner Katsumi Yoshizawa and trainer Koichi Tsunoda. Lacking a stakes win in Japan, Master Fencer was ignored in the wagering and broke from the starting gate at 58-1 odds on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs. Yet the son of Just a Way staged an impressive rally in the stretch over a sloppy racetrack and finished sixth, just four lengths behind Maximum Security, who was disqualified from first to 17th.

Given five weeks off, Master Fencer returned in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and once again was flying in the final furlong, winding up fifth at 13-1 odds, only 2 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Sir Winston.

It was thought Master Fencer would return home to Japan after the Belmont Stakes, but his connections opted to take full advantage of the time he is permitted to stay in the US and targeted the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) at a 1 1/4-mile distance that should be well within his scope.

"He came out of the Belmont Stakes in such great condition, it seemed a shame not to take advantage of (the Belmont Derby). We were lucky enough to get an invite, so it was a chance I couldn't pass up," Yoshizawa said.

Though he raced on dirt in two jewels of the Triple Crown, switching to turf for the first leg of the New York Racing Association's Turf Trinity series is nothing new for the stretch-running 3-year-old. He started his career in Japan with two starts on turf, posting a runner-up finish in his debut.

"We don't know if he will take to the Belmont turf the same way he did to American dirt in general, but he is in the best shape he has ever been in his life," Yoshizawa said. "Achieving this peak level of fitness isn't easy, and we might not be able to get him back to this level for a while after all the transporting is finished, but he is in a physical condition where I think, and hope, he can run on anything. Since he has run fairly well on turf before, I'm hopeful he'll be able to perform this weekend."

Master Fencer could benefit from a friendly face in the Belmont Derby. He will be ridden by Suguru Hamanaka, who was aboard in both of the 3-year-old's wins in eight starts. Hamanaka will try to coax that late speed out of him sooner rather than later in the race. Julien Leparoux, who will ride Moon Colony in the Belmont Derby, was aboard Master Fencer for his first two US starts.

"We had discussed asking Julien if he'd ride for us again, but since Japanese horses don't come over here so often, we wanted to give a Japanese jockey the chance to learn and experience American racing to establish a future where other Japanese horses could have Japanese jockeys with American experience, or new jockeys be able to get advice from those with American experience," Yoshizawa said. "Julien did a wonderful job in Master Fencer's last two races, giving us a real thrill, so we are very thankful."

Jodie brings a different dimension to her races than Master Fencer. The 3-year-old daughter of Daiwa Major owned by Tadakazu Obama and trained by Hirofumi Toda has a nice turn of early speed that carried her to a third-place finish in the April 21 Sankei Sports Sho Flora Stakes (G2) at the same 1 1/4-mile distance on turf as the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T).

"She prefers left-handed racing, and in the fall in Japan, most of the options look to be right-handed, so this race seemed like a perfect fit. Based on her performance in the Flora Stakes, we felt the distance worked well, too," Toda said about the winner of two of nine starts. "It was beneficial for us to learn what our filly likes best. She has placed in two graded stakes in Japan ranging from 1,800 meters (about nine furlongs) to 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs) and showed good speed in the Flora Stakes, so she should be able to handle the distance."

As unaccustomed to 1 1/4 miles as most of the American starters in the first leg of the Turf Tiara may be, Jodie is a prime example of the staying power honed on Japanese racetracks. Her past two starts were at 1 1/2 miles and 1 1/4 miles. 

"She's by Daiwa Major, who is a strong, hyper horse, and with his babies, everybody likes to go close to the pace with them," Toda said. "She's calmer than that now because she's growing and maturing. In the morning, in her stall, she is very friendly and loves people, but once she goes to train or race, she switches on and is ready to work. 

"As she has gotten more experience through racing, she has become calmer for racing and training," Toda added. "She is maturing, but she is still a young horse. In the Japanese Oaks (14th in her most recent start), there was pressure on her and she was very excited, but also the distance (1 1/2 miles) was too far. Now she's quite calm."

With that type of experience, it's understandable why the Triple Crown, Turf Trinity, and Turf Tiara—with races at 1 3/16 miles and longer—have piqued the interest of Japanese horsemen.

"Our horses are mainly bred to aim for the intermediate to long (distances) on turf by introducing various bloodlines from all over the world. Also, it would be correct to say that we tend to put more emphasis on these categories in our racing fixtures. In that sense, you could say NYRA's turf series would be a good fit for our 3-year-olds and deemed as a logical choice, considering how our horses are bred and the entire nature and structure of our racing," Uno said.

In particular, Belmont Park is a friendly environment for Japanese horses with its 1 1/2-mile oval, which compares favorably to the layout of Tokyo Racecourse. The size of Belmont Park and its sweeping turns are natural explanations why runners from Japan have enjoyed their best measure of U.S. success in the Belmont Stakes, with both Lani in 2016 and the Japanese-bred Sunday Break in 2002 finishing third in the 12-furlong final leg of the Triple Crown.

"I thought the turns would be tighter, but it's actually very much like Tokyo Racecourse," said jockey Miyabi Muto, who will ride Jodie. "The turf felt very similar to me, as well as the beautiful grandstand, which is very big."

While a strong performance is the goal for both Master Fencer and Jodie, regardless of what happens Saturday, it appears that a Japanese presence in major American races has blossomed into a trend rather than a fad, which could bode well for a series such as the Breeders' Cup.

"I'll be recommending it to other Japanese horsemen, for sure," Yoshizawa said about racing in the U.S. "I've been watching American horses for a long time and always felt they were superior to my own and, thus, a pointy venture. But after coming here with Master Fencer and seeing that we can be competitive at the highest levels of American racing, I plan to go back and tell everyone that they should consider sending their horses to the United States."