 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Japanese raiders are set to storm the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar on November 1-2, with a record-breaking 19 horses booked for the two-day extravaganza. The unprecedented influx of Japanese talent is poised to surpass last year's record of eight runners at Santa Anita Park.
Leading the Japanese contingent are three formidable contenders for the US$7 million Breeders' Cup Classic. Forever Young, fresh from his victory in the Japan Dirt Classic at Oi Racecourse, will be looking to improve on his close third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. He'll be joined by Derma Sotogake, last year's Classic runner-up, and multiple Group One winner Ushba Tesoro, who finished fifth in the 2023 edition.
The Classic has seen Japanese success in the past, with Knicks Go winning in 2021 and going on to claim Horse of the Year honours. Other notable winners include Authentic (2020) and Accelerate (2018), both of whom secured multiple Grade One victories in their careers.
Kate Hunter, a multilingual field representative for the Breeders' Cup, revealed the scale of the Japanese challenge via social media, noting that the cargo space for the scheduled flight has been fully booked, with additional potential starters on a waiting list.
Dora Delgado, executive vice president and chief racing officer for Breeders' Cup, expressed her excitement: "This exceeded all of our expectations. It's really great because the way they are kind of breaking out—they're covering the gamut from dirt to turf, babies; they're all over the place."
The Japanese contingent is set to contribute to what could be a record-breaking year for foreign participation at Del Mar. Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien is expected to send a strong team, headlined by City of Troy, who will attempt to transfer his stellar turf form to dirt in the Classic.
Several factors have contributed to the increased Japanese presence. The success of March Lorraine and Loves Only You at the 2021 Breeders' Cup at Del Mar has sparked interest, while Forever Young's near-miss in the Kentucky Derby has further fuelled enthusiasm.
Delgado credited Kate Hunter's recruiting efforts in Japan and highlighted the importance of recent changes to Breeders' Cup eligibility rules. "What it did was instead of having all of their horses have to be nominated as weanlings, it just made all their horses automatically eligible," she explained. "So we went from having about 1,500 Europeans nominated each year to over 15,000 eligible, just automatically, without having to do anything."
The Japanese runners are scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on October 22, with training at Del Mar expected to commence on October 26. To accommodate the increased Japanese presence, Breeders' Cup has bolstered its media team with the addition of Mariko Seki as a liaison and translator, while Toshihiro Onikubo will provide daily updates on the Japanese contenders.
As the countdown to the Breeders' Cup continues, all eyes will be on the formidable Japanese contingent, ready to make their mark on one of racing's biggest stages.