FROM: Masahiro Usuda General Manager, Media & Publicity Department The Japan Racing Association (JRA) DATE: January 17, 2018 Kitasan Black Repeats as Horse of the Year Kitasan Black drew 287 out of 290 votes to win The Japan Racing Association’s (JRA) Horse of the Year award again with another outstanding season that included victories in the Osaka Hai, the Tenno Sho (Spring), the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Arima Kinen. He becomes the ninth horse in JRA history, the first since Gentildonna (2012, 2014) to win two Horse of the Year titles and the seventh to win consecutively—the last being Vodka in 2008 and 2009. The annual JRA Awards, which will be handed out in a ceremony at Prince Park Tower Tokyo on Monday, January Kitasan Black at 2017 Arima Kinen 29, recognize horses, trainers, jockeys, and other individuals and organizations for outstanding performances or achievements in the thoroughbred racing season. Kitasan Black was also named Best Older Colt or Horse for the consecutive year with full votes. Best Two- Year-Old Filly Lucky Lilac was the only other unanimous choice while Best Three-Year-Old Colt Rey de Oro and Best Steeplechase Horse Oju Chosan were each just one vote short. Best Two-Year-Old Colt Danon Premium, Best Sprinter or Miler Red Falx and Best Dirt Horse Gold Dream also collected more than 90% of 290 maximum votes. Vivlos won the Best Older Filly or Mare title with 194 votes while Soul Stirring won the Best Three-Year-Old Filly with 162, 42 votes over the runner-up. JRA Best Trainer Awards are presented for Races Won, Winning Average, Money Earned and Training Technique based on JRA races and designated NAR and overseas races. Yasutoshi Ikee won his second Best Trainer title for Races Won and fourth for Money Earned. Mitsumasa Nakauchida won his first JRA Award title for Winning Average since opening his yard in 2014. Noriyuki Hori won his second and consecutive title for Training Technique. Yasutoshi Ikee Best Jockey Awards are presented for Races Won, Money Earned, Winning Average, Steeplechase and Newcomer based on accomplishments in JRA races alone. Christophe Lemaire claimed his first titles for Races Won and Most Valuable Jockey, the latter determined by points earned for wins, earnings, winning average and rides in JRA, designated-NAR and overseas races combined. The French native also won his second consecutive title for Money Earned. Mirco Demuro won the title for Winning Average while Christophe Shinichi Ishigami turned in another stellar season to stamp his claim as the Best Steeplechase Lemaire Jockey for the second consecutive year. No one was eligible for the Best Jockey (Newcomer) title because no jockey who debuted in 2017 was able to score the required minimum 30 wins. The Equine Culture Award was presented to Tamsin Pickeral (author), Astrid Harrisson (photographer), Fumi Kawagishi (translator) and X-Knowledge Co., Ltd. (publisher) for their pictorial book “Sekai de Ichiban Utsukushii Uma no Zukan” (The Majesty of the Horse: An Illustrated History). Notes: All information, including ages and race performances, are as of December 31, 2017, unless otherwise indicated. Wins and earnings include JRA-designated local public races under the National Association of Racing (NAR; local public racing) and overseas starts, except for jockeys. The Season Performances chart shows the horse’s positions in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and final corners, from left to right. “L3F” and “[Horse]” indicate time over the last 3 furlongs (600m) and the horse’s weight, respectively. 1 HORSE OF THE YEAR and BEST OLDER COLT OR HORSE Kitasan Black (JPN) Age (Foaling) : 5 (March 10, 2012) Sex / Color : Horse/ Bay Sire : Black Tide Dam (Sire of Dam) : Sugar Heart (Sakura Bakushin O) Owner : Ono Shoji Breeder : Yanagawa Bokujo Trainer : Hisashi Shimizu Jockey : Yutaka Take Season Record / Earnings : 6 starts, 4 wins, 1 third / ¥ 809,340,000 Career Record / Earnings : 20 starts, 12 wins, 2 seconds, 4 thirds / ¥ 1,876,843,000 Principal Wins in 2017 : Arima Kinen (G1), Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1), Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1), Osaka Hai (G1) Kitasan Black scored four JRA-G1 victories during 2017 and capped off his stellar racing career with his seventh G1 victory in the Arima Kinen, securing his second consecutive title for both Horse of the Year and Best Older Colt or Horse. He ties the record of most career JRA-G1 victories with Symboli Rudolf, T.M. Opera O, Deep Impact and Vodka while surpassing T.M. Opera O in career earnings with 1,876,843,000 yen. The son of Black Tide is now retired from racing and stands for stud at Shadai Stallion Station. He won three in a row from his career debut as a three-year-old, including his first grade-race victory, to qualify for the Triple Crown Classics. While still green in the first two legs of the triple, he progressed well during the summer break to win his fall debut, the St. Lite Kinen, and demonstrated both speed and stamina in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) for his first G1 title. Despite a long hard-fought season, he capped off his three-year-old campaign with a third against older G1-caliber runners in the Arima Kinen. He kicked off his four-year-old campaign with a close runner-up finish in the Sankei Osaka Hai and validated his Kikuka Sho win as a first-class stayer for his second G1 victory in the following Tenno Sho (Spring) before a neck-nose third in the Takarazuka Kinen. In his first Japan Cup challenge, after coming off a win in his fall debut, the Kyoto Daishoten, the race favorite made for a convincing 2-1/2 length victory. He then capped off the season with a strong runner-up effort in the Arima Kinen, helping him to capture his first JRA Awards as the 2016 Horse of the Year Title and Best Older Colt or Horse. He started his 2017 campaign with a 3/4-length victory in the Osaka Hai, a newly upgraded G1 event, and followed it with a dominating performance for a second consecutive victory in the Tenno Sho (Spring), where he renewed the race record by 0.9 second. He turned in a disappointing ninth in the Takarazuka Kinen but bounced back in his fall debut to claim the Tenno Sho (Autumn), becoming the fifth horse to capture the Tenno Sho double in the same year. While unsuccessful in defending his Japan Cup title, finishing third, the reigning Horse of the Year was in control throughout the Arima Kinen and never in serious threat as he cleared the wire by a comfortable margin of 1-1/2 lengths. 2017 Season Performances of Kitasan Black Dist. (m) Jockey PP Position Placed / Field Winning Time Date Name of Race Racecourse Going (Wt.) [Horse] (Fav) (L3F) Winner (2nd) (Margin (sec.)) Nakayama 2500 Y. Take 2 1 1 1 1 1 / 16 2:33.6 12.24 Arima Kinen (G1) (JPN) Firm (57.0) [540] (1) (35.2) (Queens Ring) (0.2) Tokyo 2400 Y. Take 4 1 1 1 1 3 / 17 2:23.7 11.26 Japan Cup (G1) (JPN) Firm (57.0) [542] (1) (35.3) Cheval Grand (0.2) Tokyo 2000 Y. Take 7 - 11 5 2 1 / 18 2:08.3 10.29 Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1) (JPN) Soft (58.0) [542] (1) (38.5) (Satono Crown) (0.0) Hanshin 2200 Y. Take 10 3 3 2 2 9 / 11 2:11.4 06.25 Takarazuka Kinen (G1) (JPN) Good (58.0) [542] (1) (36.9) Satono Crown (1.3) Kyoto 3200 Y. Take 3 2 2 2 1 1 / 17 3:12.5R 04.30 Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) (JPN) Firm (58.0) [536] (1) (35.3) (Cheval Grand) (0.2) Hanshin 2000 Y. Take 5 4 3 3 2 1 / 14 1:58.9 04.02 Osaka Hai (G1) (JPN) Firm (57.0) [540] (1) (34.3) (Staphanos) (0.1) 2 BEST TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT Danon Premium (JPN) Age (Foaling) : 2 (April 3, 2015) Sex / Color : Colt / Dark Bay or Brown Sire : Deep Impact Dam (Sire of Dam) : Indiana Gal (Intikhab) Owner : Danox Co., Ltd. Breeder : K. I. Farm Trainer : Mitsumasa Nakauchida Jockey : Yuga Kawada Season Record / Earnings : 3 starts, 3 wins / ¥ 111,799,000 Principal Wins in 2017 : Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1), Saudi Arabia Royal Cup (G3) Danon Premium captured this year’s Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes in 1:33.3, a race record last renewed back in 2015. Undefeated in all three career starts, he has been able to find another gear each time and use his outstanding speed to chase the pace close up early and clear the wire by a comfortable margin. The Deep Impact colt showed potential in his career debut in June over 1,800 meters, which he won by an overwhelming four-length margin. In October, he landed his first grade-race challenge, the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup, where he renewed the 1,600-meter turf-course record (two-year-olds) while outrunning the race favorite by 1-3/4 lengths. Sent to post as the race favorite in his next start, the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, Danon Premium broke sharply from an inside draw and stalked the leaders in third while saving ground along the rails. Entering the stretch, he immediately grabbed the spotlight and pulled away with a fastest finish, covering the last three furlongs in 33.6 seconds. His win by a margin of 3-1/2 lengths tied a record set back in 1993 by Narita Brian, who went on to become a Triple Crown winner in his following season.