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November 2005 Vol. 13 NO. 5 2 4 5 7 8 Emperor Attends The Current HBA Hokkaido Japan Japanese Emperor’s Cup Status of Selection Sale Bloodhorse Graded Race Japanese Breeder’s Results Auctions Sprint Superstar Association Silent Witness Celebrates 50th Notches 1st Anniversary Overseas Win Emperor's shield made by mahogany with glod plated chrysanthemum mark which is family crest of Imperial family 132nd Running THE TENNO SHO (AUTUMN) (GI) Tokyo Racecourse October 30 Emperor Attends Emperor’s Cup by Ginjiro Takeichi Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Heavenly Romance moved into the center Prince Philip, the Duke of of the middle bunch, with most of the other Edinburgh, when he went to contenders advancing together with the Tokyo Racecourse on October middle group. The first half was extremely 11, 1986. The following year, slow-paced, as the horses were all held on November 1, 1987, the then- back and unfurling strangely, as though the Crown Prince attended the 96th outcome would only be determined in the running of the Fall Emperor’s final stretch. With each jockey apparently Cup. However, attendance by secretly planning to show off his own an Emperor as compared to horse’s legs down the long stretch, Dance attendance by a Crown Prince in the Mood quickly moved into the lead at or other members of the the fourth turn, a natural outcome of his Imperial family has a different inner rail position. Pushed to the outside, level of meaning in Japanese the contenders in the middle group brawled society. fiercely to cut the lost distance. Zenno Rob October 30, 2005 was the most splendid Arriving at Tokyo Roy broke from the pack, surging toward day in the 100 years since modern horse Racecourse at 2:00 p.m. on October 30, the the finish in a dead heat with Dance in the racing began in Tokyo. The Emperor Emperor and Empress first visited the exhi- Mood as 100,000 spectators held their attended the 132nd running of the Fall bition entitled “The Glorious Emperor’s breath at each stride. A few strides before Emperor’s Cup, the 100th anniversary of Cup” at the JRA Racing Museum. Next, the slope leading up to the finish, just when the Tenno-sho, at Tokyo Racecourse. they proceeded to Memorial Hall, where it appeared that Zenno Rob Roy was From the end of September, Fall GI races they spoke with jockey Yutaka Take, who assured of victory, unheralded 5-year-old are held almost every week in Japan, and rode Deep Impact to the Triple Crown dur- mare Heavenly Romance broke between among these the Japan Cup — a 2,400- ing a loss-free season, and the horse’s the other two horses, whipped on by jockey meter international GI event — is known breeder, Northern Farm representative Mikio Matsunaga. There was a fierce melee worldwide. But the Emperor’s Cup, which Katsuya Yoshida. After waving to the within the top 10, as horses swarmed over has been held continuously throughout the 100,000 spectators from Memorial Stand’s the line within 0.5 seconds of the winning 100 years of Japanese horseracing history, seventh floor royal box, they calmly took time. With a trifecta paying off more than is the GI race with the most tradition and their seats. They passed the pre-race inter- 12,000 times, the excitement around the glory. val watching members of the Imperial track over the upset did not die down for a Even though Japanese racing has emulat- household ministry equerry perform great while. ed the United Kingdom’s king of sports, the “Horobiki,” an ancient equestrian art The Emperor has inherited the same last time an Emperor visited a track was 83 involving spurring horses to a gallop while fondness for horses as Emperor Taisho who years ago, November 11, 1922. At that trying to keep silk pennants, which were visited Tokyo Racecourse as Crown Prince time, the then-Prince Regent (later to used to ward off arrows on the battlefield, in the fall of 1911, the year before he become Emperor Showa, who conducted from touching the ground. They viewed the acceded to the throne The Emperor the Emperor’s state duties on behalf of the Emperor’s Cup race card, asking their watched the jockeys’ maneuvers down the ailing Emperor Taisho from 1921) visited escort, JRA President Masayuki Takahashi, home stretch and the dead heat between the Tokyo Racecourse. Because Emperor about the contenders’ conditions. horses from the edge of his balcony seat Showa, whose reign spanned more than 62 When the fanfare sounded to announce and appeared as rapt as if he were atop a years before and after the Second World the race’s start at 3:40 p.m., the Emperor horse and spurring it toward the finish him- War, never visited a race track during his picked up his binoculars and leaned for- self. reign, the occasion of this visit by the cur- ward to watch the race from the balcony. At the end of his victory lap, first-time rent Emperor, marking the 51st anniversary The 18 horses sprang from the starting Emperor’s Cup winner Matsunaga guided of the founding of the Japan Racing gate simultaneously, and at the first turn the winning horse toward the royal box, Association and the 132nd running of the 125 meters from the gate, the first point at took off his helmet, and bowed deeply to Fall Emperor’s Cup, was an epochal event which the position taken would determine the Emperor for about five seconds. His for Japanese racing. how the race developed, Tap Dance City solemn act awed the 100,000 frenzied fans Compared with his predecessors, the cur- (by Pleasant Tap), a flier and winner of last and brought a momentary hush over the rent Emperor has a great interest in horses year’s Japan Cup, yielded the lead to 3- noisy track. Returning his gaze to the and, having even served as captain of the year-old Stormy Café while last year’s sec- Emperor while softly patting the victorious Equestrian Club at Gakushuin Boy’s Senior ond place Fall Emperor’s Cup finisher, horse’s neck, Matsunaga was unable to High School, he has often attended interna- Dance in the Mood, followed in third on the hold back the tears of emotion at the con- tional equestrian competitions. When he rail. Last year’s champion Zenno Rob Roy gratulatory applause from the Emperor and was Crown Prince, he acted as escort to was slightly wide in the middle group, Empress. As he was enveloped by applause and renewed cheers from around the track, Trophy” in the fall and the spring of the fol- bolic of efforts to improve Japanese horses, the horse responded to the movement of the lowing year. The appellation “Imperial the Emperor’s Cup was previously limited track. That the winning horse was a filly Household Prize” was first used in fall to Japan-bred entrants, but since 2002 the with the name Heavenly Romance could be 1906. A flower vase emblazoned with the door has been opened to foreign-bred hors- said to symbolize the Imperial household’s Imperial crest awarded in the fall of 1905 es (horses that were born abroad and happiness over Princess Norinomiya’s wed- was the first prize featuring the Imperial trained after being brought to Japan) and ding less than a month later. emblem. has already been won by U.S.-bred Agnes I would like to take this opportunity to Imperial Household trophies were Digital and Symboli Kris S. touch upon the significance of the bestowed from autumn 1906, during the Compared to the Japanese Derby, the Emperor’s Cup race and its history. first modern races directly operated by Japan Cup, Arima Kinen and other Classic The development of modern horseracing Japanese (by the Tokyo Racing Society at distance races (around a mile and a half in in Japan owes much to efforts undertaken Ikegami Racecourse, the forerunner of the length), the 2,000-meter Fall Emperor’s by the Meiji Emperor and also to JRA). Cup is a valuable opportunity to verify Yokohama’s foreign community in the With the subsequent addition of other which GI horses suited to middle distances 1860s which opened a racetrack (later facilities, Imperial trophies were awarded will be future sires. Horses that win both known as Negishi’s Yokohama not just at the Tokyo and Yokohama tracks, 2,400-meter GI Classics and the Fall Racecourse) as a place to socialize. but also at Fukushima, Hakodate, Hanshin, Emperor’s Cup are deemed to be of high Emperor Meiji was very interested in Kokura and Sapporo. Receiving Imperial value as future sires. horses and was a skilled rider. He promoted Household laurels was a great honor for The winners of the Fall Emperor’s Cup horsemanship from a military prespective, those in the racing industry. However, with for the past 10 years have featured a lineup understanding it as the most important fac- 10 races held each year from 1924 on and of foals sired by former European and U.S. tor in land battles, and horseriding as a way with trophies handed out freely, there were champions, such as American Horse of the to strengthen horses that were needed in the also cases in which horses that could be Year Sunday Silence, Prix de l Arc de nation’s defense. He often visited the track thought of as true champions did not Triomphe victor Tony Bin and the King in Yokohama (Negishi), as well as race- receive trophies.

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