FROM: Yuji Kinoshita General Manager, Media & Publicity Department, The Japan Racing Association (JRA) DATE: January 20, 2014 Phenomenal Sprinter Lord Kanaloa Named 2013 Horse of the Year The Japan Racing Association will present its 2013 Horse of the Year Award to Lord Kanaloa, who earned 209 of 280 votes for a superb racing season adorned with four G1 victories, including a repeat win in the Hong Kong Sprint. The award will be presented during the annual JRA Award ceremony in Tokyo on January 27, where horses, trainers, jockeys and thoroughbred-related individuals and organizations are recognized for accomplished performances or achievements each season. Lord Kanaloa, the only short-distance runner besides Taiki Shuttle (1998) to receive the JRA’s highest honor, also was the unanimous pick for Best Sprinter or Miler, which he won in 2012 as well. Lord Kanaloa at 2013 Hong Kong Sprint Another unanimous selection was Meisho Mambo for Best Three-Year-Old Filly. Orfevre, who gave a powerful performance in an eight-length victory, the last run of his career, claimed his second consecutive title for Best Older Colt or Horse by a wide margin. Two-time Japan Cup winner and last year’s Horse of the Year Gentildonna was the overwhelming choice for Best Older Filly or Mare. Trainers’ awards are presented for wins, earnings and winning average (in JRA races and designated National Association of Racing [NAR] and overseas races) and training technique. Three of the four categories were won by Katsuhiko Sumii, who collected his third straight award for Races Won and fourth awards overall for both Money Earned (also 2005, 2008 and 2010) and Training Technique (also 2009–2011). Hideaki Fujiwara took the award for Winning Average, which he also won in 2007 and 2008. The criteria for JRA Awards presented to jockeys changed in 2013, with winners now decided by wins, purses and winning average in JRA races only. Yuichi Fukunaga, a two-time JRA Award winner for Newcomer in 1996 and Winning Average in 2011, won Races Won and Money Earned for the first time each. Yuga Kawada and Jun Takada won their inaugural JRA Awards for Winning Average and Best Steeplechase Jockey, respectively. The legendary Yutaka Take was given the Special Award for noteworthy achievements, including an unprecedented 100th G1 victory. No one qualified for Best Jockey (Newcomer), which requires at least 30 wins. A new annual award, Most Valuable Jockey, was presented to Yuichi Fukunaga for amassing the most points for combined rankings in wins, winning average, earnings and total rides in JRA races and designated NAR and overseas races. The Equine Culture Award went to Harumitsu Umezaki, a journalist for Sports Nippon Newspapers, whose nonfiction “Ryukyu Horse Racing Lost—In Search of Legendary Champion Hikoki” vividly reprises the history of a unique horse racing sport that was an integral part of Okinawan culture for centuries. Umezaki is the first active newspaper reporter to be presented with a JRA Award. Notes: All information, including ages and race performances, are as of December 31, 2013, unless otherwise indicated. Wins and earnings figures include National Association of Racing (local public racing) and overseas starts designated by the JRA for consideration in voting. “Position” under “Season Performances” shows the horse’s position in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and final corners, from left to right. “L3F” shows the time over the last three furlongs (600m). 1 HORSE OF THE YEAR BEST SPRINTER OR MILER Lord Kanaloa (JPN) Age (Date of Foaling) : 5 (March 11, 2008) Sex / Color : Horse / Bay Sire : King Kamehameha Dam (Sire of Dam) : Lady Blossom (Storm Cat) Owner : Lord Horse Club Breeder : K. I. Farm Trainer : Takayuki Yasuda Jockey : Yasunari Iwata Season Record / Earnings : 6 starts, 5 wins, 1 second / ¥ 456,791,900 Career Record / Earnings : 19 starts, 13 wins, 5 seconds, 1 third / ¥ 850,200,800 Principal Wins in 2013 : Hong Kong Sprint (G1), Sprinters Stakes (G1), Yasuda Kinen (G1), Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1), Hankyu Hai (G3) Lord Kanaloa marked a spectacular 2013 season by scoring five wins out of six starts and firmly establishing himself as one of the greatest sprinters in the world. His consecutive victories in six G1 events — Sprinters Stakes and Hong Kong Sprint (both in 2012 & 2013) and Takamatsunomiya Kinen and Yasuda Kinen — are part of the legacy he has left behind following his retirement at the end of 2013. After an overwhelming six-length victory in his only start as a two-year-old, the King Kamehameha colt in his first two starts at three just missed by 1/2-length both times, but then went undefeated in his next four races over 1,200 meters, the last being his grade-race debut in the Keihan Hai (G3, 1,200m). In his 2012 kick-off, Lord Kanaloa extended his winning streak to five with another grade-race victory, the Silk Road Stakes (G3, 1,200m), after which he finished third in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. He captured his first G1 victory in the Sprinters Stakes, giving trainer Takayuki Yasuda a one-two finish along with defending champion Curren Chan, who finished second. His impressive season, which included becoming the first Japanese runner to claim the Hong Kong Sprint, earned him the season’s Best Sprinter or Miler award. The son of King Kamehameha was virtually untouchable over sprint distances during 2013, claiming both the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and the Sprinters Stakes. He also proved to be a world-class miler by winning the Yasuda Kinen against a field that included two contingents from Hong Kong. In the final run of his career, the Hong Kong Sprint, the defending champion did not disappoint despite starting from outside barrier 12. He displayed his brilliant speed to gain the lead with 300 meters to go and then dominating by five lengths at the wire—the biggest margin ever in the race. The victory made him the first runner to claim two consecutive Hong Kong Sprint titles since Silent Witness in 2003 and 2004. Now having begun his new career at Shadai Stallion Station, his fans wait with high expectations to see his offspring in action in the coming future. Season Performances of Lord Kanaloa Dist. (m) JockeyPosition Placed / Field Winning Time Date Race Racecourse Going (Wgt (kg)) (L3F) Winner (2nd) (Margin (sec.)) '13 Sha Tin 1200 Y. Iwata - - 6 4 1 / 14 1:08.2 Hong Kong Sprint (G1) 12.08 (HK) Firm (57.0) (Sole Power) (0.8) Nakayama 1200 Y. Iwata - - 7 5 1 / 16 1:07.2 09.29 Sprinters Stakes (G1) (JPN) Firm (57.0)(33.8) (Hakusan Moon) (0.1) Hanshin 1200 Y. Iwata - - 3 3 2 / 13 1:07.5 09.08 Centaur Stakes (G2) (JPN) Firm (58.0)(33.4) Hakusan Moon (0.0) Tokyo 1600 Y. Iwata - - 8 8 1 / 18 1:31.5 06.02 Yasuda Kinen (G1) (JPN) Firm (58.0)(33.3) (Shonan Mighty) (0.0) Chukyo 1200 Y. Iwata - - 9 7 1 / 17 1:08.1R 03.24 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) (JPN) Firm (57.0)(33.2) (Dream Valentino) (0.2) Hanshin 1400 Y. Iwata - - 5 5 1 / 16 1:21.0 02.24 Hankyu Hai (G3) (JPN) Firm (58.0)(34.5) (Majin Prosper) (0.1) 2 BEST TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT Asia Express (USA) Age (Date of Foaling) : 2 (February 9, 2011) Sex / Color : Colt / Chestnut Sire : Henny Hughes Dam (Sire of Dam) : Running Bobcats (Running Stag) Owner : Yukio Baba Breeder : Ocala Stud Trainer : Takahisa Tezuka Jockey : Ryan Moore Season Record / Earnings : 3 starts, 3 wins / ¥ 88,131,000 Principal Wins in 2013 : Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1) Asia Express demonstrated exceptional power in his first test on turf to score a comfortable 1-1/4-length victory in last year’s Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, closing out a brief but spectacular first season. In his debut barely a month earlier, on November 3 at Tokyo Racecourse in a 1,400-meter 16-field dirt race, the Henny Hughes colt kicked off his career with a sensational five-length victory. Three weeks later, partnered by top British jockey Ryan Moore, the US-bred chestnut gave another terrific performance in winning the Oxalis Sho by a dominant seven-length victory. Initially aiming for the championship two-year-old dirt race held by the National Association of Racing (NAR), the colt was excluded from the list of five JRA two-year-old dirt runners eligible to run in the race. Instead, his connections decided that his speed and power would be effective over turf in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, in which the colt was also qualified to start. So, by a twist of fate, Asia Express was given a chance in his first season to prove that he can excel both on turf and dirt. Sent to post fourth choice in his turf debut, Asia Express bided his time along the rails in mid-field under Moore, then accelerated impressively to contend at the stretch. Then he rallied with two other foes while overtaking the tiring leader 100 meters out and finally drew away for a clear victory. The first dirt runner in JRA history to have claimed a turf G1 title in his inaugural test over grass, Asia Express’ options for his 2014 season are open wide, though it is most probable that he will begin his three-year-old season on turf. Season Performances of Asia Express *D=Dirt Dist. (m) JockeyPosition Placed / Field Winning Time Date Race Racecourse Going (Wgt (kg)) (L3F) Winner (2nd) (Margin (sec.)) '13 Nakayama 1600 R. Moore - 11 9 7 1 / 16 1:34.7 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1) 12.15 (JPN) Firm (55.0)(35.3) (Shonan Achieve) (0.2) Oxalis Sho Tokyo 1600D* R.