Do Deuce Leads Japanese Champions With Horse Of The Year, Older Male Titles

[Wandering Eyes]

Kieffers Company's Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) was named the 2024 Japanese Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male, the Japan Racing Association (JRA) announced on Tuesday. The formal 2024 JRA Awards Ceremony will be held in a hotel in Tokyo at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27.

The Yasuo Tomomichi trainee was poised for a big 2024 and duly delivered victories in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the G1 Japan Cup in October and November, respectfully. He received 236 of the 256 possible votes for Horse of the Year, and all 256 for Champion Older Male. A Group 1 winner at two, three, four and five, he was the recipient of the Japanese 2-Year-Old Male award in 2021, and also won the 2022 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).

In one of the most contested categories, Danox Company's Danon Decile (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) eked out the Champion 3-Year-Old Male title with 144 votes to Forever Young's 103. Shogo Yasuda trained the chestnut to win the coveted Tokyo Yushun last year, as well as the G3 Keisei Hai earlier in his campaign. Bred by Shadai Farm, he was an honourable third in the G1 Arima Kinen in December.

Globetrotter and dirt Group 1 winner Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), although not formally recognised with a championship, received a special award from the JRA. Unbeaten through his first five starts at two and three, the son of Forever Darling (Congrats) won the G3 Saudi Derby and the G2 UAE Derby during that streak last spring. Denied by just two noses when third in the GI Kentucky Derby, the Northern Racing-bred colt bounced back with a score in the Listed Japan Dirt Classic in October, before a third in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. He finally attained that rarefied Group 1 crown with a 1 3/4-length tally in the G1 Tokyo Daishoten in the colours of Susumu Fujita for trainer Yoshita Yahagi. Forever Young accrued 19 Horse of the Year votes, and was also runner-up in the voting in two more categories: Champion 3-Year-Old Male and Champion Dirt Horse.

Northern Racing-bred and racing in the silks of Sunday Racing Company, the undefeated Croix Du Nord (Jpn) was crowned Champion 2-Year-Old Male. A winner at Tokyo in June, he added the G2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes in November, prior to running out a two-length winner of the G1 Hopeful Stakes at Nakayama.

Like many in this bunch, Cervinia (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) hails from one of the Yoshida family's breeding arms in Northern Farm, and the Champion 3-Year-Old Filly accolade went her way after a two-for-four season. Unplaced in the G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas, the Sunday Racing colourbearer bounced back with tallies in the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and G1 Shuka Sho. She was a good fourth to Do Deuce in the Japan Cup in November.

Teruo Ono's Arma Veloce (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) was named the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly after a two-for-three campaign. A maiden winner in August for trainer Hiroyuki Uemura, the Northern Farm-bred dark bay was a nose second in the G3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes, and waltzed home a 1 1/4-length winner of the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies to gain year-end honours. Incidentally, Harbinger is also the sire of the 2024 Japanese Champion Steeplechaser Nishino Daisy (Jpn).

Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), who races for Sunday Racing, won once in five starts, but her victory in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup was good enough to be named the Champion Older Female. Another bred by Northern Farm, the daughter of Rosa Blanca (Jpn) (Kurofune) was trained by Tomokazu Takano.

Tatsue Ishikawa's Soul Rush (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) is the 2024 Champion Miler. Never out of the first three in five starts last term, the Shimokobe Farm-bred did take the G1 Mile Championship, and he was runner-up in the G1 Hong Kong Mile in November and December, respectively. Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) was runner-up in this voting category. The former received 182 votes to Romantic Warrior's 66.

Among the speedballs, Lugal (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) got the nod for Champion Sprinter on the back of victories in the G3 Silk Road Stakes last January, and in the G1 Sprinters Stakes in September. Bred by Mishima Bokujo, the dark bay represents Yoshimasa Ema.

Already Japanese Champion Dirt Horse in 2023, Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) earned that accolade again in 2024 for Godolphin and trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka. Unplaced in the G1 Saudi Cup in February, the then-6-year-old won a pair of listed races back on home soil, before doubling up in the G1 Champions Cup, a race he won in 2023. Bred by Olly and Amber Tait, he earned one vote for Horse of the Year.

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