#Almond Eye

Essential Quality, shown winning the Grade I Travers, is among the favorites in a Breeders' Cup Classic field announced this week. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 29 (UPI) -- It's a week for looking forward as horse racing around the globe nears its annual champion-making events and youngsters get in final licks to make a case…

Cheval Grand, shown winning the 2017 Japan Cup, returns seeking a repeat victory in Sunday's renewal. Photo courtesy of Japan Racing Association Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Weekend horse racing action stretches from Tokyo to Bahrain with a stop in England and a quick look at Hong Kong's preparations for its big weekend two weeks down the calendar. The Grade 1…

History awaits Mishriff in the third running of the $20 million Saudi Cup, where victory would make him the sport's leading prize-money earner of all time. With a cool $10m (£7.5m/€9m) to the winner, a repeat Saudi Cup win would take him clear of global giants Winx, Arrogate and Almond Eye at the top of the money list and cement his legacy among…

Maximum Security, the colt disqualified from victory in the Kentucky Derby, returns to the winner's circle Saturday at Belmont Park. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 28 (UPI) -- It was a very good weekend of horse racing for Japan as Lys Gracieux landed the Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia and Almond Eye returned to her dominant…

Almond Eye, shown winning the 2018 Japan Cup, is the favorite for Sunday's Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn). Photo courtesy of Japan Racing Association Oct. 30 (UPI) -- American horse racing is virtually on pause a week out from the Breeders' Cup World Championships, but plenty of action exists around the globe with Almond Eye returning in Japan,…

Salute the Soldier wins Maktoum Challenge Round 3 on Super Saturday at Meydan, with the next stop the Dubai World Cup. Photo by Erika Rasmussen, courtesy of Dubai Racing Club March 8 (UPI) -- Super Saturday in Dubai, the highlight of weekend horse racing around the world, opened the door to World Cup night for some of the horses who have toiled…

The rains stopped at Pimlico Thursday morning just as Kentucky Derby winner Justify (pictured) stepped out to test the track in preparation for Saturday's Preakness. Photo courtesy of Maryland Jockey Club The sun didn't shine on My Old Kentucky Home on Derby Day this year and it's unlikely to shine on Saturday's Preakness, either. But for Derby…

Lys Gracieux cruises to victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Arima Kinen in Japan. Photo courtesy of Kasumi Saito Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Lys Gracieux roared to victory over a loaded field in the Arima Kinen in Japan in the marquee event of weekend horse racing while Diamond Oops upset the apple cart in a key Florida sprint with international implications. Firenze…

It was an amazing finish to an extraordinary career. A storybook finish, a finish that seemed predestined to happen as the year marched on. And when the favorite Almond Eye, guided with supreme confidence by the brilliant Gallic equine conductor Christophe Lemaire, stormed past a field of 14 other horses in the 40th Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on…

Almond Eye, ridden by French jockey Christophe Lemaire, established a Japan Racing Association record with an eighth Grade I victory on Sunday, November 1. The 5-year-old mare, who has 10 wins in 14 career races, captured the Tenno Sho (Autumn) crown for the second straight year, doing so in electrifying fashion at Tokyo Racecourse. The fifth…

Six horses have won the filly Triple Crown in Japanese racing history, with Daring Tact the latest to accomplish the feat on Sunday, October 18 at Kyoto Racecourse. Daring Tact's victory in the Shuka Sho, the third leg of the Triple Crown, produced another distinct, too. She became the first unbeaten horse to do so. In the 2000-meter Shuka Sho,…

Instead, Lemaire and Cafe Pharoah stayed the course, exhibiting patience and fortitude. As the horses galloped and made the turn toward the final stretch, Cafe Pharoah sat in fourth place. But not for long. Urged on by Lemaire, the bay colt kept pushing ahead. Air Almas' lead dwindled as Cafe Pharoah inched closer toward the front. Making his move…

Sodashi, a rare white Thoroughbred shown winning the Artemis Stakes earlier in the season, is among the favorites for Sunday's Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Photo courtesy of Japan Racing Association Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Weekend horse racing takes an international turn as Sunday's Longines Hong Kong International Races could see the final runs by…

Although it has one of the smallest horse populations in the world, Hong Kong has positioned itself as global leader in thoroughbred racing. The Hong Kong International Races, or H.K.I.R., the marquee event of the island's season, take place on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse. Begun in 1988, the event originally featured one race, the Hong Kong…

The Japan Cup takes centre stage internationally next Sunday and while the race - worth a cool £2.5 million to the winner - has not gone to a horse trained outside Japan since 2005, that hasn't deterred connections of four European runners from making the journey, the biggest contingent in a decade. And there are reasons for hope of a breakthrough,…

Almond Eye (Christophe Lemaire) adds the Yushun Himba to her Oka Sho success Report: Japan, Sunday Tokyo: Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (Grade 1) 1m4f | 3yo fillies Hours after Justify moved one race away from claiming America's historic Triple Crown, Almond Eye (Sakae Kunieda/Christophe Lemaire) moved herself into prime position for Japan's…

ONLY eight runners, but wow what a field we have for arguably the race of the week. Over half of the field have won a Grade 1 between them and that's not even including the likes of Crystal Ocean. Somehow this horse remains under the radar on the big stage and many have questioned why Sir Michael has opted for this race instead of the…

Contrail looked a monster at two and could become one of the stars of the Japanese spring Unlike many other major northern hemisphere racing and breeding nations, Japan has thus far been able to keep its Graded race programme intact in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. With the sport continuing minus its passionate on-course chorus of fans,…

Crack chaser Oju Chosan and the legendary Yutaka Take will tackle the Arima Kinen In 2017 Japanese punters placed more than ¥44 billion - around £312 million/€346m - on the outcome of the Arima Kinen, once again making it by some way the world's biggest betting race. To put that into context, turnover for the most popular contest with punters in…

This Sunday, Nov. 28, Tokyo Racecourse hosts the Grade 1 Japan Cup, the iconic invitational gala that has been instrumental in boosting Japan's horses and horsemen to the heights of international competitiveness they now enjoy. Some JPY 648 million, over USD 6 million, is up for grabs. Japan's horses have monopolized the winner's circle for the…

Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Last weekend, some of the world's best horses were on display in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. This weekend, the blue-collar horses get their time in the sun in the Claiming Crown races 75 miles to the west at Churchill Downs. We'll also see if the Twin Spires folks have been able to coax grass to grow, as two of…

Almond Eye: could not reach Gran Algeria Tokyo: Yasuda Kinen (Grade 1) Less than 24 hours after Pinatubo suffered a shock defeat in the 2000 Guineas, international superstar Almond Eye could only finish second in the Yasuda Kinen behind Gran Alegria (Kazuo Fujisawa/Kenichi Ikezoe). Almond Eye was once again red-hot favourite for the…

Cyberknife, shown winning the Arkansas Derby, runs in Saturday's $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby brings together many of the top U.S. 3-year-olds just hours after a few of the top prospects for next year's European Classics kick off the…

Dubai World Cup day is here an in my opinion it's the best raceday of the year, bar none. I feel very privileged to be part of the live broadcast on Racing TV and I hope you'll join us to enjoy the action - and hopefully cheer on a winner or two. It is a meeting that throws up many difficult conundra as a new group of international raiders fly in…