#Japan Sports Notebook

Equinox, guided by Christophe Lemaire, wins the Arima Kinen on December 25, 2022, at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. (KYODO) Equinox triumphed in two of Japan's biggest horse races in 2022, and those Grade 1 victories helped him garner a pair of prestigious accolades. The Japan Racing Association named Equinox its 2022 Horse of…

Osaka, who lit the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021, posted a photo of an ultrasound on Twitter. She also wrote in her tweet that she's excited about this next chapter in her life."I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I'm looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my…

When he was named Marinos manager in July 2021, Muscat clearly outlined his vision for the club. "I look forward to continuing and building on the foundations Ange has laid to finish the season strong and achieve our goal," said Muscat, who succeeded Postecoglou as boss of the A-League's Melbourne Victory in 2013 and led them to two league titles…

Crown Pride, guided by Damian Lane, booked a spot in the 20-field Kentucky Derby by winning the G2 UAE Derby by 2¾ lengths in Dubai on March 26. For the first leg of America's Triple Crown races, trainer Koichi Shotani opted for to give the starting nod to the more experienced jockey. Lemaire turns 43 on May 20; Lane is 28. Lemaire, the Japan…

New York is coming off a 101-61 season and an appearance in a National League Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres. The Mets won 24 more regular-season games in 2022 under first-year manager Buck Showalter than they did the year before under former skipper Luis Rojas. That raised expectations for 2023, and Mets owner Steve Cohen and…

Curren Bouquetd'or, Kiseki and Miss Mamma Mia placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Chrono Genesis, the runner-up at the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 27, was in contention throughout this race, as were pace-setters Unicorn Lion and Lei Papale. Wipe Tears faded in the latter stages of the race, slipping from third to 10th. Chrono Genesis,…

Veteran outfielder Masataka Yoshida has accepted a five-year contract offer from the Boston Red Sox, according to published reports. The deal is worth $90 million USD (¥12.34 billion JPY), according to MLB, which announced the deal on Wednesday, December 7. According to MLB.com, the Red Sox will also pay a $15.4 million USD (¥2.1 billion JPY)…

There was no stopping Contrail once his burst of speed propelled him to the front with about 200 meters remaining. With a few hundred meters remaining, Contrail, Shahryar and Authority all appeared to have a shot at outsprinting the rest of the field to claim the marquee victory. As Kiseki disappeared from the front, Contrail zoomed past Authority,…

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…

For the second time in as many weeks, Kyoto Racecourse staged a race in which the final leg of a Triple Crown triumph was accomplished. Contrail, ridden by Yuichi Fukunaga, won the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) by a neck on Sunday, October 25, edging jockey Christophe Lemaire and Aristoteles, while Satono Flag, also a son of Deep Impact, placed…

Loves Only You and Marche Lorraine changed the storyline on a glorious Saturday afternoon in Southern California. Jockey Yuga Kawada, one of the premier riders on the Japan Racing Association circuit (currently No. 2 in wins and overall earnings in 2021, trailing only Christophe Lemaire in both categories) guided 5-year-old Loves Only You, the…

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…

Danon Beluga (right), one of Heart's Cry's offspring, competes in the G3 Kyodo News Hai (Tokinominoru Kinen) at Tokyo Racecourse on February 13. (ⒸSANKEI) This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website. It's easy to forget most horse race results due to the bevy of activity and busy year-round schedules at…

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…

The 2000-meter Dubai World Cup concluded the day's festivities at Meydan Racecourse, with American trainer Bob Baffert's Country Grammer, ridden by Italian Frankie Dettori, securing a 1¾-length victory over Hot Rod Charlie in 2 minutes, 4.97 seconds. Country Grammer returned to competition after a nine-month layoff following the Saudi Cup in…

In the speedy showcase for 3-year-olds, fourth favorite Danon Scorpion, who entered the 18-horse competition in the No. 18 post position was ready for the challenge in crunch time. The Lord Kanaloa-sired bay colt galloped past favorite Serifos under Yuichi Fukunaga with around 100 meters remaining and held on for a victory by a neck's length over…

The Yokoyama family's success in high-profile races was also in the spotlight just a few months ago. At last year's Tenno Sho (Autumn), Takeshi Yokoyama, Kazuo's younger brother, won the October 31 race by a length over Contrail at Tokyo Racecourse. Bursting out of the 16 gate aboard second favorite 4-year-old bay colt Titleholder, Yokoyama led…

Ikezoe credited trainer Toru Hayashi and other support staff for putting Songline, who entered the race from stall No. 13, in position to contend for a victory on Sunday. "It was a tight schedule for the filly but the staff at the stables prepared her remarkably," he told reporters. "She broke well and I decided to settle her behind Salios, who…

For Geraldina's trainer Takashi Saito, it was his seventh career G1 victory. Four-year-old Geraldina, who was assigned the 18th post on the far outside, moved toward the front of the pack late in the race and galloped to the wire from the middle of the turf track. (Watch the race here.) The winning jockey's older brother, 43-year-old Mirco Demuro,…

For Tanabe, 38, Sunday's triumph was his first in a G1 race since piloting Logotype to a win in the 2016 Yasuda Kinen. It was his third career G1 victory. (Watch the race here.) Tanabe and trainer Yasuhito Tamura teamed up for their first G1 win together. For the trainer, it was his third G1 victory and his first since Major Emblem won the 2016 NHK…

Japan's Kie Tamai carries the ball as Canada's Mikiela Nelson attempts to make a tackle in a Women's Rugby World Cup match on October 9 in Whangarei, New Zealand. (Courtesy of World Rugby/via SANKEI) This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website. Global tournaments are important testing grounds for individual…

This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website. Two rising American tennis stars renewed their rivalry in the men's singles final at the Rakuten Japan Open on Sunday, October 9. World No. 11 Taylor Fritz and 19th-ranked Frances Tiafoe went all-out in pursuit of every point in just under 1 hour and 57 minutes of…

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani rounds second on a single hit by Taylor Ward during the first inning against the Texas Rangers in Anaheim, California, on October 2. (Ashley Landis/AP) This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website. Shohei Ohtani is having another MVP-caliber season for the Los…

San Diego Padres starter Yu Darvish pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 2. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY SPORTS) When Yu Darvish made his NPB debut for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2005, nobody predicted that he'd have 3000 career strikeouts 17 years later. But we can look at the totality of Darvish's…