Oisin back in Japan – Nov 9 to Dec 31

[wit]

after his last winter stint

Oisin in Japan

he has today been granted a JRA short term licence:

http://japanracing.jp/_news2019/191107.html

he starts at 50th place in JRA jockey rankings thanks to his January rides – be interesting to see where he gets to by season close on Dec 31.

Soumillon also in Japan, until Dec 23:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2019/191017.html

Frankie was planning to show before the Melbourne Cup ban – wait/see on him.

[wit]

for him, a slow start back today (Sat) with 2 x 1st, 1 x 3rd, 2 x 4th, 1 x 5th from 11 rides.

prize money of JPY 18 million, or GBP 128,678.

[ take out the GBP 70k November Handicap, and that’s as much as all the other races would have offered today at Doncaster. the eight races that do proceed at Southwell by comparison offer total of GBP 27,917 ]

[wit]

Sunday sees no win for Oisin, just 2 x 2nd, 2 x 4th and 1 x 5th from 10 rides for prize money of JPY 9.5m (GBP 68k).

Managed only 11th on a 21.3 poke in the G1 feature race, the Queen Elizabeth 2 Cup, which was taken by Soumillon on 5.4 third fav Lucky Lilac.

“The Queen Elizabeth II Cup was established in 1976 to facilitate friendly relations between Japan and England, in commemoration of Her Excellency’s visit to Japan in 1975. The race initially started as a 2,400-meter race and the last leg of the “Triple Crown for three-year-old fillies,” but became a 2,200-meter race for fillies and mares of three-year-old and up from 1996.” Only domestic runners this year.

“Lucky Lilac bounced back from a long struggle since her first G1 victory as a two-year-old in the Hanshin
Juvenile Fillies (G1, 1,600m), turning in a strong performance in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. The 2017 Best Two-Year-Old Filly was winless during her three-year-old season, while finishing second in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas, G1, 1,600m), third in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1, 2,400m) and then ninth in the Shuka Sho (G1, 2,000m). She was fourth this year in the Victoria Mile (G1, 1,600m) and had come off a third-place finish in the prep Fuchu Himba Stakes (G2, 1,800m). Trainer Mikio Matsunaga, who was winning jockey with Phalaenopsis to victory in the 2000 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, landed his fourth career G1 title including one G1 title over obstacles and the first since with Lucky Lilac in the 2017 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Jockey Christophe Soumillon, who is riding under a short term license from October 19, landed his first JRA-G1 title in five years since the 2014 Japan Cup with Epiphaneia and third overall—his first was in 2010 in the Tenno Sho (Autumn, Buena Vista).

“Lucky Lilac broke sharply from stall No.2 but allowed the early leaders pass and settled along the rails in mid-pack in sixth or seventh position. As the field spread rounding the last corner, Christophe Soumillon kept the filly straight in the inside and skillfully coaxed her to spring forward into the stretch, pinned race favorite Loves Only You at the furlong pole and then Crocosmia at the 100-meter marker after which she continued to draw away to a 1-1/4-length victory.”

http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/news_media/news/2019.html

[wit]

surprisingly, no overseas runners in the Japan Cup this year:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2019/191109.html

a month ago there were 27 nominations:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2019/191011-02.html

[wit]

not sure of Oisin plans for the G1 Mile Championship on Sunday (06:40 GB time), but Ryan Moore and William Buick are expected for the (again) all-domestic-runner-field:

http://japanracing.jp/_news2019/191112.html

[Cav]

Would be interesting to see some stats for overseas jockeys riding in Japan, they seem to win a lot of big races when they head over there. Any links wit?

[wit]

Cav,

no easy way afaik.

there are jockey rankings for each season (ie Jan 1 – Dec 31) back to 2001. these asterisk jockeys with no full-time JRA licence (ie visitors, so not the likes of Christophe Lemaire and Mirco Demuro), and record things like total winnings (current year only), stakes race wins, lifetime Japan wins.

but then have to find each jockey each year by scrolling thru – eg in 2019 Oisin currently 48th, Soumillon 78th.
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/news_media/jockey_rank/

in 2018 Ryan Moore was 72nd and William Buick 78th. both of those have today been granted further short-term licences from Nov 16 – Dec 23:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2019/191114.html

no recent chart-topping, but look at Yutaka Take since 1990:
http://japanracing.jp/_statistics/2018/s10.html

[wit]

Sat 16 Nov, Tokyo:

Oisin: 2 x 1st, 1 x 2nd, 2 x 3rd, 1 x 4th, 1 x 5th from 9 rides for JPY 20.9m (GBP 149k)

William: 1 x st, 1 x 3rd, 1 x 4th, 1 x 5th from 6 rides for JPY 22.5m (GBP 161k)

Ryan: 2 x 1st, 1 x 2nd from 6 rides for JPY 50.8 (GBP 363k).

all three move on to Kyoto tomorrow for the G1 Mile Championship card.

http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/

[wit]

Sun 17 Nov, Kyoto:

Oisin: 3 x 3rd, 1 x 4th from 8 rides for JPY 32.5m (GBP 232k)
William: 1 x 1st, 2 x 5th from 6 rides for JPY 8.7m (GBP 62k)
Ryan: 3 x 2nd from 8 rides for JPY 14.2m (GBP 101k)

http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/

[Cav]

Thanks for the links, Wit.

Had a look at the 2019 jockey figures only. Incredible numbers from Lemaire (Top 2 45% of the time, 26 million dollars in prizemoney from 567 rides this year). Astonishing really.

Thought Oisin was positioned too far back in the big race at Kyoto this morning.

[wit]

Frankie has today been given short-term licence from Nov 23 – Dec 2:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2019/191122-02.html

basic JRA cards / PMU odds for Sat/Sun now out:
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/

HKJC will be simulcasting 7 races on Sunday, so detailed pdf form (and subsequent video replays) up soon here:
https://racing.hkjc.com/racing/overseas/english/racecard.aspx?para=/20191124/S1/7

[wit]

interesting JRA view on how internationally going descriptions can involve jurisdictions being “divided by a common language”: page 8 of this pdf:

http://japanracing.jp/_news2019/pdf/191120.pdf

eg Japan has four:
1. Firm
2. Good
3. Yielding
4. Soft

for which the GB equivalents are listed as:
1. Hard; Firm; Good To Firm; Good
2. Good To Soft
3. Soft
4. Heavy

equivalents also listed for Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore.

[kiseki]

That’s interesting, wit. However, those are rather arbitrary English translations. For example, the Japanese word for soft in this instance is 不良 which I would never think to translate as ‘soft’ – ‘heavy’ would be far more accurate.

It’s raining rather heavily in Tokyo as I write this and more rain is forecast for the weekend. The course drains well though so it’ll probably be ‘yielding’ by race time. But that should give some of the horses coming off the pace a better chance and eliminate the possibility of a ridiculously fast time like last year.

[wit]

Sat Nov 23

Oisin in Kyoto: 2 x 1st; 2 x 2nd; 1 x 3rd; 1 x 4th from 9 rides for JPY 36m (GBP 257k)

William, Ryan and Frankie in Tokyo:

William: 3 x 1st [all Godolphin-owned, 3 different local trainers]; 1 x 3rd from 7 rides for JPY 45m (GBP 321k)
Ryan: 3 x 2nd; 1 x 4th from 6 rides for JPY 15m (GBP 108k)
Frankie: 2 x 1st; 1 x 4th from 5 rides for JPY 19m (GBP 136k)

Tokyo going today described as Soft, Rainy [GB: heavy].

[wit]

Sun Nov 24:

Oisin takes the Japan Cup with run up the rail on Suave Richard.

for video and result click second photo here:
http://japanracing.jp/en/

day’s results from Tokyo:

Oisin: 1 x 1st, 1 x 2nd, 1 x 3rd, 1 x 4th, 1 x 5th from 9 rides for JPY 312m (GBP 2.23m)
William: 1 x 3rd, 2 x 4th from 7 rides for JPY 4.5m (GBP 32k)
Ryan: 1 x 2nd, 1 x 5th from 4 rides for JPY 2.7m (GBP 19k)
Frankie: 1 x 1st, 1 x 2nd from 6 ridesfor JPY 7.8m (GBP 56k)

Oisin quote from post-Japan Cup press conference:
” I was following [eventual second] Curren Bouquetd’or—she was the one travelling as well as me, turning into the straight and she had a very good trip (she is trained by my trainer, Sakae Kunieda, maybe if I was not so fat I could have done 53 kilos and ridden her and might not have won the Japan Cup today (laugh)). ”

[kiseki]

Good news for Oisin Murphy fans – Suave Richard will run in the season-ending Grand Prix (the Arima Kinen) on December 22nd and Oisin will be on the saddle.

It looks to be a high quality field so he’ll have his work cut out for him but it promises to be an exciting race. In Japan, the Arima Kinen is actually a bigger race than the Japan Cup.

[wit]

Sat Nov 30

Oisin and William at Nakayama:
Oisin – 1 x 1st, 2 x 2nd, 1 x 4th from 10 rides for JPY 35m (GBP 250k)
William – 3 x 1st, 2 x 3rd from 7 rides for JPY 93m (GBP 665k)

Ryan and Frankie at Hanshin:
Ryan – 1 x 2nd, 2 x 3rd from 6 rides for JPY 13m (GBP 95k)
Frankie – 1 x 1st, 1 x 3rd from 5 rides for JPY 11m (GBP 77k)

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