Several years ago, I was invited by the Japan Racing Association (JRA) to visit some of the horse training facilities in Japan. I was truly amazed by their enormous scale and settings, and one that especially stands out in my mind was the Miho Training Centre in eastern Japan.
Miho is Japan's largest racehorse training centre and can accommodate as many as 2,300 horses. It includes seven regular training tracks, an uphill training track, swimming pools, a water treadmill, and even a nature track where horses can relax themselves. With the Japanese Government and its Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries having provided huge technical input and support, the JRA has been able to develop Miho and a sister operation, the Ritto Training Centre in west Japan, into truly world-class operations.
Not only do these two centres provide the best possible facilities for Japan's racehorses and their trainers, they also reflect how government support can play a key role in the international development of their country's racing industry.
I am back in Japan once again this weekend, as you might guess for the purpose of attending the Yasuda Kinen meeting at Tokyo Racecourse tomorrow. This International Group One race, without question the most prestigious mile event in Japan's spring calendar, has in past years been the breeding ground for some of the country's most legendary horses.
For example, I think some of you can still remember the way great Japanese miler Taiki Shuttle thrashed Hong Kong contender Oriental Express amidst torrential rain in the 1998 edition of this race. Taiki Shuttle later became one of the first Japanese horses to win a Group One race overseas, with his victory in the Prix Jacques le Marois in Deauville, France, in August of the same year. Agnes Digital, who won the 2003 Yasuda Kinen in record time, was another great performer as this victory came 18 months after his triumph in the 2001 Hong Kong Cup, and was the sixth Group One win in his career.
But I have to say that in the past decade, the performances of Hong Kong runners in the Yasuda Kinen have been just as impressive. Following that brave run by Oriental Express to finish second in 1998, Ivan Allan’s Fairy King Prawn set a milestone for Hong Kong by winning the 2000 Yasuda Kinen and becoming the first Hong Kong-based horse to land a Group One race overseas. Tony Cruz’s Bullish Luck again proved the credentials of Hong Kong-based milers with his convincing win here in 2006.
Bullish Luck is back in Japan for the third time to contest this year's race and I must say that this veteran runner's track record this season deserves a lot of respect. At the age of nine, he has still performed superbly in our group races, most notably in defeating a group of younger opponents with his win in the Group 3 Centenary Vase.
Nonetheless, I would have to give our top miler Good Ba Ba a much higher chance of capturing this year's Yasuda Kinen. He is in top form this season and has been given a favourable draw in Gate 7. I'll be interested to see if he can make history and become the first Hong Kong horse to win three International Group One races in a season. Nor should our third contestant, John Size's Armada, be discounted, as he should be a fresher runner than most in the field, having raced just three times this season. This is the first time Armada and his trainer John Size to enter for a race overseas and I won't be surprised if he gets a close finish.
Anyway, we will simulcast this intriguing battle to you all in Hong Kong tomorrow. So I hope you will join me over the airwaves here in Tokyo at 2:40 pm and offer your hearty support to our Hong Kong horses.
But we still have arranged 10 exciting races at Sha Tin tomorrow, and I will check in Japan and see if Whiplash and Rocket Force have good performances. Following his disappointing runs earlier this season, it seems Whiplash has regained his form with his second place finish last week. He will be partnered by Darren Beadman to run in the same distance tomorrow and let's see if he can improve further this time. Rocket Force has shown his credentials in his defeat to Ichiban at a mile a fortnight ago. He will be running at 1,800 metres this time and I will be interested to see if this distance will be better for him.
I hope you all will enjoy our races and see you then!
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