IN what was just a formality, Almond Eye was announced as the Champion Horse in the JRA (Japanese Racing Association) for 2018. An emphatic Fillies’ Triple Crown win followed by a record-breaking win in the Japan Cup inevitably meant that she would also claim the accolade of Top Three-Year-Old Filly.

The yearly results are decided by a vote of racing journalists from various streams of Japanese racing media.

The 276 votes cast were unanimous that Almond Eye would receive the most prestigious of awards.

Juvenile Champions

There are just three Group 1 races for juveniles on the Japanese racing calendar. The winners of this category are determined by the results of the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes and the Hopeful Stakes.

As the name would suggest the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies is restricted to fillies and the winner Danon Fantasy was crowned leading 2-year-old filly. The daughter of Deep Impact was a winner of three races from four career starts, including a Group 3 win.

Admire Mars was an impressive winner of the 1600-metre Futurity Stakes and was crowned Champion Juvenile Colt.

The son of Daiwa Major remained unbeaten in his fourth career start in 2018 and is undoubtedly a leading contender for the 2019 classics.

Saturnalia also remained unbeaten when running out an impressive, albeit green winner, of the sole remaining Group 1 of the year, the Hopeful Stakes.

The son of Lord Kanaloa provided his sire with his third individual Group 1 winner from his first two crops.

Saturnalia is out of the Group 1-winning mare Cesario, and became her third individual Group 1 winner. She has now become the first mare in Japanese breeding history to produce three individual Group 1 winners by three different sires.

Her other top-tier performers include Futurity Stakes winner Leontes (King Kamehameha) and 2014 Japan Cup victor and dual Group 1 winner Epiphaneia (Symboli Kris S), both of whom are currently among the Japanese stallion ranks.

Japan’s fastest

Winner of the two JRA Group 1 races run over a sprint distance, Fine Needle was named as Champion Sprinter. This is an accolade he will now carry into his new career in the covering shed.

The son of Admire Moon provided the famous royal blue silks of Godolphin their first Group 1 win in the JRA.

The now six-year-old has been retired to stand at Darley Japan’s stallion complex on Hokkaido, alongside his own sire. Fine Needle will command a fee of €20,000 for 2019.