Last year, eight Japanese horses entered Breeders' Cup races at Santa Anita Park. That established a record, but one that is likely to be far surpassed when Del Mar hosts the Breeders' Cup Nov. 1-2.
According to a social media post Oct. 2 from Kate Hunter, a multilingual field representative for the Breeders' Cup, she has 19 Japanese horses booked for the two-day series of races at Del Mar in Southern California. She added that she ran out of space in cargo for the scheduled flight, and has other potential starters on a waiting list.
"This exceeded all of our expectations," said Dora Delgado, executive vice president and chief racing officer for Breeders' Cup.
She added that combined with horses from other countries, the Breeders' Cup could have an overall record for foreign participation this year at Del Mar, located 20 miles north of San Diego. Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien regularly sends a squad for horses to the Breeders' Cup, for example, this fall led by City of Troy, who will attempt to transfer his stellar turf form to dirt in the Breeder's Cup Classic (G1).
With Japanese horses regularly competing on the international stage, sometimes in America, its trio of runners pointed to the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic should be familiar to American racing fans. They include Forever Young, winner of the Oct. 2 Japan Dirt Classic at Oi Racecourse in his first start since a close third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs; Derma Sotogake, last year's Classic runner-up at Santa Anita; and multiple group 1 winner Ushba Tesoro, fifth in the latter race.
KIECKHEFER: Forever Young Aces Japan Prep for Breeders' Cup Classic
The anticipated Japanese participation is to come in numerous Breeders' Cup races.
"It's really great because the way they are kind of breaking out—they're covering the gamut from dirt to turf, babies; they're all over the place," Delgado said of the probable Japanese starters.
I’m so excited to have 19 JPN horses booked on a plane to the @BreedersCup. I actually ran out of space in cargo & have a waiting list! When I started recruiting runners for the BC I always thought we’d get to a point where we had nice handful yearly. I’ve outdone myself😅 pic.twitter.com/7XYvo8kvAp
— Kate Hunter • ケイト ハンター (@KeibaKate) October 2, 2024
If short of automatic berths and graded stakes points in oversubscribed races, a panel must still select these horses to compete. Pre-entries are due Oct. 21, and selected starters and alternates are announced a couple of days later.
Delgado credited Hunter's recruiting work in Japan over the last few years for contributing to the increased interest, as well as other factors, such as the success of Japanese horses in the 2021 Breeder's Cup at Del Mar, when March Lorraine and Loves Only You scored victories. She also agreed Forever Young's miss by two noses in the Derby this year likely sparked interest.
Anticipating the record number of Japanese contenders and increased Japanese media presence, Breeders' Cup has also added Mariko Seki to its public relations team this fall, according to Claire Crosby, vice president of communications for Breeders' Cup. Seki will serve as a media liaison and translator for English-speaking media interested in interviewing Japanese connections and for Japanese reporters who need assistance in covering contenders managed by English-speaking connections. Additionally, Toshihiro Onikubo will join the company's notes team to provide daily updates on the Japanese contenders.
California venues are also popular with Japanese horsemen for reduced travel. Foreign trainers, based in Japan or elsewhere, can also confidently bring horses well suited to firm ground and fast dirt, given infrequent rainfall in autumn in Southern California.
There is also a larger pool of worldwide horses eligible to the Breeders' Cup after the organization opened up eligibility in recent years by "converting stallions to an international program," Delgado said.
"What it did was instead of having all of their horses have to be nominated as weanlings, it just made all their horses automatically eligible," she continued. "So we went from having about 1,500 Europeans nominated each year to over 15,000 eligible, just automatically, without having to do anything. So that really removed a big barrier when they had to pay high supplemental fees to run."
Japan, which can only simulcast a select number of international races, will offer wagering on four Breeders' Cup races. Japanese gamblers bet at a high volume.
"We're hoping to get more in the future, but right now we can accept wagering on the Classic, Turf, Mile, and Filly and Mare Turf," Delgado said. "So that's really a strong incentive (to Breeders' Cup). It helps balance out what our costs are to get them over here. It is made up in wagering, hopefully, when they take simulcasts back in Japan."
The Japanese horses are scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles Oct. 22, and after traveling south to Del Mar, they could be out of quarantine to begin training at the track Oct. 26, Delgado said.
