Diktaean Named 2025 NAR Horse of the Year

Diktaean (JPN) was unanimously selected as the 2025 NAR Horse of the Year at the National Association of Racing’s annual Grand Prix award ceremony Jan. 14. Bred by Haruya Yoshida's Oiwake Farm, Diktaean is by King Kamehameha and is the second foal out of Medeia, who won six listed dirt races, including the JBC Lady's Classic. Yoshida bought Witchful Thinking, Diktaean's second dam and winner of four graded stakes in the United States, at the 2000 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $900,000 in foal to Deputy Minister. Owned by G1 Racing, Diktaean started his career at the Japan Racing Association. Under the care of Tatsuya Yoshioka at Ritto Training Center, he won nine of his 26 starts, including four listed stakes on the dirt. He was transferred to NAR at the beginning of 2025. Trained by Katsunori Arayama, who is based at the Kobayashi Branch of Oi Racecourse, Diktaean collected his first graded stakes win Sept. 7 in Seoul when he won the Korea Cup (G3). Diktaean completed the year winning the Tokyo Daishoten (G1) at Oi Racecourse Dec. 29, defeating selected runners representing JRA. The last NAR-trained winner of the Tokyo Daishoten was Adjudi Mitsuo, who won the year-end championship race on dirt in Japan in 2005. Arayama plans to ship Diktaean, who just turned 8, to Dubai for the March 28 Dubai World Cup (G1).