The date was November 10th, 1984. The Breeders’ Cup had its first running at the now-defunct Hollywood Park. The purpose of the event was to create a true end-of-season national championship event for thoroughbred racing. It would serve the sport nationally, rather than continuing what some perceived as an East Coast bias. In the older male horse division, for example, it was frequently the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park that would be a main determinant of a national championship. Now, with a championship event that would move to different locations each year, horses that were not New York-based would get more recognition.
Most fans remember the inaugural Breeders’ Cup for the three-way battle in the Classic between Wild Again, Slew o’Gold and Gate Dancer, with the victorious Pat Day on Wild Again raising his helmet to the heavens in celebration. But the race before the Classic was the $2 Million Turf, which today serves as a symbol how the Breeders’ Cup has become a truly international event. In 1984, however, only two of the 11 runners in the Turf had had their prior race in Europe, and they went off at odds of 13-1 and 53-1. The 53-1 horse was Lashkari of France, and he won by a neck over the great world traveler All Along, who was previously based in France but had run two of her three races that year in North America. Lashkari was a big longshot because he was a mystery to American fans. He had only raced in France prior to that point, and American fans simply weren’t as tuned into European racing in those pre-internet days.
Over the years, European horses would become a major factor in the Breeders’ Cup races run on turf. In fact, the event was basically a U.S.-Europe competition (especially in the races run on grass) until Taiki Blizzard of Japan entered the 1996 Classic and finished 13th and last. His entrance in the race was somewhat of a novelty, but it would also be part of a pattern that the Japanese racing contingent would establish with international competition: playing things cautious at first, with a limited number of entrants, to figure out what it would take to win in these events. In recent years, this has led to larger contingents of Japanese horses competing in events like the Dubai World Cup carnival (30 at the 2024 edition), Saudi Cup day, and on Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend in France.
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The 2021 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, however, was perhaps the best representation of the event’s increased international strength, with five of the 14 winners not U.S. based. That included the first two Breeders’ Cup winners from Japan, both trained by Yoshito Yahagi, a longtime leading trainer in that country who is known for his flashy outfits and colorful hats. The Filly and Mare Turf winner was a Japan-based runner named Loves Only You, who had finished in the top three in graded stakes competition in Japan, Hong Kong and Dubai that year. Her 4-1 odds were reasonable, as she had proven herself against world-class competition. The other winner was the 50-1 longshot Marche Lorraine, who won by a nose in the Distaff. Her previous competition was at smaller, local tracks in Japan, but Yahagi had her ready to pull off a big surprise at the Breeders’ Cup.
Why has Japan become such a big player in the international racing scene? Most experts say the turning point was when the Yoshida family, dominant owners in Japan, purchased Sunday Silence in 1990. He was a winner of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, yet his angular build and less-than-perfect conformation led to minimal interest from the American breeding industry. He has gone on to become the leading sire in the history of racing in Japan, and since his passing in 2002, his offspring have produced several champions.
The Japanese success of 2021 at Del Mar was a clear indicator that when the event returned to the track, a larger contingent of Japan-based horses would be in the fields. In 2023, the Japanese had a record eight runners in the Breeders’ Cup. This year, that number has increased greatly, with 19 Japanese entrants across the slate of races.
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Horses to watch at the 2024 Breeders’ Cup
To get a fix on the quality of these horses and the reasoning behind their entry, I spoke to Kate Hunter, the U.S. representative for the Japan Racing Association. She explained that the escalation of numbers of horses competing fits the same pattern the Japanese have had in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and at Longchamp with Arc weekend. The early years are for testing the water, and if they are competitive, they launch major attempts to for big prizes.
In the Classic, all three Japanese horses aiming for the race have legitimate credentials. Leading the group is Forever Young, who captured the UAE Derby this year before finishing third in a historic photo finish in the Kentucky Derby, which was the only loss in his seven-race career. Hunter describes Forever Young as a fighter who has been able to overcome adversity in his races. Ushba Tesoro is another talented runner from Japan. He won the 2023 Dubai World Cup and was second in that race this year. He also finished fifth in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic. The third entrant is Derma Sotogake, who was second in the Classic last year at 26-1 odds.
Hunter and I discussed several horses outside of the Classic who deserve special notice. In the Sprint, Remake has won in South Korea and Saudi Arabia, and he was fourth in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. Don Frankie was second in the Golden Shaheen, and might be the more talented of these two.
The Distaff features Alice Verite and Awesome Result. Alice Verite has been one of the top mares in Japan, although her last race did not have a good outcome when she faced males. A return to female competition should help her. Awesome Result is undefeated in seven starts, all at the smaller, regional tracks. How she will do here remains to be seen.
It is a particular challenge for Japanese two-year-old horses to make it to the Breeders’ Cup, as most of the graded stakes races for them take place in November and December. Nevertheless, there are several Japanese entries in the two-year-old races. Notable among them is Juvenile Turf entrant Satono Carnaval, who is the first graded stakes-winning two-year-old from Japan to ever make it to the Breeders’ Cup. Another to watch is the two-for-two lifetime Ecoro Sieg, who is entered in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. His win last time out was stunning, as he showed the ability to go to the lead and put the field away. The five-furlong distance and the firm turf at Del Mar should work in his favor.
The large contingent of Japanese horses this year would normally be the big international story, but there is one other that captures the imagination. We’ve always come to expect a large and talented contingent of Europeans in the Breeders’ Cup, but there is one horse who sticks out this year. He is City of Troy, trained by the great Aidan O’Brien, who is the all-time leader among Europe-based trainers with 18 Breeders’ Cup wins. City of Troy has established himself as the top three-year-old in Europe, with three consecutive Group 1 wins coming into the Breeders’ Cup. His trainer, however, has intended all year to run this horse on the dirt for the first time in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The fact that he is sired by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify is an indicator that he should adapt to his first-ever start on a dirt surface. That factor and his dominance in Europe have led Aidan O’Brian to test the Classic in his dirt debut. He’ll be a top choice and should be a major factor in the race.
As for the rest of the European contingent, there are many top-class horses(as usual), and I’ll preview the full slate of 14 races ahead of this weekend’s competition. But the Japanese contingent and the buzz over City of Troy will dominate the international perspective on the 2024 Breeders’ Cup.
