Equinox may be retired but 2024 could signal another ground-breaking year for Japan
I read with interest the Racing Post's Big Read on Sunday where eight of the sport's figures gave their hopes and fears for 2024. The reality will lie somewhere in the middle of it all, but if anything is guaranteed, surely it is that Japan will have another excellent year, and a tantalising bit of history could be made too.
Such is the power of the Far East racing nation, the retirement of its pre-eminent star Equinox – who will stand for a record-breaking opening fee – is unlikely to trouble its relentless rise, and there is the possibility a powerful set of connections will abandon Tokyo in favour of Epsom in 2024.
Yoshito Yahagi masterminded Japan's first Breeders' Cup winners with Loves Only You and then Marche Lorraine on a magical Del Mar day in 2021 and he won the 2023 Saudi Cup, the world's richest race, with the breathtaking front-runner Panthalassa.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Copy- Never mind the price of the beer - kids go racing for nothing and that's worth a lot
- Bank holidays are in sad decline - why not let unloved Brigadier Gerard march to the rescue
- Is there a cure for the Derby? A dose of Epsom salts might get it moving again
- British Flat raiders restore a little sporting pride. It may be far-fetched, but can our jumpers do the same?
- 40 years on: memories of an era when winning at Epsom made a horse too valuable to race on
- Never mind the price of the beer - kids go racing for nothing and that's worth a lot
- Bank holidays are in sad decline - why not let unloved Brigadier Gerard march to the rescue
- Is there a cure for the Derby? A dose of Epsom salts might get it moving again
- British Flat raiders restore a little sporting pride. It may be far-fetched, but can our jumpers do the same?
- 40 years on: memories of an era when winning at Epsom made a horse too valuable to race on