Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame
The Horse Racing Hall of Fame (Japanese: 競馬の殿堂) is a Japanese horse racing memorial hall which was installed on September 2, 1985 at the JRA Horse Racing Museum, Fuchu, Tokyo. It was founded by Japan Racing Association to honor the achievements of race horses, jockeys and trainers.
Race horses inducted into the Hall of Fame are called Kensho-ba (顕彰馬) while jockeys and trainer are called Kensho-sha (顕彰者) by the Japan Racing Association.
Race horse nomination
The selection of a race horse for the Hall of Fame is decided annually by a vote in April. It is voted on by mass communication and newspeople who have been involved in the horse racing news for more than ten years. Racehorses are inducted into the Hall of Fame if they gather over three-quarters of the total vote.
Voters can vote for race horses which:
- Have won more than three Grade 1 races.[lower-alpha 1]
- Have had excellent racing and breeding results (sired a G1 winner more than five or bred G1 winner more than two)
- Have had a positive contribution to the racing world or JRA.
Since 2004, an additional rule was introduced: that race horses which retired less than a year or more than 20 years ago cannot be nominated. In that year only, an extra vote was held exclusively for horse which retired more than 20 years (where Takeshiba O was selected).
Most years, there are no horses elected to the Hall of Fame, due to the division of the vote among many horses. In particular, after the retirement of El Condor Pasa in 1999, El Condor Pasa had earned more than half of the total vote most years. Yet no horse was elected until 2004 because Special Week, one of El Condor Pasa's rivals, had earned more than 30 percent of the vote. Hence neither of these horses got over 75% of the vote, and no other horses could since El Condor Pasa and Special Week in conjunction took over 80% of the vote.
- Deep Impact (ディープインパクト 2008)
- El Condor Pasa (エルコンドルパサー 2014)
- Gentildonna (ジェンティルドンナ 2016)
- Grand Marches (グランドマーチス 1985)
- Haiseiko (ハイセイコー 1984)
- Hakuchikara (ハクチカラ 1984)
- Lord Kanaloa (ロードカナロア 2018)
- Kodama (コダマ 1990)
- Kumohata (クモハタ 1984)
- Kurifuji (クリフジ 1984)
- Maruzensky (マルゼンスキー 1990)
- Meiji Hikari (メイヂヒカリ 1990)
- Mejiro McQueen (メジロマックイーン 1994)
- Mejiro Ramonu (メジロラモーヌ 1987)
- Mr. C.B. (ミスターシービー 1986)
- Narita Brian (ナリタブライアン 1998)
- Oguri Cap (オグリキャップ 1991)
- Orfevre (オルフェーヴル 2015)
- Seiyu (セイユウ 1985)
- Shinzan (シンザン 1984)
- Speed Symboli (スピードシンボリ 1990)
- St Lite (セントライト 1984)
- Symboli Rudolf (シンボリルドルフ 1987)
- Taiki Shuttle (タイキシャトル 1999)
- Takeshiba O (タケシバオー 2004)
- Ten Point (テンポイント 1990)
- T M Opera O (テイエムオペラオー 2004)
- Tokai Teio (トウカイテイオー 1995)
- Tokino Minoru (トキノミノル 1984)
- Tokitsukaze (horse) (トキツカゼ 1984)
- Tosa Midori (トサミドリ 1984)
- Tosho Boy (トウショウボーイ 1984)
- Vodka (ウオッカ 2011)
- Kitasan Black (キタサンブラック 2020)
- Almond Eye (アーモンドアイ 2023)[1]
Criticism against the voting process
The voting process for race horse selection has been called in to question, including by some voters,[2] in 2022 after no horses gained the required votes to be inducted in to the Hall of Fame, including Almond Eye despite winning 9 Grade 1 races in her career.[2][3][4]
Jockeys
The jockeys who have shown remarkable activity as well as more than 1000 victories are inducted to hall of Fame. The selection was started in 2004.
- Youichi Fukunaga (福永洋一 2004)
- Hiroyuki Gohara (郷原洋行 2014)
- Hiroshi Kawachi (河内洋 2014)
- Yuuji Nohira (野平祐二 2004)
- Yukio Okabe (岡部幸雄 2014)
- Masato Shibata (柴田政人 2014)
- Takayoshi Yasuda (保田隆芳 2004)
Trainers
Trainers who have won more than 1000 races and who have won more than ten times at the eight biggest races: Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), Tenno Sho (Spring and Autumn) and Arima Kinen, are inducted to hall of Fame. The selection was started in 2004.
- Tomiyoshi Fujimoto (藤本冨良, 2004)
- Kazuo Fujisawa (藤沢和雄,2022)
- Yukio Inaba (稲葉幸夫, 2004)
- Yuji Ito (伊藤雄二, 2014)
- Kinzou Kubota (久保田金造, 2004)
- Kichisaburou Matsuyama (松山吉三郎, 2004)
- Yasuhisa Matsuyama (松山康久, 2014)
- Hashiguchi Koujirou (橋口弘次郎, 2013)
- Toshio Nihonyanagi (二本柳俊夫, 2004)
- Tokichi Ogata (尾形藤吉, 2004)
- Bungo Takeda (武田文吾, 2004)
See also
Footnotes
- This rule may not apply to all horses, particularly before 1984 (the introduction of the Grading system in Japan).
References
- "2023年度顕彰馬の選定". JRA.
- Shibata, Akitoshi (2022-06-08). "【記者の目】アーモンドアイ落選に驚き 投票システムの改革が必要では". サンスポZBAT! (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. Archived from the original on 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- Hiroshi, Yamakawa (2022-06-14). "【JRA顕彰馬】アーモンドアイ〝落選〟の真実 求められる〝一票の重み〟 現場記者による「告白」と「提言」". 東スポ競馬 (in Japanese). Tokyo Sports. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- "アーモンドアイ〝落選〟で物議 顕彰馬の選定方法変更に含みも「〝責任感のなさ〟に直結するものとは考えていない」". 東スポ競馬 (in Japanese). Tokyo Sports. 2022-10-18. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- Hall of Fame - Japan Racing Association (Japaneselanguage)