Yoshito Yahagi has no fear of stepping into the unknown with the three-year-old Shin Emperor as the colt builds towards the G1 Irish Champion Stakes on September 15, a race the trainer hopes will set up a strong assault on the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“I always wanted to prepare a three-year-old to challenge for the Arc, so then he will have another chance next year, he will gain experience this year and he’ll be stronger for more opportunities in the future,” Yahagi said.
Japan’s most famous trainer said his charge was “a bit tired” but “OK” since arriving at Chantilly, France on August 27 after a long flight, and his preparations for the Irish assignment will include two pieces of fast work, the first scheduled for Tuesday.
Yahagi’s aim is to make history with the Siyouni colt, which he sourced in France at the Arqana Yearling Sale two years ago for €2.1 million. After making that purchase, ultimately for powerhouse owner Susumu Fujita, the trainer immediately expressed a hope that the chestnut might one day win the ‘Arc’, just like full-brother Sotsass.
No horse trained in Japan has ever won either of the Leopardstown or Longchamp majors.
“The Arc is the top race,” Yahagi said, when pinpointing a career goal he still wants to achieve, having made history already with Japan’s first Breeders’ Cup wins at Del Mar in 2023, plus headline-grabbing triumphs in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Australia, and Forever Young’s close third in the G1 Kentucky Derby earlier this year.
“The main target for Shin Emperor is the Arc and that’s why we chose to base him at Chantilly, it makes sense to keep him in that one place and just travel to Ireland for the race,” he told Idol Horse at the Sapporo Convention Centre.
Yahagi had earlier spoken from the Asian Racing Conference stage where he outlined two important factors in his decision-making when determining which overseas races he might target.
“When they are really interested in our horses being invited, that kind of passion for having us there definitely is a reason for us going,” he said. “The overseas campaign expenses usually are expected to be borne by owners, so when they’re invited these costs are important determining factors: since the pandemic the air fare has risen sharply, so when the additional costs are so high, any subsidies offered are crucially important.”
No entry fee was required for the Japanese raider to this year’s Irish Champion Stakes, otherwise €4,000 would have had to be paid if entered at the May 29 stage, €22,500 at the July 31 stage, or €75,000 if entered at the final supplementary entry stage on September 10.
“The people from Ireland have been contacting me for two or three years and this year they took away the entry fee, so that’s a big reason why we chose to go there, but also it’s a good field and it gives me a good opportunity to see how he measures up,” Yahagi told Idol Horse.
“The Irish Champion Stakes is one of Europe’s most prestigious races. It always attracts top class horses and Shin Emperor was third in the Derby so I want to test him against those top-class European horses.”
Eighteen of the last 34 winners of the Irish Champion Stakes have been three-year-olds, including the last three, and Suave Dancer (1991), Sea The Stars (2008), and Golden Horn (2015) all went on to win the ‘Arc’ that same year.
Shin Emperor won the G3 Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nisai Stakes as a juvenile and was last seen running third in the 2400m Japan Derby, the G1 Tokyo Yushun, at the end of May. The colt threw his head around in the early stages of the Derby before settling and closing to within three and a quarter lengths of the winner, Danon Decile.
“Sometimes he can be a little bit sensitive, and during the Derby he was a little bit too keen, but it was a big crowd that day: overall, he is very easy to handle and I’m not worried about his character,” Yahagi said.
Meanwhile, the trainer confirmed that Forever Young, also owned by Fujita, will have a prep race in the Japan Dirt Classic before heading to California for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 2, where the trainer is looking forward to clashing with Europe’s star colt, City Of Troy.
“Forever Young will race the week of the Arc, so I might miss this because I will fly to France,” he said.
“I thought Shin Emperor would be racing against City Of Troy, so I’m happier that Forever Young will race against him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”
