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Akira Sugawara is enjoying a breakout year that has already brought a first Group 1 win at home and this weekend his first Breeders’ Cup experience is sandwiched between two Australian majors, all of which could push his name into the global spotlight.

The Japanese rider, 23, made the trip down to Victoria for the G1 Caulfield Cup less than two weeks ago, partnering the Japanese stayer Warp Speed to 13th place. He returned to Japan, picking up a win at Tokyo last weekend, then hopped another long-haul to San Diego for his first two Breeders’ Cup rides: Ecoro Azel in Friday’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Meta Max in Saturday’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

After Saturday’s races, Sugawara, an unassuming rising star, will fly to Australia again to partner Warp Speed in that nation’s greatest race three days later, the G1 Melbourne Cup. He pinpoints the wet ground at Caulfield for Warp Speed’s failure last time.

“The rain made the ground very heavy for the horse and if it had been a good ground surface, he would have had a better chance,” he told Idol Horse via interpreter Frank Chang.

“The pace in that race was slower than we would have in Japan and the horses tended to crowd together, but I felt like the horse was able to handle that kind of pace, it was just the ground that wasn’t suitable for him.”

Warp Speed
WARP SPEED, AKIRA SUGAWARA / G3 Diamond Stakes // Tokyo /// 2024 //// Photo by @B5Tc

Sugawara’s view is that Warp Speed will improve for the experience. The Noboru Takagi-trained son of Drefong was fifth in the G1 Tenno Sho Spring over two miles back in April and his rider believes that kind of performance should put him in the mix at Flemington, even with a 54.5kg impost.

“The run in the Caulfield Cup will definitely have helped the horse, he will come on for that into the Melbourne Cup. The distance will be better for him at Flemington, but also the track, the surface at Flemington is better for him than Caulfield, so I just hope there’s no rain at all,” he said.

Sugawara, who was raised close to Nakayama racecourse, debuted as an apprentice on the JRA (Japan Racing Association) in 2019 and posted his best total of 75 wins in 2021; this year he has 51 wins on the board, and that includes Blow The Horn’s success in the summer Grand Prix, the G1 Takarazuka Kinen.

Blow The Horn wins the G1 Takarazuka Kinen
BLOW THE HORN, AKIRA SUGAWARA / G1 Takarazuka Kinen // Kyoto /// 2024 //// Photo by Shuhei Okada

His Breeders’ Cup mounts, both trained by Hideyuki Mori, are low-profile among the Japanese contingent and victory on either would be a big turn-up.

Sugawara partnered Meta Max to win the NST Sho at Niigata in August – taking the partnership to two wins from five – but has never ridden Ecoro Azel, a two-year-old that won a newcomer race at Niigata in July and was then fifth at Chukyo in September behind the well-regarded G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies contender American Bikini.

“Meta Max is an American-bred sprinter so I hope the fast pace of the sprint races here will suit him, but it’s hard to know before they run here,” Sugawara said.

“Ecoro Azel, he’s fine, all is well with him; it’s the first time I’ve ever ridden this horse so we’ll have to see.”

Meta Max at Del Mar
META MAX / Del Mar // 2024 /// Photo by Shuhei Okada

Sugawara’s travel schedule, taking in some of the world’s biggest race meets, can only enhance his skills and knowledge, and, alongside the emerging talent of Forever Young’s pilot Ryusei Sakai, is perhaps a sign that Japanese trainers are conscious of developing the next wave of Japanese jockeys as international competitors.

For his part, Sugawara likes what Del Mar has to offer.

“This place is just what I imagined from seeing things on social media and TV,” he said enthusiastically. “I feel like the track is fair and straightforward to ride and I’m looking forward to riding in the races here.” ∎

David Morgan is Chief Journalist at Idol Horse. As a sports mad young lad in County Durham, England, horse racing hooked him at age 10. He has a keen knowledge of Hong Kong and Japanese racing after nine years as senior racing writer and racing editor at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. David has also worked in Dubai and spent several years at the Racenews agency in London. His credits include among others Racing Post, ANZ Bloodstock News, International Thoroughbred, TDN, and Asian Racing Report.

View all articles by David Morgan.

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