Mitsumasa Nakauchida

Who is Mitsumasa Nakauchida?

Mitsumasa Nakauchida is one of Japan’s leading trainers and is at the front rank of a new wave of younger trainers making a splash in the JRA (Japan Racing Association). He had the most wins of any trainer in JRA races in 2021, 54 to Yohsito Yahagi’s 52, but Yahagi had more total wins, including overseas and NAR races, so took the overall champion title. He has won the JRA’s award for leading trainer based on winning average four times (2017,2019, 2021 and 2022).

He has developed rapidly into an elite level trainer and has prepared such notable horses as Liberty Island, Serifos, Danon Premium and Danon Fantasy.

What are Mitsumasa Nakauchida’s origins?

Nakauchida was raised in Shogo Prefecture at Shigeraki Farm, a pre-training facility close to Ritto training centre run by his father Katsuzi. His personal connection to horse racing came at age 12 when he watched the great Oguri Cap win his final race, the Arima Kinen, before a massive crowd of adoring fans.

He left Japan at age 16 to attend school in Ireland where in his spare time he worked for trainer John ‘JJ’ Lennon and rode as an amateur jockey. From there he moved to England and studied Equine Business at West Oxfordshire College, but also gained experience with trainers Sylvester Kirk and Richard Hannon, while continuing to ride as an amateur. His career in the saddle brought 13 rides and two wins.

He gained further experience with Sir Mark Prescott in Newmarket, Criquette Head-Maarek at Chantilly and Bobby Frankel at Santa Anita. Upon his return to Japan, Nakauchida enrolled in the JRA stable hand course in 2006 and was assistant trainer to Mitsuru Hashida until he passed the trainer’s exam in 2011. He then learned stable management working under trainers Hideaki Fujiwara and Katsuhiko Sumii before opening his stable at Ritto in 2014.

What is Mitsumasa Nakauchida’s approach to training?

Nakauchida’s early years learning his profession in Britain, France and the United States has given him a global perspective, so much so that he has been open about his ambition to be a trainer on the world stage.

His experiences working under top international trainers gave him different perspectives, elements of which he has been able to merge into what he has described as Japan’s ‘very different’ approach to training.

He saw how a trainer can be the boss, overseeing all, yet also the importance of a stable being a team working for the same goal; his tactical acumen developed too, as he came to understand different racing patterns and gained an understanding of track work times, and of when to do which types of exercise to peak a horse. He saw horses treated as individuals.

His approach is to prepare his horses and to race them when they are ready. He does not overstretch them or force them towards their target if they are not coming to hand in the right way. This approach is at the core of his excellent win strike rate.

Which is the best horse Mitsu Nakauchida has trained?

Liberty Island is the Nakauchida stable’s most famous horse. The brilliant filly won the ‘Triple Tiara’ in 2023, ridden by Yuga Kawada who has a strong affiliation with the stable.

Nakauchida prepared the Sunday Racing-owned filly for three races as a two-year-old, and in winning the first of those, a newcomers’ race at Niigata, she clocked the fastest ever final 600 metres in any race in JRA history. A shock defeat came at her second outing, but she bounced back with victory in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies.

Liberty Island’s impressive deep-closing G1 Oka Sho win first-up as a three-year-old was Nakauchida’s first classic success. His second came when the star filly dominated her rivals and stretched well clear in the G1 Yushun Himba, and she wrapped up the fillies’ Triple Crown in the G1 Shuka Sho before running a fine second to the great Equinox in the G1 Japan Cup.

Nakauchida prepared Liberty Island for the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan to kick off her four-year-old season, but despite the filly looking a picture of health and fitness in the UAE, she was unable to win. Liberty Island was given a tough task in attempting to catch the front rank from back in the field and closed to take third.

Did you know?

Mitsu Nakauchida has a family connection to one of Newmarket’s most famous stables, Carlburg, once the domain of classic winning handlers Joe Lawson and Clive Brittain and now the home of Varian Stables. Roger Varian’s wife Hanako is the sister of Nakauchida’s wife Yoko.