On Jan. 10, Kitasan Black was announced as a double winner for the JRA Awards for 2016. Kitasan Black won both the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year for 2016 and Best Older Colt or Horse award. In the voting for the Horse of the Year award, Kitasan Black received 134 votes out of 291, with Maurice and Satono Diamond receiving 90 and 66 votes, respectively.

The Horse of the Year title is the highest honor given to JRA-registered race horses and is selected by the Horse of the Year Selection Committee represented by journalists of various dailies and magazines. 

Horse of the Year and Best Older Colt or Horse:
Kitasan Black(JPN)

4-Year-Old, Bay, Colt
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Black Tide
Sugar Heart (Sakura Bakushin O)
Owner Ono Shoji
Trainer Hisashi Shimizu
Jockey Yutaka Take
Breeder Yanagawa Bokujo
Wins / Starts in 2016 3 / 6
Earnings in 2016 711,930,000 Yen
Principal Wins in 2016 Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1)
Japan Cup (G1)

Owner: Ono Shoji (Mr. Saburo Kitajima)
“I am deeply thrilled and thankful that my horse, Kitasan Black, has been recognized with the prestigious Horse of the Year award. On this occasion, I wish to express my thanks to not only those in the horse racing industry, but also to all the racing fans who rooted for him. We will continue to give it our best with Kitasan Black again this year, so I thank you in advance for your ongoing support.”

Trainer: Hisashi Shimizu
“I am thrilled to have been given the Horse of the Year honor. Rarely do we come across a horse of his caliber, and I am extremely grateful for it. Throughout the year, he was able to run in all the races that we had planned for him – he really is something special. Last year, he had the honor of running in the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) and the Arima Kinen (G1) as the fan’s top pick, and now being selected as the Horse of the Year, I hope he will live up to the expectations this year.”

Jockey: Yutaka Take
“I was able to partner with him throughout the year, so I am extremely thrilled to hear that he has been chosen as the Horse of the Year. I am grateful for Kitasan Black who ran his best throughout the whole year. Having been selected for this award amid all the other candidates who had great performances makes it even more special. He is a horse loved by many fans, so I hope to live up to the expectations that come with the award and continue to give our best this year as well.”

Best Two-Year-Old Colt:

Satono Ares(JPN)

2-Year-Old, Dark Bay, Colt
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Deep Impact
Satono Amazones (Danehill)
Owner Hajime Satomi
Trainer Kazuo Fujisawa
Jockey Hirofumi Shii
Breeder Hajime Satomi
Wins / Starts in 2016 3 / 5
Earnings in 2016 91,347,000 Yen
Principal Wins in 2016 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (G1)

Best Two-Year-Old Filly:

Soul Stirring(JPN)

2-Year-Old, Brown, Filly
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Frankel
Stacelita (Monsun)
Owner Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd.
Trainer Kazuo Fujisawa
Jockey Christophe Lemaire
Breeder Shadai Farm
Wins / Starts in 2016 3 / 3
Earnings in 2016 89,498,000 Yen
Principal Wins in 2016 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (G1)

Best Three-Year-Old Colt:

Satono Diamond(JPN)

3-Year-Old, Bay, Colt
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Deep Impact
Malpensa (Orpen)
Owner Hajime Satomi
Trainer Yasutoshi Ikee
Jockey Christophe Lemaire
Breeder Northern Racing
Wins / Starts in 2016 4 / 6
Earnings in 2016 660,764,000 Yen
Principal Wins in 2016 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) (G1)
Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) (G1)

Best Three-Year-Old Filly:

Sinhalite(JPN)

3-Year-Old, Dark Bay, Filly
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Deep Impact
Singhalese (Singspiel)
Owner U.Carrot Farm
Trainer Sei Ishizaka
Jockey Kenichi Ikezoe
Breeder Northern Racing
Wins / Starts in 2016 4 / 5
Earnings in 2016 279,426,000 Yen
Principal Wins in 2016 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (G1)

Best Older Filly or Mare:

Marialite(JPN)

5-Year-Old, Dark Bay, Mare
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Deep Impact
Chrysoprase (El Condor Pasa)
Owner U.Carrot Farm
Trainer Takashi Kubota
Jockey Masayoshi Ebina
Breeder Northern Farm
Wins / Starts in 2016 1 / 6
Earnings in 2016 200,768,000 Yen
Principal Wins in 2016 Takarazuka Kinen (G1)

Best Sprinter or Miler:

Mikki Isle(JPN)

5-Year-Old, Bay, Horse
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Deep Impact
Star Isle (Rock of Gibraltar)
Owner Mizuki Noda
Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi
Jockey Suguru Hamanaka
Breeder Northern Racing
Wins / Starts in 2016 2 / 5
Earnings in 2016 228,469,000 Yen
Principal Wins in 2016 Mile Championship (G1)

Best Dirt Horse:

Sound True(JPN)

6-Year-Old, Chestnut, Gelding
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) French Deputy
Kyoei Truth (Fuji Kiseki)
Owner Hiroshi Yamada
Trainer Noboru Takagi
Jockey Takuya Ono
Breeder Okada Stud
Wins / Starts in 2016 1 / 7
(NAR 0/ 6)
Earnings in 2016 174,634,000 Yen
(NAR 74,400,000 Yen)
Principal Wins in 2016 Champions Cup (G1)

Best Steeplechase Horse:

Oju Chosan(JPN)

5-Year-Old, Bay, Horse
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Stay Gold
Shadow Silhouette (Symboli Kris S)
Owner Chosan Co. Ltd.
Trainer Shoichiro Wada
Jockey Shinichi Ishigami
Breeder Naoyoshi Nagayama
Wins / Starts in 2016 4 / 5
Earnings in 2016 208,824,000 Yen
Principal Wins in 2016 Nakayama Grand Jump (J-G1)
Nakayama Daishogai (J-G1)

Special Award:

Maurice(JPN)

5-Year-Old, Bay, Horse
Sire
Dam (Sire of Dam) Screen Hero
Mejiro Frances (Carnegie)
Owner Kazumi Yoshida
Trainer Noriyuki Hori
Jockey Ryan Moore
Breeder Togawa Bokujo
Wins / Starts in 2016 3 / 5 (Oversea 2 / 2)
Earnings in 2016 568,487,500 Yen
(Oversea 345,249,500 Yen)
Principal Wins in 2016 Champions Mile (G1)
Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1)
Hong Kong Cup (G1)

TRAINERS & JOCKEYS

*Best Trainer (races won): Yoshito Yahagi (61 wins)

*Best Trainer (winning average): Noriyuki Hori (0.201%)

*Best Trainer (money earned): Noriyuki Hori (1,945,108,600 Yen)

*Best Trainer (training technique): Noriyuki Hori

JRA Best Jockey (races won): Keita Tosaki (187 wins)

JRA Best Jockey (winning average): Christophe Lemaire (0.237%)

JRA Best Jockey (money earned): Christophe Lemaire (4,040,748,000 Yen)

**MVJ (Most Valuable Jockey): Keita Tosaki 58 points

Best Steeplechase Jockey: Shinichi Ishigami (15 wins)

Best Jockey (newcomer): Takuya Kowata (45 wins)

***Special Award (jockey): Shigefumi Kumazawa