Ahead of 2024 Horse Racing Season, Almond Eye Gets Paired Up With 2023 Japan Cup Winner

The Japanese horse racing world is on cloud nine as its most decorated equine Equinox embarks on his stud season. Having received a starry sendoff, the 4-year-old has a stellar career to look back at. The 2022 Japanese House of the Year is the child of seven G1 race winner Kitasan Black. And now, a recent post hints at another generation in the making.

With the ‘Music of the Night’ from Phantom of the Opera serenading the audience, the upcoming Longines World’s Best Racehorse crown holder bid his goodbyes. On November 30, the governing body announced that the horse would kick off his stud career at Shadai Stallion Station in 2024. But before any major event announcement, Equinox is preparing its best moves for a date.

Almond Eye will visit the horse racing legend

According to World Horse Racing’s X post, the caption reads, “And it’s locked in. @netkeiba confirms that ALMOND EYE will be among the mares to visit EQUINOX in his first season at stud!” Whereas, the original post captures mare Almond Eye, the ‘date’ of Equinox, waiting for the mating ceremony. Concluded the original caption with “Does a date between the two @christo68914587 favourites await in 2024?”

As per Christophe Lemaire’s reference in the caption, the French jockey had clinched a number of victories aboard both the horses. Since 2017, Lemaire is maintaining his winning streak with the most wins at Japan Racing Association racetracks. Speaking of Equinox, his 2023 season has been starling, the November 26 Japan Cup race being the latest triumph. With this win, he became the only horse in history to earn over 2-billion yen. And keeping all this in mind, no one is all blissful as his trainer.

Trainer awaits training Equinox’s offspring

Since his beloved horse has stepped down from his cradle, trainer Tetsuya Kimura got teary-eyed on his retirement day. But he had his hopes up, nevertheless. He addressed the Nakayama crowd to say, “It was a very condensed two years, in a way I could say that I was living in a dream, or that I was absorbed in it.”

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Further added, “I’m really relieved to have reached the day of his retirement. This may be a personal matter, but I would like to wait for a child of Equinox and would like to return to a Tokyo 2,400 metre [mile and a half] Grade 1 race with our stable staff.” Fun fact is, the star equine had won every race he had participated in 2023. Now, his fans highly await his stud career strides.

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