Darley Japan ~ The JRA gives the green light

[my miss storm cat]

From a UAE press release..... no author listed.


Sheikh Mohammed to gain license for JRA races

The Japan Racing Association is poised to disclose that it will grant Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum an owner’s license so that horses under his Darley Japan banner can compete in the world’s most lucrative racing jurisdiction.

Although the decision to grant the license in the name of the Darley Japan Farm breeding complex has not been publicly announced, it already has been reported in some Japanese newspapers.

Ollie Tait, president of Darley Japan K.K., the commercial entity for Sheikh Mohammed’s operation in the Asian nation, confirmed that the JRA has indicated that the license is forthcoming. Dr. Riki Takahashi, chairman of Darley Japan K.K., said he expected it to be awarded by the end of this month.

The JRA has complicated rules that have barred citizens from other countries from maintaining stables of racehorses to compete in its elite racing circuit. A former JRA official hired by Sheikh Mohammed in 1991, Takahashi has been quietly working since then to gain a license and build up Sheikh Mohammed’s Thoroughbred holdings.

Beginning in 2003, Darley Japan has raced a string of horses at the lower-level National Association of Racing tracks, operated by local governments in Japan, as a preliminary step in winning acceptance by racing authorities. During that same time, Darley Japan has acquired land, built breeding facilities and moved high-profile stallions to the island of Hokkaido, including 2003 Dubai World Cup (Gr.1) winner Moon Ballad.

Tait said no plans have yet been made as to which horses will be prepared for initial forays into JRA racing or how large a stable will be maintained.