TWO visits from Japan surfaced in Ireland last week, one from the top brass of the Japan Racing Association to their counterparts at HRI, while another comprised a group of 12 riders, mostly assistant trainers, some to be licensed imminently, who rode out on the Curragh.

Mr Masayoshi Yoshida, appointed JRA president in September of last year, met with HRI CEO Suzanne Eade along with Jason Morris, HRI Director of Strategy, Jonathan Mullen, HRI Director of Racing, and ITM chief executive Charles O’Neill at the Irish National Stud. This was followed by an evening of racing at the Curragh when they were joined by the Japanese Ambassador to Ireland, Mr Maruyama Norio.

Meanwhile, the dozen other JRA staff visited Ballydoyle and Coolmore on the Tuesday before riding out for trainers Dermot Weld, Willie McCreery and Johnny Murtagh from Wednesday morning until Saturday.

Assisted by support staff and translators, it was a first large JRA group to visit the Curragh since before Covid.

A week earlier the visiting riders had the pleasure of riding out at the stables of trainers Roger Varian and Ed Dunlop at Newmarket.

The trip is designed to educate future Japanese trainers about best practice in Europe and graduates include Hisashi Shimizu, trainer of JRA champion Kitasan Black, and Toru Hayashi, responsible for plotting the career of multiple Group 1 winner Songline.

The latter group also attended racing at the Curragh and Leopardstown and enjoyed a visit to the Irish National Stud.