The winners of the 2023 NAR awards were announced on the 16th, and Igniter was chosen as the Horse of the Year after winning two graded stakes including the G1 JBC Sprint.

The full list of NAR Grand Prix Awards winners is as follows:

Horse of the Year, Best 4-Years-Old and Older Horse, Best Sprinter
Igniter trained by Masashi Atarashi

Best 2-Year-Old Colt
Saint Honore trained by Junji Tanaka

Best 2-Year-Old Filly
Mozu Migikataagari trained by Noboru Yonekawa

Best 3-Year-Old Colt
Mick Fire trained by Kazuo Watanabe

Best 3-Year-Old Filly
Made It Mum trained by Katsuo Ishii

Best 4-Years-Old and Older Mare
Speedy Kick trained by Tomoyuki Fujihara

Best Banei Racehorse of the Year
Memuro Bobsap trained by Touichi Sakamoto

Best Turf Horse of the Year
-

Honorary Award
Ushba Tesoro trained by Noboru Takagi

Honorary Mention
Mandarin Hero trained by Terunobu Fujita

Comments from the connections of Igniter

Trainer Masashi Atarashi: "I am honoured to be able to receive this award for two years in a row with Igniter. I have to thank the owner, grooms, and all the fans who supported us throughout the year. We will continue to try our best as the Best NRA Horse award winner."

Jockey Tsubasa Sasagawa: "I am grateful to be able to ride a horse like Igniter. We could not reach this point without the people at the yard and race organisers. Please continue to support us for 2024 as we take on more challenges."