IRL:K.S.Miracle
| Main | Gallery | IRL | Game |
| K.S.Miracle | ||
|---|---|---|
| ケイエスミラクル | ||
| K.S.Miracle at the 1991 Swan Stakes | ||
| Silks |  |
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| Romaji | Kei Esu Mirakuru | |
| Foaled | March 16, 1988 | |
| Died | December 15, 1991 | |
| Sire | Stutz Blackhawk | |
| Dam | Lady Bend Fager | |
| Sex | Stallion | |
| Color | Bay | |
| Trainer | Shigetada Takahashi | |
| Race Record | 10: 5-2-1 | |
| Earnings | 133,700,000 JPY | |
| Major wins | ||
| Swan Stakes (G2) (1991) | ||
K.S.Miracle |
K.S.Miracle was an American-bred, Japanese-trained racehorse that was active briefly in 1991. He was known for winning 5 of 10 starts and setting multiple course records as a sprinter before his untimely end.
Name Origin
K.S. Miracle was imported from the United States at the age of two for a reported price of around $30,000 (approximately 4.3 million yen). His early development was troubled, as he reportedly suffered from fevers, encephalitis, and leg issues. At one point, veterinarians described his condition bluntly as “be prepared,” meaning there was a real possibility of death.[2] Despite this, he survived and was subsequently named “Miracle” under the K.S. ownership. Due to these early health complications, he missed his entire three-year-old season.
During his rise in competition, contemporary articles often referred to him as “K.S.” While there is no confirmed explanation for this abbreviation, it was likely used to avoid confusion with another horse of the time, Yamanin Miracle, who was also gaining attention and won a Grade 2 race around the same period. Additionally, there were no other active horses carrying the “K.S.” prefix at the time, which may have given the name an easier time to stand out.
Career
On April 20th, 1991, K.S.Miracle began his three-year-old campaign. He came into Niigata as the favorite, and even had some buzz around him, being a foreign-bred horse.[3] He fell just short and finished 2nd over 1400m. Trainer Takahashi commented that “his mind was wandering” in response to the performance.Two weeks later, he made a quick turnaround and won a 1600m race by an emphatic eight lengths. Just one week after that, he ran again in the Warabi Sho over 1600m and finished 2nd again. His jockey, Saeki, noted that “he started playing around when other horses come near,” and that the slower pace made him somewhat restless. Early in his career, there were clear signs of immaturity in how he handled races and himself.
About a month later, on June 8th, he was shipped to Hokkaido and contested the 1200m Ishikari Tokubetsu at Sapporo Racecourse. There was a jockey change, with Saeki being replaced by Minai. K.S.Miracle won the race and set a new course record, and his potential began to stand out more clearly. That momentum carried into the 1200m Moiwayama Tokubetsu two weeks later, where he won by nine lengths. Pre-race commentary described him as “fast” and “overwhelmingly strong.”
On September 8th, K.S.Miracle entered his first graded race, the G3 Centaur Stakes (1200m). Trainer Takahashi said that “he’s full of energy” and that “he’ll run a very good race,” but the result was disappointing, as he finished near the back of the field. The reasons for this performance could be attributed to many possible factors including travel, being overweight, a poor start, the left-handed track and limited preparation time. He had lost training time after causing a disturbance in the Moiwayama Tokubetsu and was required to pass a gate test before being allowed to race again. On October 5, he traveled to Kyoto to run in the Opal Stakes, a race that had not originally been planned. According to Takahashi, they needed additional prize money to secure entry into a G1. Miracle did more than just win—he set another course record over 1200 meters, the second of his career.
His next race became his most well-known performance: the G2 Swan Stakes (1400m) on October 26 at Kyoto Racecourse. This was a major step up in competition, featuring established and future G1 winners such as Daiichi Ruby, Dai Yusaku, Bamboo Memory, and Daitaku Helios. K.S.Miracle entered as the fifth favorite, and even Takahashi did not expect him to win. In the final stretch, however, he broke away from the field. Daiichi Ruby closed rapidly, but Miracle held on to win, setting another track record—his third and final one.
Around this time, reports described him as energetic and focused, with much of his earlier immaturity no longer evident. The initial plan had been to rest after the Swan Stakes before targeting the Sprinters Stakes. Instead, Takahashi opted to run him in the Mile Championship (1600m) on November 17th. During training, he was described as “responsive” and “lively,” with “sharp eyes” and a healthy coat. In the race, however, the slow pace worked against him again. The plan was to follow Daiichi Ruby, but her slow start left Miracle positioned near the back. Daitaku Helios set the pace throughout, never letting up for a moment, finishing 1st while Miracle finished 3rd.
1991 Sprinters Stakes
His next race was his tenth in just under eight months: the Sprinters Stakes (1200m) on December 15th. In the lead-up, there were reports that he had been agitated during transport and had briefly lost his appetite. His jockey was changed again, with Minai unavailable and replaced by Okabe. The stable acknowledged that he had been raced frequently and had been carefully managed to maintain his condition.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title At the start, Miracle broke well and settled mid-pack on the outside, an improvement from his previous race. However, in the latter half, as he began to move toward the leaders, he suddenly faltered. Commentators could be heard screaming his name as he dropped back further and further. He was unable to finish and was promptly diagnosed with a comminuted fracture in his leg, meaning the bone had broken into multiple pieces. With no viable treatment options, he was euthanized. Okabe later said that K.S.Miracle’s eyes “could not focus,” he suddenly got worked up one night and went crazed for nearly 2 days before the Sprinters Stakes. It was reported that owner Kiyoshi Takada appeared close to tears.
The exact cause of the accident remains debated. His demanding race schedule is often cited, especially given his later reported physical fragility. Others suggest that Okabe may not have been fully familiar with handling him. Contemporary reports did not indicate any obvious injury beforehand, making the outcome difficult to predict at the time. If he had won, there had been plans to aim for the Breeders' Cup the following year.[4][5]
Relationships & Family
K.S. Miracle was sired by Stutz Blackhawk out of Lady Bend Fager. Blackhawk started in 40 races and won 3 of them. He competed in a handful of graded stakes, including a Grade 1, with his best result being a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Hawthorne Juvenile Stakes. Lady Bend Fager started 11 times and won 2 races, but she did not compete in graded stakes, she spent most of her career competing in Allowance Races across New Jersey. Miracle also had four siblings, among them, Meisho Raijin and Meisho Babine earned a respectable amount of prize money over relatively long careers, though none of his immediate family made a significant impact at any level in the thoroughbred world.
While his immediate family was rather unremarkable, K.S. Miracle’s pedigree includes notable influences through both his sire line and damsire line. He belongs to the Mr. Prospector sire line. Mr. Prospector was a prominent racehorse of his era, competing during the same period as top runners such as Secretariat and Forego. Although not on their level, he achieved success of his own, including a win in the Grade 3 Gravesend Handicap. More importantly, he became one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history, producing an extensive and successful lineage that includes multiple classic and Triple Crown winners, and earning numerous leading sire and leading broodmare sire titles from the 1980s through the 2000s.[6] On the dam’s side, his damsire Never Bend was also a significant influence, producing 61 stakes winners.[7]
K.S. Miracle is also related to the Korean graded stakes winner Pilseung Gangja, a Japanese-bred horse later exported to Korea, who won 4 of his 14 starts.[8] Additionally, Miracle shares a common ancestor, Native Dancer, with Oguri Cap, making them distant relatives.
Race Records
| Date | Racecourse | Race | Grade | Distance | Gate | Odds | Fav. | Fin. | Time | Margin | Jockey | Winner (Runner-Up) | Other Umamusume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991/04/20 | Niigata | Four-Year-Old Maiden | Maiden | T 1600m | 5 | 2.5 | 1 | 2 | 1:37.2 | 0.1 | K.Saeki | Paris Harly | |
| 1991/05/04 | Niigata | Four-Year-Old Maiden | Maiden | T 1400m | 9 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1:23.5 | -1.3 | K.Saeki | (Shinko Yamato) | |
| 1991/05/11 | Niigata | Warabi Sho | Pre-OP | T 1600m | 12 | 1.6 | 1 | 2 | 1:36.8 | 0.1 | K.Saeki | Board Sailing | |
| 1991/06/08 | Sapporo | Ishikari Tokubetsu | Pre-OP | T 1200m | 2 | 3.2 | 1 | 1 | 1:08.5 | -0.7 | K.Minai | (Samson Queen) | |
| 1991/06/22 | Sapporo | Moiwayama Tokubetsu | Pre-OP | T 1200m | 5 | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1:09.3 | -1.5 | K.Minai | (Queen Sancy) | |
| 1991/09/08 | Chukyo | Centaur Stakes | G3 | T 1200m | 11 | 3.7 | 3 | 13 | 1:09.4 | 1.5 | K.Minai | Nifty Niece | |
| 1991/10/05 | Kyoto | Opal Stakes | OP | T 1200m | 9 | 3.3 | 1 | 1 | 1:08.4 | -0.1 | K.Minai | (Samson Queen) | |
| 1991/10/26 | Kyoto | Swan Stakes | G2 | T 1400m | 7 | 12.5 | 5 | 1 | 1:20.6 | 0.0 | K.Minai | (Daiichi Ruby) | Daiichi Ruby, Bamboo Memory, Daitaku Helios |
| 1991/11/17 | Kyoto | Mile Championship | G1 | T 1600m | 11 | 4.3 | 2 | 3 | 1:35.3 | 0.5 | K.Minai | Daitaku Helios | Daitaku Helios, Daiichi Ruby, Bamboo Memory |
| 1991/12/15 | Nakayama | Sprinters' Stakes | G1 | T 1200m | 13 | 2.2 | 1 | DNF | Y.Okabe | Daiichi Ruby | Daiichi Ruby, Yamanin Zephyr |
Pedigree
| Sire Stutz Blackhawk (USA) |
Mr. Prospector (USA) | Raise a Native (USA) | Native Dancer (USA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raise You (USA) | |||
| Gold Digger (USA) | Nashua (USA) | ||
| Sequence (USA) | |||
| Sunny Morning (USA) | Amber Morn (USA) | Ambiorix (FR) | |
| Break o' Morn (USA) | |||
| Lighter (USA) | Coastal Traffic (GB) | ||
| Blue Denim (USA) | |||
| Dam Lady Bend Fager (USA) |
Never Bend (USA) | Nasrullah (GB) | Nearco (ITY) |
| Mumtaz Begum (FR) | |||
| Lalun (USA) | Djeddah (FR) | ||
| Be Faithful (USA) | |||
| Princess Fager (USA) | Dr. Fager (USA) | Rough'n Tumble (USA) | |
| Aspidistra (USA) | |||
| Princess Roycraft (USA) | Royal Note (USA) | ||
| Crafty Princess (USA), (Family: 1-l) |
Trivia
- A popular fan pairing for Miracle is with Daiichi Ruby. Notably, Ruby experienced a significant decline which led into quick retirement after the 1991 Sprinters Stakes (Miracle’s final race). While the official explanation cited medical issues, fans have long speculated a more sentimental reason: Ruby had fallen in love with Miracle, and witnessing his fall on the track shattered her spirit.[2]
- Some portrayals of K.S.Miracle in-game are different from reports in articles:
- K.S.Miracle is a very light eater in game, but the real K.S.Miracle had a normal diet for the most part, eating a steady 6 servings. His appetite weakened after a race—at least until after the Opal Stakes.
- K.S.Miracle is calm and gentle in game, but the real K.S.Miracle was reportedly somewhat mischievous and restless. He was quite a handful and apparently injured his leg often in the stables due to this attitude.[9] He was reacting erratically during the Warabi Sho, and afterwards, Trainer Takahashi made the move to bring him under a jockey with a firmer handling like Minai. Minai himself once said that in a 1991 November training session "Once I got on him, it wasn't bad." A reporter from the Hokkaido Shimbun stated "He had a sharp, almost feral glint in his eyes." Trainer Takahashi described him as a bit edgy, but believed that contributed to his explosive speed.
- In these days, K.S.Miracle is credited as a part of the Mr. Prospector line, but back when he was active, that line was not as well-known in Japan. His sire, Stutz Blackhawk, was even more unknown, so K.S.Miracle was credited with being a descendant of the Native Dancer line, the same one as Oguri Cap. There was even a headline asking if he was the 2nd coming of Oguri Cap after the Swan Stakes.
- His groom stated he had vertical streaks in his hooves and that small holes would appear every so often. He speculates Miracle may not have been in good health while he was developing.
- He was labeled "Prodigy Boy" for setting records the way he did.
- K.S.Miracle liked bananas, so his Umamusume counterpart is a big fan of Banana Mousse. "He gobbled them down with a look of absolute delight," said one of his grooms. Despite the fact that he ate a lot of bananas every day, he was still able to keep the food down, suggesting either a high metabolism or his body was constantly undergoing physical wear and tear.[10]