IRL:Rice Shower

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Spoilers ahead! This page contains real life information that may spoil any story or events related to the character. Read at your own discretion!

Rice Shower
ライスシャワー
Main
Rice Shower at the 1993 Kikuka Sho
Silks
Romaji	Raisu Shawā
Foaled	March 05, 1989
Died	June 04, 1995
Sire	Real Shadai
Dam	Lilac Point
Sex	Stallion
Color	Dark bay
Trainer	Koji Izuka
Race Record	25: 6-5-2
Earnings	729,497,200 JPY
Major wins
Kikuka Sho (1992) Nikkei Sho (1993) Tenno Sho (Spring) (1993, 1995)

The Black Assassin

The Black Assassin

1993, Tenno Sho Spring.
The demon dwells in a body that's been stripped down to its very limit.
The jet-black stayer who prevented the champion, Mejiro McQueen, from winning three years in a row.
A heel or a hero?
A nightmare or a miracle?
That horse's name is Rice Shower.
JRA CM "THE WINNER" (Spring Tenno Sho 2012)

Rice Shower was a Japanese racehorse that was active from 1991 to 1995. Nicknamed the "Black Assassin" (黒い刺客 Kuroi Shikaku), he was known for preventing Mihono Bourbon's Triple Crown win at the Kikuka Sho and Mejiro McQueen's third consecutive Tenno Sho (Spring) win.

Name Origin

"Rice Shower" refers to the ancient tradition of throwing rice at a couple on their wedding day for good fortune. It was intended that all who touched Rice Shower would receive happiness and fortune, like a rice shower.

Appearance

Rice Shower had a dark bay (dark brown, nearly black) coat with no markings, and a dark brown mane and tail.

Racing Career

Pre-Debut

Rice Shower was born March 5th, 1989 at Utopia Bokujo in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido. Visitors were impressed with his small but healthy and balanced physique, and the farm received many offers to purchase him. He was sent to Daito Farm in the Chibu Prefecture in 1990, where he gave the impression of a hard-to-handle horse, but when ridden, "it felt like riding on a cloud". He was then transferred to the Miho Training Centre in 1991, under the care of Koji Izuka. Izuka's first impression of Rice Shower was that he was "small, but he had a well-balanced body, so I thought he'd be able to reach the middle class if things went well."

Career

Originally intended to debut in July, Rice Shower caught a fever and was forced to postpone his first race. He made his debut on August 10th, 1991 at Niigata Racecourse with jockey Takahiro Mizuno, winning his first race by a neck.

Rice Shower achieved good to middling results in his following races, often finishing in second place. His first major upset came when he participated in the 1992 Kikuka Sho. In the lineup was Mihono Bourbon, aiming to become the fifth horse in history to earn a Triple Crown (first place in the Satsuki Sho, Japanese Derby, and Kikuka Sho). Bets were heavily in Mihono Bourbon's favour, while Rice Shower was the distant second favourite. The race began with racehorse Kyoei Bowgun taking the lead, Mihono Bourbon shortly after, and Rice Shower comfortably in 5th. Mihono Bourbon managed to overtake Kyoei Bowgun on the final corner, but Rice Shower alongside Matikanetannhauser burst forward in the final straight trying to catch up Mihono Bourbon, but only Rice Shower overtook Mihono Bourbon, winning the Kikuka Sho by 1 1/4 lengths. Not only was this Rice Shower's first victory in a Classics race, he also set a new record for 3,000 meters at 3 minutes and 5 seconds. However, because the crowd was so heavily in Mihono Bourbon's favour, there was "no applause, just booing" at the end of the race.

Rice Shower's next career milestone was at the 1993 Nikkei Sho, where he was the favorite to win for the first time. He achieved first place, living up to this favoritism.

Next, he was trained rigorously for the 1993 Tenno Sho (Spring), with the top contender, Mejiro McQueen, in mind. McQueen had won both the 1991 and 1992 Tenno Sho (Spring), and Rice Shower's training drew criticism for its intensity, and mockery for the trainers' belief that he could beat McQueen. At that time, Rice Shower's main jockey, Matoba Hitoshi, said that Rice Shower "was like a wild beast or powerful life form. When I got close to him, it felt like he might breathe fire at me[...] I felt like if I made him angry, he might bite off my fingers or legs."

As was the case at the Kikuka Sho, Rice Shower was the Tenno Sho's second favorite after Mejiro McQueen. Mejiro Palmer led the race, with Mejiro McQueen and Rice Shower close together in the middle of the pack. In the final corner, McQueen, Palmer, and Rice Shower were in a three-way sprint to the finish, but Rice Shower came out on top and won by 2 1/2 lengths. Again, he set a new record for 3,200 meters of 3 minutes and 17.1 seconds.

After the race, Rice Shower's jockey, Matoba Hitoshi, was asked not how he felt about winning, but how he felt about preventing Mejiro Mcqueen's third win. Rice Shower also became widely known as the "Black Assassin" and the "Kanto Assassin" (関東の刺客 Kanto no Shikaku) for his win preventions. Matoba rejected the idea of Rice Shower being portrayed as a villain, as they were all just aiming to win. He stated in his 2001 book that there was much more interest to be found in horse racing if you didn't view it from this "heroes and villains" perspective. Following his Tenno Sho (Spring) victory, Rice Shower faced a slump for the rest of 1993 and the beginning of 1994.

Rice Shower was sent to the Ritto Training Center in Kansai with the goal of winning the 1994 Tenno Sho (Spring). But the week before the race, he suffered an injury to his right front leg, which had already fractured once in 1991. The possibility of retirement and transition to becoming a breeding stallion was considered, but due to Rice Shower's small size, he wasn't accepted by many mares. Thus the decision was made to return to racing after a hiatus at his home ranch, Utopia Bokujo.

After missing the previous year's Tenno Sho (Spring), Rice Shower was set to run in the 1995 edition of the race. It was a photo finish, with Rice Shower and racehorse Stage Champ finishing shoulder to shoulder. However, Rice Shower came out on top by a nose, reclaiming his title.

Death and Legacy

Retirement was considered again after the 1995 Tenno Sho (Spring), but he was voted #1 by fans for the Takarazuka Kinen, and the race had been moved to Kyoto Racecourse, Rice Shower's favorite, after an earthquake in Hanshin. Since Rice Shower's win rate was lacking, at 24 runs and 6 wins, and only having a record of excelling at long distances, it limited his appeal as a stud horse. Looking for another victory in hopes of putting a medium-distance win on his record to secure opportunities as a breeding stallion, Rice Shower was enrolled in the 1995 Takarazuka Kinen.

During the race however, his jockey, Matoba, noticed that something was wrong with Rice Shower, and opted to finish the race safely instead of winning. When rounding the third corner of the race, Rice Shower ignored Matoba's instructions, sped up on his own and fell. It was revealed that his left leg suffered a dislocated fetlock joint, an open wound, and a shattered cannon bone which caused the fall. Rice Shower was also seen in immense pain and was inconsolable, not even being able to stand without writhing in tremendous agony. With no possibility of even transporting him to a clinic or even off the track, he was euthanized at the scene, with a curtain hanging around him. Matoba insisted to stay on the racecourse despite being injured when Rice Shower tumbled, and bowed deeply to the trailer that carried Rice Shower's lifeless body away.

Rice Shower passed on June 3rd, 1995 at the age of 6. Kawashima, the head stable hand, reportedly cried while clutching Rice Shower's reins, and left the horse racing world in grief. A month after Rice Shower's death, a grave was erected at his birthplace of Utopia Bokujo. "ライスシャワー ここに眠る" (Here Lies Rice Shower) is inscribed on the front of the gravestone, and his racing record is engraved on the back. At the suggestion of staff, a monument containing Rice Shower's hair was erected at Kyoto Racecourse. Another monument was erected at Daito Farm where he was first trained, and another was erected by his trainer, Koji Izuka, at Miho Training Center.

There is a tradition that the horseshoes of racehorses who have died during races are placed by the statue of Bato Kannon, a horse-headed god, in the training center, but Izuka couldn't bear to let go of Rice Shower's horseshoes. He remains in possession of the horseshoes worn at the Takarazuka Kinen, with dirt from the Kyoto Racecourse still on them. The box containing Rice Shower's horseshoes was never opened for 13 years, until an interview in 2008, where he opened the box for the first time.

It was said that Rice Shower indirectly saved Nice Nature after his death. Nature's owners wanted him to race on the 1996 Arima Kinen, but he was diagnosed with a minor fracture in his right front leg. His stable hand Hideki Baba, remembering Rice's death a year prior, vehemently opposed Nature's owners from having him race in Arima Kinen, making Nature's owners take back their decision.

Honors

• JRA Special Award (1995)

Relationships

Relatives

• Maruzensky - Maternal Grandfather

Race Records

Race data sourced from netkeiba.

Date	Racecourse	Race	Grade	Distance	Gate	Odds	Fav.	Fin.	Time	Margin	Jockey	Winner (Runner-Up)	Other Umamusume
1991/08/10	Niigata	Three-Year-Old Newcomer	Maiden	T 1000m	8	3.1	2	1	0:58.6	-0.1	T.Mizuno	(Daiichi Riyumon)
1991/09/01	Niigata	Niigata Sansai Stakes	G3	T 1200m	1	4.3	3	11	1:11.7	1.0	Y.Sugawara	Uto Jane
1991/09/21	Nakayama	Fuyo Stakes	OP	T 1600m	8	3.7	2	1	1:36.1	0.0	T.Mizuno	(Ararat San)
1992/03/29	Nakayama	Spring Stakes	G2	T 1800m	3	68.9	12	4	1:51.7	1.6	M.Shibata	Mihono Bourbon	Mihono Bourbon, Matikanetannhauser, Sakura Bakushin O
1992/04/19	Nakayama	Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas)	G1	T 2000m	9	59.0	11	8	2:02.8	1.4	H.Matoba	Mihono Bourbon	Mihono Bourbon, Matikanetannhauser
1992/05/10	Tokyo	NHK Hai	G2	T 2000m	15	25.0	9	8	2:03.4	0.6	H.Matoba	Narita Taisei	Matikanetannhauser
1992/05/31	Tokyo	Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)	G1	T 2400m	13	114.1	16	2	2:28.5	0.7	H.Matoba	Mihono Bourbon	Mihono Bourbon, Matikanetannhauser
1992/09/27	Nakayama	St. Lite Kinen	G2	T 2200m	14	6.5	3	2	2:13.6	0.0	K.Tanaka	Legacy World
1992/10/18	Kyoto	Kyoto Shimbun Hai	G2	T 2200m	1	7.1	2	2	2:12.2	0.2	H.Matoba	Mihono Bourbon	Mihono Bourbon
1992/11/08	Kyoto	Kikuka Sho (Japanese St.Leger)	G1	T 3000m	8	7.3	2	1	3:05.0	-0.2	H.Matoba	(Mihono Bourbon)	Mihono Bourbon, Matikanetannhauser
1992/12/27	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	16	4.9	2	8	2:34.1	0.6	H.Matoba	Mejiro Palmer	Mejiro Palmer, Nice Nature, Ikuno Dictus, Tokai Teio, Daitaku Helios
1993/02/21	Tokyo	Meguro Kinen	G2	T 2500m	5	3.5	2	2	2:32.8	0.4	H.Matoba	Matikanetannhauser	Matikanetannhauser
1993/03/21	Nakayama	Nikkei Sho	G2	T 2500m	11	1.8	1	1	2:35.8	-0.4	H.Matoba	(Italian Color)	Ikuno Dictus
1993/04/25	Kyoto	Tenno Sho (Spring)	G1	T 3200m	3	5.2	2	1	3:17.1	-0.4	H.Matoba	(Mejiro McQueen)	Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Palmer, Matikanetannhauser, Ikuno Dictus
1993/09/19	Nakayama	Sankei Sho All Comers	G3	T 2200m	8	1.8	1	3	2:13.6	1.0	H.Matoba	Twin Turbo	Twin Turbo, Ikuno Dictus
1993/10/31	Tokyo	Tenno Sho (Autumn)	G1	T 2000m	1	3.0	1	6	1:59.6	0.7	H.Matoba	Yamanin Zephyr	Yamanin Zephyr, Ikuno Dictus, Nice Nature, Twin Turbo
1993/11/28	Tokyo	Japan Cup	G1	T 2400m	1	12.8	7	14	2:25.9	1.5	H.Matoba	Legacy World	Winning Ticket, Nice Nature, Mejiro Palmer, Matikanetannhauser
1993/12/26	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	6	10.9	5	8	2:32.1	1.2	H.Matoba	Tokai Teio	Tokai Teio, Biwa Hayahide, Nice Nature, Matikanetannhauser, Mejiro Palmer, Winning Ticket
1994/02/13	Hanshin	Kyoto Kinen	G2	T 2200m	4	6.6	2	5	2:18.3	1.5	H.Matoba	Biwa Hayahide	Biwa Hayahide
1994/03/20	Nakayama	Nikkei Sho	G2	T 2500m	6	4.1	2	2	2:32.8	0.0	H.Matoba	Stage Champ	Matikanetannhauser, Twin Turbo
1994/12/25	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	10	17.7	4	3	2:33.1	0.9	H.Matoba	Narita Brian	Matikanetannhauser, Narita Brian, Hishi Amazon, Nice Nature, Sakura Chitose O, Twin Turbo
1995/02/12	Kyoto	Kyoto Kinen	G2	T 2200m	8	2.7	1	6	2:12.5	0.7	H.Matoba	Wako Chikako	Nice Nature
1995/03/19	Nakayama	Nikkei Sho	G2	T 2500m	1	1.9	1	6	2:42.3	1.3	H.Matoba	Inter Liner
1995/04/23	Kyoto	Tenno Sho (Spring)	G1	T 3200m	3	5.8	4	1	3:19.9	0.0	H.Matoba	(Stage Champ)
1995/06/04	Kyoto	Takarazuka Kinen	G1	T 2200m	16	6.0	3	DNF			H.Matoba	Dantsu Seattle	Sakura Chitose O, Narita Taishin

Pedigree

Horse pedigree of Rice Shower (JPN)

Sire Real Shadai (USA)	Roberto (USA)	Hail to Reason (USA)	Turn-to (IRE)
			Nothirdchance (USA)
		Bramalea (USA)	Nashua (USA)
			Rarelea (USA)
	Desert Vixen (USA)	In Reality (USA)	Intentionally (USA)
			My Dear Girl (USA)
		Desert Trial (USA)	Moslem Chief (USA)
			Scotch Verdict (USA)
Dam Lilac Point (JPN)	Maruzensky (JPN)	Nijinsky (CAN)	Northern Dancer (CAN)
			Flaming Page (CAN)
		Shill (USA)	Buckpasser (USA)
			Quill (USA)
	Kuri Katsura (JPN)	Tiepolo (ITY)	Blue Peter (GB)
			Trevisana (ITY)
		Kurino Hoshi (JPN)	Primero (GB)
			Oho Hikari (JPN), (Family: 1-c)

Trivia

• The 1995 Takarazuka Kinen did not only contain the on-track euthanization of Rice Shower, but also other unfortunate circumstances, making it possibly the lowest point in the JRA's history. These include:
  • Narita Taishin: After a 13-month break after his second placement at the Tenno Sho (Spring), caused by tendinitis, the Satsuki Sho winner entered the Takarazuka Kinen, but unfortunately placed 16th, second to last (ahead of Rice Shower who did not finish due to his fatal fracture) showing no sign of his signature explosive power, indicating his time away from the track ruined his competitive spirit. Narita Taishin soon suffered from tendinitis again and then retired as the last member of BNW, all of whom retired due to tendinitis.
  • Dantsu Seattle: The winner of the Grand Prix broke the course record with a time of 2:10.2, but was overlooked due to Rice Shower's death. After the race, during training for his next race, Dantsu Seattle developed chronic tendinitis as well, indicating it was developing from the race, and he was also retired.
  • Air Dublin and Nehai Caesar: Both the 3rd place and 14th placed horses also suffered from tendinitis after the race.