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IRL:Silence Suzuka
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This page contains real life information that may spoil any story or events related to the character. Read at your own discretion! |
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| Silence Suzuka | ||
|---|---|---|
| サイレンススズカ | ||
| Silence Suzuka at the 1998 Takarazuka Kinen | ||
| Silks |  |
|
| Romaji | Sairensu Suzuka | |
| Foaled | May 01, 1994 | |
| Died | November 01, 1998 | |
| Sire | Sunday Silence | |
| Dam | Wakia | |
| Sex | Stallion | |
| Color | Chestnut | |
| Trainer | Mitsuru Hashida | |
| Race Record | 16:9-1-0 | |
| Earnings | 455,984,000 JPY | |
| Major wins | ||
| Nakayama Kinen (1998) Kokura Daishoten (1998) Kinko Sho (1998) Takarazuka Kinen (1998) Mainichi Okan (1998) |
||
Silence Suzuka was a Japanese racehorse that was active from 1997 to 1998, most famous for his runaway strategy that leaves a huge gap between him and other racers at the middle of the race.
Name Origin
"Suzuka" is Keiji Nagai's crown name. his name "Silence" came from his sire, Sunday Silence.
Racing career
3-year-old season (1997)
Silence Suzuka debuted on February 2nd, at Kyoto Racecourse. While it was only his debut, Silence Suzuka's running style caught the attention of many through his "runaway style", where he accelerated to the front of the pack from the start and never give up the lead from there. By placing first using this style, Silence Suzuka was considered heavily capable beyond the previously applicable circumstances. It was later discovered that Silence Suzuka contracted periostitis, so he was forced to rest until the Yayoi Sho (G2) on March 2nd a month later.
However, the excitement for his return did not last long, as right before the Yayoi Sho, Silence Suzuka attempted to go under the starting gate[2]. It was speculated that Silence Suzuka missed his groom, and it caused him to end up having a ten-length late start, only being able to accelerate up to 8th place before the finish.
After winning an pre-open race, it was initially planned to have him compete in the Aoba Sho (G2) on May 3rd. However, due to a fever and his left front leg being swollen, he could not compete, and he was instead entered into the open race Principal Stakes, where he won enough prize money to gain priority entry into the Japanese Derby on June 1st, the second leg of the Triple Crown. While he tried to escape and overtake Sunny Brian who was in the lead, he was unable to within the 150 meters, and he lost to Sunny Brian and placed 9th.
As Silence Suzuka took a break in the summer, it was planned to not have him challenge the Kikuka Sho in the fall, as Mitsuru Hashida wanted to make use of his speed in medium-distance races rather than long-distances[3]. Instead, Silence Suzuka was scheduled to challenge the Tenno Sho (Autumn) on October 26th. After the break, he returned to compete in the Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2) on September 14th, where he placed 2nd to Matikanefukukitaru. While he challenged the Tenno Sho (Autumn) a month later, he lost to Air Groove and placed 6th. Weeks later, on November 16th, he challenged the Mile Championship, where he lost to Taiki Shuttle and placed 15th, the lowest in his career.
After that, he was transported to Hong Kong to compete in the Hong Kong International Cup (G2)[Note 1] on December 14th, where lost and placed 5th. After this loss, his team decided to stop restraining his speed and instead went for a great-escape style of running for Silence Suzuka[4].
4-year-old season (1998)
February 14th is when things began to take a turn for Silence Suzuka, as his victory in the open-class Valentine Stakes was the beginning of his winning streak. He then went on to win the Nakayama Kinen (G2) on March 15th, the Kokura Daishoten (G3) on April 18th, and the Kinko Sho (G2) on May 30th. While it was initially planned to have him rest in preparation for the Tenno Sho (Autumn), he was entered in the Takarazuka Kinen on July 12th as a popular contender. Running a great escape, he held off the chasing horses Air Groove, Stay Gold, and Mejiro Bright, and won his first and only G1 victory.
Months later, on October 11th, Silence Suzuka competed in the Mainichi Okan (G2), where he won by half a length and held off El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder, as well breaking their winning streaks. After this victory, the plan to have him compete in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) was continued.
Death
On November 1st, Silence Suzuka entered the Tenno Sho (Autumn) for the second and final time, and he was a popular contender. As he was a popular pick, it was speculated by fans that he wouldn't lose unless there was an accident, and there was more focus on how Silence Suzuka would win rather than if he would lose to conditions of the track[5]. Yutaka Take, his jockey, also planned to have him run a great escape during the race as he replied in an interview before the race that he will "set a fast pace."[6]
During the race, Silence Suzuka was in the lead by ten lengths after passing the 1,000 meters mark with a blistering pace of 57.4 seconds, and he continued to accelerate at top speed. However, when he passed the zelkova tree at the fourth corner, he suddenly shattered the bone in his left foreleg. Because of this, he began to slow down while keeping his jockey, Yutaka Take, safe before coming to a stop. Silence Suzuka was then transported off of the track, but the injury was deemed so severe that Silence Suzuka had to be euthanized. It was later found out that Silence Suzuka had far surpassed the limits of his body, and his bones in particular had reached their maximum[7]. That day is later named as the "Sunday of Silence" (沈黙の日曜日 Chinmoku no Nichiyoubi) from the announcer's call, which is a homage to his sire Sunday Silence.
Yutaka Take was heavily affected by Silence Suzuka's death, to the point where he even began to drink heavily in a depressed state[8]. In a later interview, he stated that he believed Silence Suzuka was protecting him during the race, as he didn't fall even after a catastrophic fracture. He states that he thinks about him often and he wished that he could've raced with him for longer.
After his death, a tomb was built for him at Inahara Farm, where his mane and horseshoes were also placed. He was also awarded the JRA Special Award the same year of his death, and he became the third horse after Ten Point and Rice Shower to receive the award posthumously.
Honors
- JRA Special Award (1998)
Relationships
Relatives
- Sunday Silence - Father
Race Records
| Date | Racecourse | Race | Grade | Distance | Gate | Odds | Fav. | Fin. | Time | Margin | Jockey | Winner (Runner-Up) | Other Umamusume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997/02/01 | Kyoto | Four-Year-Old Newcomer | Maiden | T 1600m | 1 | 1.3 | 1 | 1 | 1:35.2 | -1.1 | H.Uemura | (Pulsebeat) | |
| 1997/03/02 | Nakayama | Yayoi Sho | G2 | T 2000m | 8 | 3.5 | 2 | 8 | 2:03.7 | 1.5 | H.Uemura | Running Gale | |
| 1997/04/05 | Hanshin | Four-Year-Old Pre-OP | Pre-OP | T 2000m | 5 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 2:03.0 | -1.1 | H.Uemura | (Long Miguel) | |
| 1997/05/10 | Tokyo | Principal Stakes | OP | T 2200m | 11 | 2.3 | 2 | 1 | 2:13.4 | 0.0 | H.Uemura | (Matikanefukukitaru) | Matikanefukukitaru |
| 1997/06/01 | Tokyo | Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) | G1 | T 2400m | 8 | 8.6 | 4 | 9 | 2:27.0 | 1.1 | H.Uemura | Sunny Brian | Mejiro Bright, Matikanefukukitaru |
| 1997/09/14 | Hanshin | Kobe Shimbun Hai | G2 | T 2000m | 8 | 2.1 | 1 | 2 | 2:00.2 | 0.2 | H.Uemura | Matikanefukukitaru | Matikanefukukitaru |
| 1997/10/26 | Tokyo | Tenno Sho (Autumn) | G1 | T 2000m | 9 | 17.6 | 4 | 6 | 2:00.0 | 1.0 | H.Kawachi | Air Groove | Air Groove, Bubble Gum Fellow |
| 1997/11/16 | Kyoto | Mile Championship | G1 | T 1600m | 10 | 19.1 | 6 | 15 | 1:36.2 | 2.9 | H.Kawachi | Taiki Shuttle | Taiki Shuttle, Hishi Akebono |
| 1997/12/14 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong Cup | G2 | T 1800m | 1 | 5 | 1:47.5 | 0.0 | Y.Take | Val's Prince | |||
| 1998/02/14 | Tokyo | Valentine Stakes | OP | T 1800m | 12 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 1:46.3 | -0.7 | Y.Take | (Horse's Neck) | |
| 1998/03/15 | Nakayama | Nakayama Kinen | G2 | T 1800m | 9 | 1.4 | 1 | 1 | 1:48.6 | -0.3 | Y.Take | (Rosen Kavalier) | |
| 1998/04/18 | Chukyo | Kokura Daishoten | G3 | T 1800m | 14 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 1:46.5 | -0.5 | Y.Take | (Tsurumaru Gaisen) | |
| 1998/05/30 | Chukyo | Kinko Sho | G2 | T 2000m | 5 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1:57.8 | -1.8 | Y.Take | (Midnight Bet) | Matikanefukukitaru |
| 1998/07/12 | Hanshin | Takarazuka Kinen | G1 | T 2200m | 13 | 2.8 | 1 | 1 | 2:11.9 | -0.1 | K.Minai | (Stay Gold) | Air Groove, Mejiro Dober, Mejiro Bright, Stay Gold |
| 1998/10/11 | Tokyo | Mainichi Okan | G2 | T 1800m | 2 | 1.4 | 1 | 1 | 1:44.9 | -0.4 | Y.Take | (El Condor Pasa) | El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder |
| 1998/11/01 | Tokyo | Tenno Sho (Autumn) | G1 | T 2000m | 1 | 1.2 | 1 | DNF | Y.Take | Offside Trap | Mejiro Bright, Stay Gold |
Pedigree
| Sire Sunday Silence (USA) |
Halo (USA) | Hail to Reason (USA) | Turn-to (IRE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothirdchance (USA) | |||
| Cosmah (USA) | Cosmic Bomb (USA) | ||
| Almahmoud (USA) | |||
| Wishing Well (USA) | Understanding (USA) | Promised Land (USA) | |
| Pretty Ways (USA) | |||
| Mountain Flower (USA) | Montparnasse (ARG) | ||
| Edelweiss (USA) | |||
| Dam Wakia (USA) |
Miswaki (USA) | Mr. Prospector (USA) | Raise a Native (USA) |
| Gold Digger (USA) | |||
| Hopespringseternal (USA) | Buckpasser (USA) | ||
| Rose Bower (USA) | |||
| Rascal Rascal (USA) | Ack Ack (USA) | Battle Joined (USA) | |
| Fast Turn (USA) | |||
| Savage Bunny (USA) | Never Bend (USA) | ||
| Tudor Jet (USA), (Family: 9-a) |
Trivia
- Among the other horses that got featured in Umamusume, Silence Suzuka was the earliest Japanese horse to ever race in Hong Kong.
- The earliest Japanese horse to ever race in Hong Kong was Hokusei Ciboulette.
- Silence Suzuka had a particular coincidence with him and Formula 1.
- On the day that Suzuka's birth in 1994, Ayrton Senna, a 3-time Brazilian Formula 1 World Champion, lost his life during the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola.
- On the day of the Tenno Sho (Autumn) in 1998, at the same race that Suzuka got euthanized after the injury, Mika Häkkinen, a Finnish Formula 1 driver, won the Japanese Grand Prix, with it winning his first of 2 Formula 1 World Driver's Championships for McLaren.
- Silence Suzuka had a habit of walking to the left in circles. When his groom tried hanging a tatami mat in his stable to stop him, it made Silence Suzuka stressed, and he lost the Mile Championship.
- In the 2022 Tenno Sho (Autumn), Panthalassa ran a huge lead just like Suzuka did back in 1998 and achieved the same 57.4 seconds upon reaching the 1,000 meters mark. Though he lost to Equinox on the last few meters before the finish line, he garnered a lot of attention and fans called him "Reiwa's Silence Suzuka" - saying that this is what could possibly happen if Silence Suzuka's tragedy never happened. Prior to that nickname, Panthalassa's prior nickname was "Reiwa's Twin Turbo".
- Since Silence Suzuka's death, no other horses who participated in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) managed to reach 57.4 seconds or lower upon passing the 1,000 meters mark, which somewhat became a jinx for those who tried to reach that face pace would suffer the same fate Suzuka did until Panthalassa mimicked the same feat without injuring himself.
- In the present days, Silence Suzuka's name was used as a criterion for horses that use the Runaway running style alongside Twin Turbo by horse-racing fans.
- If a frontrunning horse was able to finish the race without losing speed (even when they get overtaken), they will be compared to Silence Suzuka. If they lose speed, they will be compared to Twin Turbo instead.
Notes
- ↑ Was promoted to a G1 and renamed the Hong Kong Cup in 1999.
References
- Hong Kong Jockey Club page for the 1997 Hong Kong Cup.
- ↑ JRA official
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7At7nWCVC8A&t=493s
- ↑ Matsunaga 2000 pp.28-30
- ↑ Matsunaga 2000 pp. 28-30
- ↑ Matsunaga (2000), pp. 20-22
- ↑ "Remembrance: Silence Suzuka" pp. 16-17
- ↑ The Horses Who Became Stars, p.16
- ↑ https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20131128_228820.html?DETAIL&PAGE=2