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IRL:Taiki Shuttle
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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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| Taiki Shuttle | ||
|---|---|---|
| タイキシャトル | ||
| Taiki Shuttle at the Kyoto Racecourse in 1998 | ||
| Silks |  |
|
| Romaji | Taiki Shatoru | |
| Foaled | March 23, 1994 | |
| Died | August 17, 2022 | |
| Sire | Devil's Bag | |
| Dam | Welsh Muffin | |
| Sex | Stallion | |
| Color | Chestnut | |
| Trainer | Kazuo Fujisawa | |
| Race Record | 13: 11-1-1 | |
| Earnings | 615,480,000 JPY | |
| Major wins | ||
| Unicorn Stakes (1997) Swan Stakes (1997) Mile Championship (1997, 1998) Sprinters' Stakes (1997) Keio Hai Spring Cup (1998) Yasuda Kinen (1998) Prix Jacques Le Marois (1998) |
||
Taiki Shuttle was an American-bred, Japanese-trained racehorse that was active from 1997 to 1998. Taiki Shuttle is known as the "Mightiest Miler" due to his back-to-back wins on various races that are 1600 meters or less and is also the second American-bred, Japanese-trained racehorse to win a international G1 race which is the Prix Jacques Le Marois in 1998.
Name Origin
"Taiki" is crown name of owner and breeder Taiki Farm.
Racing career
Three-year-old season (1997)
While Taiki Shuttle was scheduled to debut much earlier in the fall, he suffered a leg injury alongside a hoof infection. Because of this, his transportation to Miho Training Center was delayed to February 5th. Even when he entered the stables, soreness in his legs began to worsen each time he trained, further delaying his debut to the spring[1]. His debut was also delayed because he failed the gate exam twice.
Taiki Shuttle made his debut on April 19th in a 1,600 meter dirt race on Tokyo Racecourse. Dirt was chosen for his debut because his team thought his legs could handle the dirt. Breaking out of the pack, Taiki Shuttle won his debut by four lengths. Winning another open-class race on May 3rd, his team decided to have him challenge the turf for the first time.
Taiki Shuttle entered the open-class Shobu Stakes on June 8th, where he won once again. However, Taiki Shuttle suffered his first defeat where he placed 2nd to Tenzai Storm in the Bodaiju Stakes. His loss was speculated to be caused by having heavier horseshoes than the other horses, alongside it being his first time racing in the Kansai region[2].
After months of rest, Taiki Shuttle was scheduled compete in the Unicorn Stakes (G3) on October 4th, his first time challenging a graded race. Racing within the pack, he broke out in the homestretch and finished first, earning his first graded victory. Weeks later, on October 25th, Taiki Shuttle won the Swan Stakes (G2) by three-quarters of a length, earning another graded victory.
On November 16th, Taiki Shuttle challenged the Mile Championship, his first G1 race. Running within a high pace set by the year's Oka Sho winner Kyoei March, Taiki Shuttle ran behind Silence Suzuka and the 1995 Sprinters Stakes winner Hishi Akebono. As the two of them began to stall in the stretch, Taiki Shuttle gradually began to overtake them and broke past Kyoei March, and he won the race by two lengths. This made it the first time that a three-year-old horse had won the race since Soccer Boy in 1988.
His final race of the year was the Sprinters Stakes on December 14th, where he ran in a good position throughout most of the race. Breaking out at the final straight, Taiki Shuttle won by one and three-quarters of a length, achieving his second G1 victory. Because of his efforts throughout the year, he was awarded the JRA Award for Best Sprinter or Miler.
Four-year-old season (1998)
While preparing to have Taiki Shuttle compete in the Yasuda Kinen and challenge overseas races, an issue was discovered in his hoof. With the work of a farrier, Taiki Shuttle quickly recovered just in time to compete in the Keio Hai Spring Cup (G2) on May 16th. Winning by one length and a half, it was initially planned to have him enter the Takamatsunomiya Kinen a week later, but those plans were scrapped.
Entering the Yasuda Kinen on June 14th, Taiki Shuttle endured a harsh track that was caused by the rain. Waiting patiently for the horses in front to tire out, Taiki Shuttle made his move and broke out of the pack, winning the race by two lengths and a half. It was this G1 victory that solidified the decision to have him compete overseas.
Because John Muldoon, the vice president of Taiki Farm, decided against having Taiki Shuttle compete in England due to an unsuitable racetrack, it was decided to have him compete in France instead[3]. Entered into France on July 21st, Taiki Shuttle was getting prepared for Prix Jacques le Marois, a 1,600 meter G1 race. A week before the race, Seeking the Pearl's victory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest made her the first Japanese-trained horse to achieve an overseas G1 victory. Later, Hideyuki Mori, her trainer, commented "Taiki Shuttle, who will run next week, will be stronger."[4]
As the overwhelming favorite, Taiki Shuttle entered the Prix Jacques le Marois on August 16th. Running through the firm track, Taiki Shuttle escaped the pack and held off the horses chasing from behind, marking his first and only overseas victory. Because of this, it was initially planned to have him challenge the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and the Breeders' Cup Mile. However, due to quarantine issues, it was decided to have him return to Japan and compete in the Mile Championship once again.
On November 22nd, Taiki Shuttle entered the Mile Championship, where he ran in a good position and won the race, marking his fifth and final G1 victory. His retirement race was scheduled to be the Sprinters Stakes, aiming for a second victory. Despite overwhelming popularity, Taiki Shuttle was overtaken by Meiner Love and placed 3rd, the lowest in his career. Kazuo Fujisawa, his trainer, later stated that he could sense that Taiki Shuttle was losing his fighting spirit, and even said that if he could speak human language, he would say "let me retire."[1]
On the same day, he had his retirement ceremony. However, something occurred during the ceremony. When they showcased his race results on projector, his placement in the Sprinters Stakes was erroneously shown as "1st" instead of "3rd". By the end of the year, Taiki Shuttle not only won the JRA Award for Best Sprinter or Miler once again, he also won the JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse and Japanese Horse of the Year. In 1999, he was also inducted into the JRA Hall of Fame, making him the first short-distance racehorse to be inducted.
Retirement, Breeding Career and Death
Taiki Shuttle retired to perform stud duty at Arrow Stud. He had success as a stallion, fathering multiple G1 winners. His son, Meisho Bowler, won the February Stakes in 2005. Win Kluger, another son of his, won the NHK Mile Cup in 2003. Taiki Shuttle also had successful grandchildren, with his granddaughter, Straight Girl, winning the Sprinters Stakes in 2015 and the Victoria Mile in 2015 and 2016 respectively. One and Only, his grandson, won the Japanese Derby in 2014. His granddaughter, Reine Minoru, won the Oka Sho in 2017.
He retired from stud duty in 2017. On November 29th, 2018, he was transported to Versailles Farm with Meisho Doto, and they both became geldings in January the following year. Both horses became great friends. Months later, on September 15th, a worker at the stable discovered that the manes of both Taiki Shuttle and Rose Kingdom had been cut. On March 27th, 2020, Kazuyo Tanaka was arrested as a suspect in the case[5].
On June 16th, 2021, both Taiki Shuttle and Meisho Doto were transported to Northern Lake Farm[6]. A year later, on August 17th, 2022, Taiki Shuttle passed away at 28 years old, due to heart failure caused by old age. Doto also inherited Taiki's blanket and is often seen wearing it during cold days.
Honors
- JRA Award for Best Sprinter or Miler (1997, 1998)
- JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse (1998)
- Japanese Horse of the Year (1998)
- JRA Hall of Fame (inducted in 1999)
Relationships
Relatives
Race Records
| Date | Racecourse | Race | Grade | Distance | Gate | Odds | Fav. | Fin. | Time | Margin | Jockey | Winner (Runner-Up) | Other Umamusume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997/04/19 | Tokyo | Four-Year-Old Maiden | Maiden | D 1600m | 10 | 2.8 | 1 | 1 | 1:39.0 | -0.7 | Y.Okabe | (Akashi Glisten) | |
| 1997/05/03 | Kyoto | Four-Year-Old Pre-OP | Pre-OP | D 1200m | 3 | 2.1 | 1 | 1 | 1:12.2 | -0.2 | Y.Okabe | (Sound Cascade) | |
| 1997/06/08 | Tokyo | Shobu Stakes | OP | T 1600m | 8 | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 1:36.5 | -0.3 | Y.Okabe | (Shinko Splendor) | |
| 1997/07/06 | Hanshin | Bodaiju Stakes | OP | T 1400m | 9 | 1.7 | 1 | 2 | 1:20.9 | 0.0 | Y.Okabe | Tenzan Storm | |
| 1997/10/04 | Tokyo | Unicorn Stakes | G3 | D 1600m | 3 | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 1:36.8 | -0.4 | Y.Okabe | (Washington Color) | |
| 1997/10/25 | Kyoto | Swan Stakes | G2 | T 1400m | 9 | 4.8 | 2 | 1 | 1:20.7 | -0.1 | N.Yokoyama | (Sugino Hayakaze) | Hishi Akebono |
| 1997/11/16 | Kyoto | Mile Championship | G1 | T 1600m | 5 | 3.8 | 2 | 1 | 1:33.3 | -0.4 | N.Yokoyama | (Kyoei March) | Hishi Akebono, Silence Suzuka |
| 1997/12/14 | Nakayama | Sprinters' Stakes | G1 | T 1200m | 16 | 1.9 | 1 | 1 | 1:07.8 | -0.3 | Y.Okabe | (Sugino Hayakaze) | Hishi Akebono |
| 1998/05/16 | Tokyo | Keio Hai Spring Cup | G2 | T 1400m | 1 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 1:20.1 | -0.2 | Y.Okabe | (Osumi Tycoon) | |
| 1998/06/14 | Tokyo | Yasuda Kinen | G1 | T 1600m | 2 | 1.3 | 1 | 1 | 1:37.5 | -0.4 | Y.Okabe | (Oriental Express) | Seeking the Pearl, Biko Pegasus |
| 1998/08/16 | France | Prix Jacques Le Marois | G1 | T 1600m | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1:37.4 | 0.0 | Y.Okabe | (Among Men) | ||
| 1998/11/22 | Kyoto | Mile Championship | G1 | T 1600m | 9 | 1.3 | 1 | 1 | 1:33.3 | -0.8 | Y.Okabe | (Big Sunday) | Seeking the Pearl |
| 1998/12/20 | Nakayama | Sprinters' Stakes | G1 | T 1200m | 13 | 1.1 | 1 | 3 | 1:08.6 | 0.0 | Y.Okabe | Meiner Love | Seeking the Pearl |
Pedigree
| Sire Devil's Bag (USA) |
Halo (USA) | Hail to Reason (USA) | Turn-to (IRE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothirdchance (USA) | |||
| Cosmah (USA) | Cosmic Bomb (USA) | ||
| Almahmoud (USA) | |||
| Ballade (USA) | Herbager (FR) | Vandale (FR) | |
| Flagette (FR) | |||
| Miss Swapsco (USA) | Cohoes (USA) | ||
| Soaring (USA) | |||
| Dam Welsh Muffin (GB) |
Caerleon (USA) | Nijinsky (CAN) | Northern Dancer (CAN) |
| Flaming Page (CAN) | |||
| Foreseer (USA) | Round Table (USA) | ||
| Regal Gleam (USA) | |||
| Muffitys (IRE) | Thatch (USA) | Forli (ARG) | |
| Thong (USA) | |||
| Contrail (GB) | Roan Rocket (GB) | ||
| Azurine (IRE), (Family: 4-d) |
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Keiba Saikyou no Housoku Website (paywalled)
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20141207171846/http://www.sankei.com/west/news/141119/wst1411190036-n1.html
- ↑ https://tospo-keiba.jp/taikishuttle/45496
- ↑ https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/e0ba6fdc773b4cf9f80573fbff34b109245941d7
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20200328180501/https://www.nikkansports.com/general/news/202003270000596.html
- ↑ https://news.netkeiba.com/?pid=news_view&no=189082