IRL:Tap Dance City

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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!

Tap Dance City
タップダンスシチー
Main
Tap Dance City at the 2003 Japan Cup
Silks
Romaji	Tappu Dansu Shichii
Foaled	March 16, 1997
Sire	Pleasant Tap
Dam	All Dance
Sex	Stallion
Color	Bay
Trainer	Akari Sasaki
Race Record	42: 12-6-7
Earnings	1,084,220,000 JPY
Major wins
Asahi Challenge Cup (2022) Kinko Sho (2003, 2004, 2005) Kyoto Daishoten (2003) Japan Cup (2003) Takarazuka Kinen (2004)

This is how we run.

This is how we run.

No need to play games. Thoroughly devoted to "their own racing" with trust in each other.
This is how they built their theory to victory.
Tap Dance City and Tetsuzo Sato. Man and horse united by the bond of trust;
They charm our hearts with passionate, powerful running.
Hero's Biography 57

Tap Dance City is an American-bred, Japanese-trained racehorse that was active from 2000 to 2005. He is known for a bold frontrunning strategy and holds the record tie in distance to 2nd place in a JRA G1 race.

Name Origin

"Tap" and "Dance" come from his sire and dam, Pleasant Tap and All Dance, respectively, and "City" is the crown name of owner Yushun Horse Club Co. Ltd.

Racing career

Three year old to Five year old season (2000 - summer 2002)

Debut, 10 jockey rotations

Tap Dance City debuted on March 4th, 2000 in a 2,000-meter turf race on Hanshin Racecourse. He won his first race on March 19th. In his first graded race attempt, the Kyoto Shinbun Hai (G2) in May, he took home third with about a three length distance to winner Agnes Flight. With 4 defeats in conditional races, his second win came from challenging a higher class (below 9 million yen class) in the Tenryugawa Tokubetsu. In his four year old season, he lost all 6 races he ran and floated around the Open, Pre-open, and below 10 million class. After turning 5, he took 3rd in the Nikkei Shinshun Hai (G2) by 1.5 lengths in another graded challenge, and was finally promoted from open by winning in the Kasuga Tokubetsu and the Midosuji Stakes.

The first race after his promotion, he lost by a head in the Nikkei Sho, and another three more races. With a record of 22 races and 4 wins, despite showing promise in the Kyoto Shinbun Hai, he was late to be promoted. His trainer, Shozo Sasaki, said that his bad performance is due to his temperament. He was said to be "tap dancing" when he gets agitated, and had to have two people with him in the paddocks. His temperament led to late starts, and he also had to run towards the outer rail, which caused him to lose many races. The fact that he had many jockeys rotate out from his saddle also meant that they have not found the optimal way to ride him, since his father produced runners on all distances in all ages, and they did not have enough time to ride him to find the best strategy.

Five year old season (late 2002)

Tetsuzo Sato, main jockey

On the September 7th, he ran in his 6th graded race in the Asahi Challenge Cup (G3). His previous jockeys were not available, and Tetsuzo Sato, who happened to be free, was chosen to ride him. In the race, he settled into 3rd in the field and was pushing in the straight, with the 2nd and 1st favorites Ibuki Government and True Surpass coming from behind. In a three-way battle, Tap Dance City was passed but overtook again and finished first by a head, giving him his first graded victory. His finishing time of 1:58.1 also set a new record by 0.2 seconds. From this point until retirement, Sato remained his jockey.

His first G1 race came when he was placed 50th in the Arima Kinen fan vote of 2002. He was the 13th favorite in the race. Out of the gate, Fine Motion took first, with Tap Dance City following. They traded places several times in the home straight and first corners, but Sato would up his pace on the back straight, taking a large lead over 2nd going into the 3rd corner. Most racers behind him found that they did not have the stamina reserved to chase him down, and he kept the lead for a while on the final straight, except the 1st favorite, Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner Symboli Kris S showed off his finishing kick, and overtook him in the very last moment. Tap Dace City showed his staying power with 2nd by half a length, and this was the first time that foreign horses placed 1st and 2nd in the Arima Kinen.

Six year old season (2003)

The Kinko Sho and Kyoto Daishoten

The season started with an open class race in the Tokyo Renewal Kinen. Despite being 2 ranks down from his current class, he was 7th favorite to win. Entering the straight in 4th, he won against 2001 Japanese Oaks winner Lady Pastel by 2 lengths. In the Kinko Sho (G2), he would be behind previous year's winner Tsurumaru Boy, 2 time G2 winner at three, four year old Balance of Game, three time G1 winner with a double tiara T.M. Ocean at 4th favorite. In the race, following Daitaku Flag in the front at 2nd, he overtook at the 3rd corner and spurted early to make distance to the pack. Tsurumaru Boy was closing fast on the far outside in the straight, but Tap Dance City held on and won by half a length, making it his second graded victory. Jockey Sato said, "he uses his strength best when away from the pack, so this is a race where that shined."

He entered the Takarazuka Kinen with a 12th place fan voting placement, and was 4th favorite behind Symboli Kris S, Neo Universe who had just taken two of three crowns in spring, and 6-time G1/JPN1 winner Agnes Digital. Starting on the far outside, he had to settle for a mid-field position. Hishi Miracle rounded the third corner on the far outside and stood at the front at the straight, and Tsurumaru Boy was surging for him last second. Tap Dance City couldn't follow, but was able to cling onto third in front of Neo Universe and Symboli Kris S.

In the Kyoto Daishoten, he was No.1 favorite in front of three time G1 winner Hishi Miracle. He was able to start well and set the pace, but was marked by Hishi Miracle, who was unusually in 2nd. Setting a slow pace in front, they went into the final corner. Hishi Miracle made a valiant attempt in the final straight but finished 2nd by 1.5 lengths behind Tap Dance City. Trainer Sasaki thought that Tap Dance City would not be suited to the Tokyo 2000m Course, and scratched plans for the Tenno Sho (Autumn).

The Japan Cup

With Hong Kong Vase and two time Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Ange Gabriel, Breeder's Cup Turf winner Johar, Cox Plate winner Fields of Omagh, and previous year's 2nd placer Sarafan, there were 9 foreign-trained horses and 9 domestic-trained horses. The 1st favorite was two-time Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner Symboli Kris S with 1.9 odds, followed by Neo Universe, Ange Gabriel, and Tap Dance City is 4th with 13.8. The ground was yielding from rain a day before.

Starting in gate 1, he opened a 4-5 length lead going into the back straight. When he was entering the third corner, the lead has stretched to 10 lengths. Leading into the final straight, Tap Dance City demonstrated his strength with a 37.4 last three furlongs (the fastest in this race was 37.0), and held his lead all the way to the finish by a staggering 9 lengths. With this, he set a record for the largest winning margin in the Japan Cup (previously held by El Condor Pasa in 1998 with 2.5 lengths to Air Groove), and also the largest winning margin in a JRA G1 race. This also marks the first G1 win for owner Yushun Horse Club since the 1986 Hanshin Sansai Stakes (won by Gold City), the second G1 win for jockey Sato since the 1996 Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (won by Meiner Max), and trainer Sasaki's very first G1 victory.

The Japan Cup was an important race for both Sato and Sasaki. After seeing the first Japan Cup in 1981, Sasaki wanted to ride in the Japan Cup most of all, but retired before he had a chance to do so. Even after becoming a trainer, while most trainers aim to win the Japanese Derby, he aimed to get his horses to run and win in the Japan Cup. While Sato, at the time a middle schooler, decided to become a jockey after witnessing the very first Japan Cup victory from a Japanese Horse, Katsuragi Ace, and 19 years later, he won the Japan Cup with the same runaway strategy. Sato said, "In both technique and mind, I'm the worst in this field. However, I raced with the determination that I want to win this race. With a horse in peak condition, I'm also racing to win.".

In the Arima Kinen, Tap Dance City was 5th in the fan vote, and 2nd favorite behind Symboli Kris S. Symboli Kris S tied the incredible 9 length finishing margin in his retirement race, and Tap Dance City was more than 13 lengths behind, finishing 8th.

Seven year old season (2004)

Second Kinko Sho and The Takarazuka Kinen

He rested after the Arima Kinen, and the seven year old season started in May with the Kinko Sho. In 12 runners, 9 were graded winners and 4 in those were G1 winners. Tap Dance City was 1st favourite, followed by That's the Plenty, 4-time graded winner Magnaten, previous year Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Admire Groove, and previous year Filly's Triple Tiara winner Still in Love. He stayed in 3rd for most of the race, behind Tamamo Hibiki and Magnaten, and started to overtake in the third corner. He enters the straight in front and lengthens his lead, but Blue Eleven on the far outside surges in. By just a head, Tap Dance City stayed in 1st place. The finishing time of 1:57.5 sets a new record for the race (previously 1:57.8 set by Silence Suzuka with DST margin in 1998), and marks the first time a horse, jockey, and trainer won the Kinko Sho two times in a row.

Tap Dance City was 6th in the fan vote for the Takarazuka Kinen. He entered as 1st favorite in the race, closely followed by Zenno Rob Roy, Tenno Sho (Spring) 2nd placer, both in the 3.X range in odds. Other favorites include Kikuka Sho 2nd placer Lincoln and Yasuda Kinen winner Tsurumaru Boy. In the race, he stayed in 3rd place behind Lohengrin and Hot Secret. Lohengrin set an extremely fast pace of 58.5 at 1,000 meters, but slowed down before the third corner for the last spurt. Tap Dance City however, decided to keep the pace and overtook for 1st in the 3rd corner, spurting quite early. Despite at one point Silk Famous almost catching up, Tap Dance City accelerated again to make it a strong 2-length victory. This marks the 2nd G1 win for Tap Dance City at 7 years old, and also makes him the 2nd horse ever to win the Takarazuka Kinen at 7, the previous being Speed Symboli in 1970. Moreover, he set a new record time for the race at 2:11.1, being 0.1 seconds faster than Biwa Hayahide's record in 1994. Jockey Sato said, "I cannot ride like this without an incredible horse", and trainer Sasaki said "I felt like he can't lose" regarding his condition before the race.

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and The Arima Kinen

After the Takarazuka Kinen, his next race was determined. Trainer Sasaki was contemplating entering the l'Arc since winning the Japan Cup the year before, and it was official that they would go after the record setting victory in the Kinko Sho. Sasaki decided to do adjustments and preparations in Japan and fly Tap Dance City to France (September 26th-27th) one week before the race (October 3rd). Unfortunately, there was a problem with the cargo flight they were supposed to be on, and there was no alternate flights until the 29th, and they will not be able to make final adjustments well, leading to them deciding to scratch the trip.

However, due to the massive fan demand, the team reconsidered the decision and remade trip plans. They would do the final workout on the 29th and arrive in French stables on the 1st. On the day before the race, his condition was said to be well, with only 3kg weight decrease from the Takarazuka Kinen, there wasn't much fatigue from travel. Yoshito Yahagi (trainer of Forever Young etc., stables unopened then), who was in France at the time, said that "even though he just entered stables, he's walking calmly", thinking "we might have a chance!". Trainer Sasaki after examining the Longchamp racecourse, commented on the condition of the track, "the back straight is like opening week at Kokura, the home straight is like opening week at Sapporo", and jockey Sato said "it was worse at JC and Takarazuka, so we should be fine".

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was held on October 3rd. The strongest contenders were withdrawn, leading to an all out free-for all. Tap Dance City was 7th favorite on site. Despite being well the day before, perhaps agitated from transportation on the day, he displayed another "tap dance" at the paddock, which at that point he hadn't for years. Trainer Yahagi said "it's like he was a different horse from yesterday". Out of the gate, he was near the front, but lost speed and finished 17 lengths behind the winner Bago in 17th. Trainer Sasaki said that "if there was another chance, for just this horse, I would have wanted to try again with the originally planned schedule (of flying one week before). Next time I would prepare a backup flight that is within 6 hours."

It was announced that he would retire at the end of the year at the Arima Kinen, however that statement would be retracted four days before starting. On the same day, stable staff said "He's at about 70%" "I would like two more weeks" regarding Tap Dance City's condition. The barrier draws didn't favor him, as Zenno Rob Roy, who had taken both the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and Japan Cup that year, was in gate 1, while Tap Dance City was in gate 9. Out of the gates, Tap Dance City was front-running most of the way and opened a few length lead on the back straight, but was overtaken by Zenno Rob Roy on the final straight for a 2nd place finish by half a length. The finishing time of 2:29.5 set a new record for the Arima Kinen by 1.1 seconds, the new record time is of course thanks to the fast pace set by Tap Dance City in the race. To this day no horse has broken the 2:30 barrier in the Arima Kinen except the top three finishers in 2004, and so Tap Dance City can be said to be the 2nd fastest ever to finish the 2500m race on Nakayama.

Eight year old season (2005)

The 2005 season started with an attempt for a three-peat in the Kinko Sho. Being the 1st favorite, Tap Dance City faced similar competition with Admire Groove and Still in Love returning, and Silk Famous joining the fray. Starting in the front again, he took a slower pace than usual with a 61 second time in the first 1,000 meters, he held the lead by two lengths entering the final straight, and extended it to 2.5 lengths to cross the finish line. This also marks him as the 2nd horse in JRA history to win the same prized flat race since Sekai O with the Naruo Kinen in 1956 to 1958. With this victory, he also surpassed Narita Brian to be the 3rd highest prize money earner in JRA history (at the time) behind T.M. Opera O and Special Week.

Afterwards, he placed 7th in the Takarazuka Kinen, and also out of the the board in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), Japan Cup, and Arima Kinen, in which he retired after. His retirement ceremony was held in the Nakayama Racecourse, and he wore his winning number in the Japan Cup. Trainer Sasaki said, "Among winning the Japan Cup, which I looked up to, he really made all of my dreams come true.". He was erased from the JRA registry on January 6th, 2006.

Retirement and Breeding Career

After retirement, Tap Dance City stood stud at Breeders Stallion Station in Monbetsu, Hokkaido. He was used only for owner Yushun Horse Club's horses as they didn't form a syndicate for his stud proceeds. His breeding numbers slowly dwindled, and he was retired as a breeding stallion after mating 1 time in his 6th year as a stud. It was said that it was due to his 1st year progeny not bringing good results.

After being retired as a stud, Tap Dance City was gelded and used as a riding horse. He was trained in Northern Horse Park, and was used as a riding practice horse for Northern Farm. In 2014, he was moved to Pony Park Alpha, which he will spend the rest of his days.

Honors

• Current record holder for the largest winning margin in a JRA G1 Race (9 lengths, set at the 2003 Japan Cup)

Race Records

Race data sourced from netkeiba.

Date	Racecourse	Race	Grade	Distance	Gate	Odds	Fav.	Fin.	Time	Margin	Jockey	Winner (Runner-Up)	Other Umamusume
2000/03/04	Hanshin	Four-Year-Old Newcomer	Maiden	T 2000m	11	11.8	6	9	2:10.5	2.2	H.Shii	Mirada
2000/03/19	Hanshin	Four-Year-Old Newcomer	Maiden	T 2200m	7	15.6	4	1	2:18.4	0.0	H.Shii	(Kagami Paradise)
2000/04/15	Hanshin	Wakakusa Stakes	OP	T 2200m	11	19.2	7	5	2:18.7	0.3	H.Shii	Agnes Flight
2000/05/06	Kyoto	Kyoto Shimbun Hai	G3	T 2000m	5	13.7	5	3	2:00.3	0.5	H.Shii	Agnes Flight
2000/06/04	Chukyo	Shirayuri Stakes	Pre-OP	T 1800m	9	4.0	2	7	1:49.2	0.9	S.Kumazawa	Jin Warabeuta
2000/06/18	Hanshin	Noichigo Sho	Pre-OP	T 2200m	7	4.5	2	5	2:17.2	0.7	S.Kumazawa	White Happiness
2000/10/29	Kyoto	Four-Year-Old and Up Pre-OP	Pre-OP	T 2400m	5	8.6	5	4	2:27.3	0.4	H.Shii	Heartland Hiryu
2000/11/18	Kyoto	Yase Tokubetsu	Pre-OP	T 2400m	7	6.9	4	2	2:28.4	0.2	H.Miyuki	White Happiness
2000/12/09	Chukyo	Tenryugawa Tokubetsu	Pre-OP	T 2500m	10	3.0	2	1	2:31.4	-0.3	D.Matsuda	(Bohemian Cherry)
2001/01/08	Kyoto	Manyo Stakes	OP	T 3000m	2	5.2	3	5	3:09.3	0.6	H.Shii	Toshi the V.
2001/02/18	Kokura	Kammonkyo Stakes	Pre-OP	T 2000m	10	4.1	2	3	2:02.8	0.2	E.Nakadate	Fight Commander
2001/03/25	Hanshin	Tajima Stakes	Pre-OP	T 2000m	7	4.6	3	2	2:00.0	0.4	K.Ando	Fight Commander
2001/04/07	Hanshin	Osaka-Hamburg Cup	OP	T 2500m	9	4.7	2	5	2:33.8	0.5	H.Shii	Mejiro Sandra
2001/12/08	Hanshin	Three-Year-Old and Up Pre-OP	Pre-OP	T 2000m	5	9.7	4	4	2:01.3	0.6	H.Shii	Daitaku Bertram
2001/12/23	Hanshin	Esaka Tokubetsu	Pre-OP	T 2500m	7	5.1	3	2	2:33.5	0.2	H.Shii	Sharp Kick
2002/01/13	Kyoto	Nikkei Shinshun Hai	G2	T 2400m	3	16.1	6	3	2:26.6	0.2	S.Kawahara	Top Commander
2002/02/09	Kyoto	Kasuga Tokubetsu	Pre-OP	T 1800m	1	1.9	1	1	1:46.9	-0.2	Y.Take	(Asuka Tsuyoshi)
2002/03/02	Hanshin	Midosuji Stakes	Pre-OP	T 2200m	4	1.8	1	1	2:12.3	-0.6	O.Peslier	(Active Bio)
2002/03/23	Nakayama	Nikkei Sho	G2	T 2500m	5	9.6	3	2	2:37.0	0.0	M.Katsuura	Active Bio	Manhattan Cafe
2002/04/21	Tokyo	Metropolitan Stakes	OP	T 2300m	11	3.7	1	3	2:21.2	0.5	M.Katsuura	Tsurumaru Boy
2002/05/18	Tokyo	Meguro Kinen	G2	T 2500m	1	18.4	8	5	2:32.4	0.6	M.Katsuura	Toshi the V.
2002/07/21	Hakodate	Hakodate Kinen	G3	T 2000m	10	11.9	7	8	2:06.2	1.1	H.Shii	Yamanin Respect
2002/09/07	Hanshin	Asahi Challenge Cup	G3	T 2000m	2	9.6	5	1	1:58.1	0.0	T.Sato	(Ibuki Government)
2002/10/06	Kyoto	Kyoto Daishoten	G2	T 2400m	5	8.9	3	3	2:24.0	0.4	T.Sato	Narita Top Road	Narita Top Road
2002/11/03	Nakayama	Copa Republica Argentina	G2	T 2500m	5	3.5	2	3	2:31.4	0.8	T.Sato	Sunrise Jaeger
2002/11/23	Kyoto	Keihan Hai	G3	T 1800m	14	13.6	6	5	1:45.7	0.4	T.Sato	Sidewinder
2002/12/22	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	8	86.3	13	2	2:32.7	0.1	T.Sato	Symboli Kris S	Symboli Kris S, Narita Top Road, Fine Motion, No Reason, Jungle Pocket, Air Shakur, Hishi Miracle
2003/04/26	Tokyo	Tokyo Renewal Kinen	OP	T 2400m	10	11.3	7	1	2:23.7	-0.3	T.Sato	(Lady Pastel)
2003/05/31	Chukyo	Kinko Sho	G2	T 2000m	11	5.8	4	1	1:58.9	-0.1	T.Sato	(Tsurumaru Boy)
2003/06/29	Hanshin	Takarazuka Kinen	G1	T 2200m	16	9.3	4	3	2:12.2	0.2	T.Sato	Hishi Miracle	Hishi Miracle, Neo Universe, Symboli Kris S, Dantsu Flame, Agnes Digital
2003/10/12	Kyoto	Kyoto Daishoten	G2	T 2400m	10	2.2	1	1	2:26.6	-0.2	T.Sato	(Hishi Miracle)	Hishi Miracle
2003/11/30	Tokyo	Japan Cup	G1	T 2400m	1	13.8	4	1	2:28.7	-1.5	T.Sato	(That's the Plenty)	Symboli Kris S, Neo Universe
2003/12/28	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	6	3.9	2	8	2:32.8	2.3	T.Sato	Symboli Kris S	Symboli Kris S, Zenno Rob Roy, Agnes Digital
2004/05/29	Chukyo	Kinko Sho	G2	T 2000m	11	2.3	1	1	1:57.5	0.0	T.Sato	(Blue Eleven)	Admire Groove, Still in Love
2004/06/27	Hanshin	Takarazuka Kinen	G1	T 2200m	15	3.5	1	1	2:11.1	-0.3	T.Sato	(Silk Famous)	Zenno Rob Roy, Still in Love
2004/10/03	France	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	G1	T 2400m	6			17		0.0	T.Sato	Bago
2004/12/26	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	9	8.8	3	2	2:29.6	0.1	T.Sato	Zenno Rob Roy	Zenno Rob Roy, Hishi Miracle
2005/05/28	Chukyo	Kinko Sho	G2	T 2000m	10	1.4	1	1	1:58.9	-0.4	T.Sato	(Vita Rosa)	Admire Groove, Still in Love
2005/06/26	Hanshin	Takarazuka Kinen	G1	T 2200m	15	1.9	1	7	2:12.7	1.2	T.Sato	Sweep Tosho	Sweep Tosho, Zenno Rob Roy, Admire Groove, Still in Love
2005/10/30	Tokyo	Tenno Sho (Autumn)	G1	T 2000m	6	14.1	6	9	2:00.6	0.5	T.Sato	Heavenly Romance	Zenno Rob Roy, Sweep Tosho, Admire Groove
2005/11/27	Tokyo	Japan Cup	G1	T 2400m	2	17.2	7	10	2:23.1	1.0	T.Sato	Alkaased	Zenno Rob Roy
2005/12/25	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	9	19.7	5	12	2:33.3	1.4	T.Sato	Heart's Cry	Zenno Rob Roy

Pedigree

Horse pedigree of Tap Dance City (USA)

Sire Pleasant Tap (USA)	Pleasant Colony (USA)	His Majesty (USA)	Ribot (GB)
			Flower Bowl (USA)
		Sun Colony (USA)	Sunrise Flight (USA)
			Colonia (URU)
	Never Knock (USA)	Stage Door Johnny (USA)	Prince John (USA)
			Peroxide Blonde (USA)
		Never Hula (USA)	Never Bend (USA)
			Hula Hula (USA)
Dam All Dance (USA)	Northern Dancer (CAN)	Nearctic (CAN)	Nearco (ITY)
			Lady Angela (GB)
		Natalma (USA)	Native Dancer (USA)
			Almahmoud (USA)
	All Rainbows (USA)	Bold Hour (USA)	Bold Ruler (USA)
			Seven Thirty (USA)
		Miss Carmie (USA)	T.V. Lark (USA)
			Twice Over (USA), (Family: 23-b)

Trivia

• Curiously, both Katsuragi Ace and Tap Dance City's two G1 wins are in the Japan Cup and Takarazuka Kinen.
• Due to Tap Dance City setting up a very fast pace in races he was in, that fast pace often helped his opponents breaking race time records such as Symboli Kris S' record in the 2002 Arima Kinen (2:32.7 seconds) and Zenno Rob Roy's record in the 2004 Arima Kinen (2:29.6 seconds).