IRL:Zenno Rob Roy

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Zenno Rob Roy
ゼンノロブロイ
Main
Zenno Rob Roy at the 2004 Arima Kinen with jockey Olivier Peslier
Silks
Romaji	Zenno Robu Roi
Foaled	March 27, 2000
Died	September 02, 2022
Sire	Sunday Silence
Dam	Roamin Rachel
Sex	Stallion
Color	Dark Bay
Trainer	Kazuo Fujisawa
Race Record	20: 7-6-4
Earnings	1,115,600,000 JPY
Major wins
Aoba Sho (2003) Kobe Shimbun Hai (2003) Tenno Sho (Autumn) (2004) Arima Kinen (2004) Japan Cup (2004)

Zenno Rob Roy was a Japanese racehorse that was active from 2003 to 2005. He was the second horse to achieve the Senior Autumn Triple Crown since T.M. Opera O first did in 2000, and one of the only two horses to do so. He also established the fastest record time for the Arima Kinen which remains unbroken as of today.

Name Origin

"Zenno" is the crown name Osako Shinobu uses for his horses. Whereas "Rob Roy" originates from the Scottish folk hero, Robert Roy McGregor, A.K.A. "Rob Roy".

Racing career

Three-year-old season (2003)

Zenno Rob Roy made his debut on February 9th, in a 1,600-meter turf race on Nakayama Racecourse. He won his debut by two and a half lengths. On March 2nd, he competed in the open-class Sumire Stakes, where he lost and placed 3rd. On April 12th, he entered the open-class Yamabuki Sho, where he won the race.

On May 3rd, he competed in the Aoba Sho (G2), where he won by two and a half lengths and attained his first graded victory. Because of this victory, he gained entry into the Japanese Derby on June 1st. Despite fighting hard in the stretch, he lost to Neo Universe and placed 2nd. For a few months, he took a break at Fantast Club, where he rested alongside Symboli Kris S.

After the break, he returned on September 28th to challenge the Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2), where he won his second graded victory. While there were initially plans to have him challenge the Tenno Sho (Autumn) where Symboli Kris S was competing, Kazuo Fujisawa believed that since he did well in the Kobe Shimbun Hai, Zenno Rob Roy could handle the distance of the Kikuka Sho. Because of this, he was entered into the Kikuka Sho instead.

On October 26th, he challenged the Kikuka Sho, where he once again competed with Neo Universe. He was in a good position early on in the race, but due to being blocked, he could not utilize his strength and he placed 4th, and both him and Neo Universe lost to That's the Plenty. Because of his exhaustion after running in the Kikuka Sho, plans to have him enter the Japan Cup were scrapped.

His final race of the year was the Arima Kinen on December 28th, where he raced with Symboli Kris S for the first and last time. At a high pace set by Tap Dance City, Zenno Rob Roy ran in a good position throughout the race. However, he could not catch up to Symboli Kris S, who won by nine lengths, and he placed 3rd.

Four-year-old season (2004)

After months of rest, Zenno Rob Roy entered the Nikkei Sho (G2) on March 27th, where he placed 2nd. On May 2nd, he entered the Tenno Sho (Spring), where he challenged Neo Universe for the final time, but they both lost, and Zenno Rob Roy placed 2nd. A month later, on June 27th, he entered the Takarazuka Kinen, where he encountered Tap Dance City again, and other strong competitors like Still in Love, the Triple Tiara winner of the previous year, and Tsurumaru Boy, the winner of the Yasuda Kinen just weeks before. Because of the high pace Tap Dance City set during the race, Zenno Rob Roy was unable to reach him, and he placed 4th.

On October 10th, he ran in the Kyoto Daishoten (G2), where he lost and placed 2nd. Weeks later, on October 31st, he entered the Tenno Sho (Autumn), a race he missed out on the year prior. In this race, he faced many notable competitors, such as Admire Groove (2003 Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner), Daiwa Major (2004 Satsuki Sho winner), Hishi Miracle (2002 Kikuka Sho, 2003 Tenno Sho (Spring) and Takarazuka Kinen winner), Telegnosis (2002 NHK Mile Cup winner), and Dance in the Mood (2004 Oka Sho winner). In spite of this, Zenno Rob Roy was the overwhelming favorite.

Gradually accelerating in the stretch, he began to overtake the horses in front of him, and he won by one and a quarters of a length. After six attempts, he finally attained his first G1 victory. On November 28th, he entered the Japan Cup. Taking the lead in the stretch, he won the race by three lengths, and earned her second G1 victory. His final race of the year was the Arima Kinen on December 26th. In spite of Tap Dance City's fast-paced running style, Zenno Rob Roy caught up to him, and he won his third and final G1 victory. Not only that, but due to the high pace of the race, Zenno Rob Roy won the race at a record time of 2:29.5, a time that has not been broken currently.

For his efforts throughout the year, Zenno Rob Roy was not only awarded the JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse, but he was also declared Japanese Horse of the Year. His consecutive wins in the Autumn G1 races also earned him the unofficial title of a Senior Autumn Triple Crown winner, and he became the second horse after T.M. Opera O to achieve this.

Five-year-old season (2005)

Zenno Rob Roy took a lengthy break throughout the first half of the year, where he did return to racing until late June. This was because his owner, Shinobu Osako, initially wanted to have him race domestically, but Fujisawa wanted Zenno Rob Roy to challenge foreign races in Europe over the summer. Before making his travels overseas, he challenged the Takarazuka Kinen on June 26th, where he was highly favored as a contender, with strong horses like Tap Dance City, Still in Love, and Admire Groove returning to compete in the race.

During the race, Zenno Rob Roy ran in a decent position. Though he fought hard in the stretch, and gradually accelerated through the other horses, Sweep Tosho, the 11th favorite in the race, surged past him and won, resulting in a dramatic upset. Zenno Rob Roy placed 3rd in the race, and there was more debate amongst his handlers on whether or not he should do another domestic race before the trip. Eventually, Zenno Rob Roy arrived in the United Kingdom on July 20th, as Fujisawa believed that Zenno Rob Roy could handle the harsh courses in England.

On August 16th, he challenged the International Stakes (G1). He fought hard to finish 2nd place, only a head away from the winner Electrocutionist. There were plans to have him challenge the Irish Champion Stakes, but due to wanting to honor the wishes of Shinobu Osako, Fujisawa decided to return to Japan to have Zenno Rob Roy challenge the Autumn Triple Crown again.

On October 30th, he challenged the Tenno Sho (Autumn). Encountering Sweep Tosho once again, both of them fought hard, but Zenno Rob Roy placed 2nd to the long-shot 14th favorite Heavenly Romance. He then challenged the Japan Cup on November 27th, where he placed 3rd. His final race was the Arima Kinen on December 25th, where he lost and placed 8th, the lowest in his career. On December 28th, he was deregistered as a racehorse.

Retirement

Zenno Rob Roy moved to Shadai Stallion Station in Hokkaido to begin his stallion career. His progeny had mild success, where his daughter, Saint Emilion, won the Japanese Oaks in 2010. In that same year, his son Magnifica won the Japan Dirt Derby (Jpn1). As a broodmare sire, he has shown mild success, where his granddaughter Juryoku Pierrot won the Japanese Oaks in 2026, with Seina Imamura becoming the first female Japanese jockey to win a Japanese G1 race.

Zenno Rob Roy died on September 2nd, 2022 due to heart failure.

Honors

• Japanese Horse of the Year (2004)
• JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse (2004)
• 2nd Senior Autumn Triple Crown Winner (2004)

Relationships

Relatives

• Sunday Silence - Father
• Forever Young - Grandnephew via Roamin Rachel

Race Records

Race data sourced from netkeiba.

Date	Racecourse	Race	Grade	Distance	Gate	Odds	Fav.	Fin.	Time	Margin	Jockey	Winner (Runner-Up)	Other Umamusume
2003/02/09	Nakayama	Three-Year-Old Newcomer	Maiden	T 1600m	10	1.8	1	1	1:37.8	-0.4	N.Yokoyama	(Patience King)
2003/03/02	Hanshin	Sumire Stakes	OP	T 2200m	5	2.8	2	3	2:17.3	0.4	N.Yokoyama	Lincoln
2003/04/12	Nakayama	Yamabuki Sho	Pre-OP	T 2200m	10	1.4	1	1	2:14.9	-0.4	N.Yokoyama	(Rubens Memory)
2003/05/03	Tokyo	Aoba Sho	G2	T 2400m	11	2.3	1	1	2:26.3	-0.2	N.Yokoyama	(Takara Shaadi)
2003/06/01	Tokyo	Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)	G1	T 2400m	3	6.4	3	2	2:28.6	0.1	N.Yokoyama	Neo Universe	Neo Universe
2003/09/28	Hanshin	Kobe Shimbun Hai	G2	T 2000m	2	3.9	3	1	1:59.5	-0.6	K.Desormeaux	(Sakura President)	Neo Universe
2003/10/26	Kyoto	Kikuka Sho (Japanese St.Leger)	G1	T 3000m	4	2.5	2	4	3:05.3	0.5	O.Peslier	That's the Plenty	Neo Universe
2003/12/28	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	2	5.9	3	3	2:32.1	1.6	Y.Shibata	Symboli Kris S	Symboli Kris S, Tap Dance City, Agnes Digital
2004/03/27	Nakayama	Nikkei Sho	G2	T 2500m	6	1.1	1	2	2:32.8	0.0	Y.Shibata	Win Generale
2004/05/02	Kyoto	Tenno Sho (Spring)	G1	T 3200m	16	7.7	4	2	3:19.5	1.1	D.Oliver	Ingrandire	Neo Universe
2004/06/27	Hanshin	Takarazuka Kinen	G1	T 2200m	3	3.9	2	4	2:11.6	0.5	K.Tanaka	Tap Dance City	Tap Dance City, Still in Love
2004/10/10	Kyoto	Kyoto Daishoten	G2	T 2400m	4	1.4	1	2	2:25.2	0.0	Y.Okabe	Narita Century	Admire Groove
2004/10/31	Tokyo	Tenno Sho (Autumn)	G1	T 2000m	13	3.4	1	1	1:58.9	-0.2	O.Peslier	(Dance in the Mood)	Admire Groove, Hishi Miracle
2004/11/28	Tokyo	Japan Cup	G1	T 2400m	9	2.7	1	1	2:24.2	-0.5	O.Peslier	(Cosmo Bulk)	Hishi Miracle
2004/12/26	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	1	2.0	1	1	2:29.5	-0.1	O.Peslier	(Tap Dance City)	Tap Dance City, Hishi Miracle
2005/06/26	Hanshin	Takarazuka Kinen	G1	T 2200m	6	3.0	2	3	2:11.7	0.2	K.Desormeaux	Sweep Tosho	Sweep Tosho, Tap Dance City, Admire Groove, Still in Love
2005/08/16	UK	International Stakes	G1	T 2080m	6			2		0.0	Y.Take	Electrocutionist
2005/10/30	Tokyo	Tenno Sho (Autumn)	G1	T 2000m	13	2.2	1	2	2:00.1	0.0	N.Yokoyama	Heavenly Romance	Sweep Tosho, Tap Dance City, Admire Groove
2005/11/27	Tokyo	Japan Cup	G1	T 2400m	8	2.1	1	3	2:22.4	0.3	K.Desormeaux	Alkaased	Tap Dance City
2005/12/25	Nakayama	Arima Kinen	G1	T 2500m	3	6.8	2	8	2:32.8	0.9	K.Desormeaux	Heart's Cry	Tap Dance City

Pedigree

Horse pedigree of Zenno Rob Roy (JPN)

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 Roamin Rachel (USA)	Mining (USA)	Mr. Prospector (USA)	Raise a Native (USA)
			Gold Digger (USA)
		I Pass (USA)	Buckpasser (USA)
			Impish (USA)
	One Smart Lady (USA)	Clever Trick (USA)	Icecapade (USA)
			Kankakee Miss (USA)
		Pia's Lady (USA)	Pia Star (USA)
			Plucky Roman (USA), (Family: 2-b)

Trivia

• Up until the 2004 Tenno Sho (Autumn), fans called him "未完の大器" (Mikan no Taiki, which means "The Incomplete Talent" in English) due to his constant losses in G1 races, though he placed well in all of them.
• The 2005 Tenno Sho (Autumn) he ran in not only marked the first time in history that the Emperor went to watch the Tenno Sho, it marked the first time since 1899, after Super Creek's victory that the Emperor went to watch a race. The 125th Emperor Akihito and 125th Empress Michiko were there to observe the race. An event like this is named Tenran Keiba (天覽競馬, lit. "Imperial Visit to the Races"). The next time the Emperor went to watch a Tenno Sho was 7 years later in 2012, with Eishin Flash as the victor and the last in Showa.
• Due to his mother, Roamin Rachel, winning a short-distance G1, it was initially expected that Zenno Rob Roy would also be proficient in short-distance races.