Apapane (, foaled 20 April 2007) is a Japanese
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
and broodmare who won the
Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown in 2010. As a two-year-old in 2009 she won three of her four races including the
Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and won the
JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly. In the following year she won the
Oka Sho
The is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan. The race is restricted to three-year-old Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbre ...
and
Yushun Himba
The , also known as the is a Japanese Conditions races, Grade 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race for three-year-old thoroughbred Filly, fillies run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately 1 mile 4 furlongs) at the Tokyo Racecours ...
before completing the Triple Crown in the
Shuka Sho and winning the
JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Filly. In the following spring she won her fifth Grade I race when she defeated the
Japanese Horse of the Year
The Japanese Horse of the Year is the highest honor given to the most outstanding horse in Japanese thoroughbred horse racing. It is awarded annually by the Japan Racing Association (JRA).
Since 1987 the honor has been part of the JRA Awards. This ...
Buena Vista in the
Victoria Mile
The Victoria Mile () is a Graded stakes race, Grade 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Japan for four-year-old and above thoroughbred Filly, fillies and mare (horse), mares. Organized by Japan Racing Association, it is run over a dista ...
. She never won again and was retired after developing a leg problem in September 2012. Apart from her victories she finished third in consecutive runnings of the
Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup in 2010 and 2011.
Background
Apapane is a bay mare with a white
blaze and white
socks
A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...
on her hind legs bred in Japan by
Northern Farm the breeding operation of her owner
Makoto Kaneko. Apapane was trained throughout her racing career by Sakae Kunieda and was ridden in most of her starts by
Masayoshi Ebina
(born March 19, 1969, in Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese horse trainer and former jockey. He has also been nicknamed ''Ebi-Shō''.
He decided to become a jockey after watching Green Grass win the Kikuka Sho.
He is best known for riding El Co ...
.
Her sire,
King Kamehameha was one of the best Japanese colts of his generation, beating a field including
Heart's Cry and
Daiwa Major
Daiwa Major () is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire (horse), sire. A horse who excelled at distances of , he won the Satsuki Shō, the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown in 2004. His greatest success, however, came la ...
in the 2004
Japanese Derby. His other winners as a breeding stallion include
Lord Kanaloa,
Rose Kingdom, Belshazzar (
Japan Cup Dirt) and Rulership (
Queen Elizabeth II Cup
The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1975 by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, it is run annually in April over a distance of 2,000 metres (te ...
). King Kamehameha was named after a
Hawaiian monarch: his daughter Apapane was named after a
native Hawaiian bird whose feathers were once used to decorate the capes of the island's nobility.
Apapane's dam Salty Bid was an American-bred mare who raced in Japan and won three times as well as finishing second in the Grade III Fairy Stakes. She was a distant female-line descendant of the influential American broodmare Escutcheon.
Racing career
2009: two-year-old season
On 5 July 2009 Apapane made her first appearance in a contest for previously unraced two-year-olds over 1800 metres at
Fukushima Racecourse and finished third of the sixteen runners behind the colt Lordship. The filly was then off the course for three and a half months before recording her first victory in a
maiden race
In horse racing, a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...
over 1600 metres at
Tokyo Racecourse. Two weeks later she won the Akamatsu Sho over the same course and distance in a record time of 1.34.5. On 13 December the filly was stepped up in class to contest the Grade I Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, Japan's most prestigious race for two-year-old fillies over 1600 metres on
firm ground at
Hanshin Racecourse
is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After World War II, GHQ orde ...
. Starting at odds of 3.6/1 she won by half a
length
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit for length is chosen, ...
and three quarters of a length from Animate Bio with the favoured Shimmei Fuji in fifth.
In January 2010 Apapane was voted
Champion two-year-old filly in the
JRA Awards for 2009.
2010: three-year-old season
On her three-year-old debut Apapane contested the Grade III
Tulip Sho over 1600 metres on yielding ground at Hanshin on 6 March and was beaten three quarters of a length into second place by Shoryu Moon. On 11 April, on firmer ground, the filly started favourite for the 70th running of the Grade I Oka Sho, the first leg of Japan's Fillies' Triple Crown over the same course and distance. She raced close behind the leaders as Oken Sakura set the pace but looked unlikely to obtain a clear run until Ebina switched her to the outside to make her challenge in the straight. She overtook Oken Sakura in the closing stages to win by half a length in a new track record time of 1:33.3. A Shin Returns took third ahead of Shoryu Moon whilst Animate Bio finished eighth of the eighteen runners.
On 23 May the filly was stepped up in distance and started favourite for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Grade I Yushun Himba over 2400 metres at
Tokyo Racecourse. Oken Sakura, A Shin Returns, Shoryu Moon and Animate Bio were again in the field as well as the Grade II
Flora Stakes winner Saint Emilion. On a wet and gloomy day she tracked the leaders before moving to the outside on the final turn. The last 200 metres saw the race develop into a sustained struggle between Apapane and Saint Emilion and with neither filly able to establish an advantage the pair crossed the line together, two lengths clear of the other sixteen runners. After a ten-minute delay during which the racecourse judges scrutinised the
photo-finish
A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the fini ...
the result was declared as a
dead-heat.
After a summer break, Apapane returned in autumn with the third leg of the triple crown, the Shuka Sho as her objective. She prepared for the race with a run in the Grade II
Rose Stakes over 1800 metres at Hanshin in September. Racing for the first time in almost four months she finished fourth of the twelve runners behind Animate Bio, Wild Raspberry and A Shin Returns. On 17 October Apapane faced seventeen rivals including Saint Emilion, Animate Bio, Wild Raspberry, A Shin Returns, Shoryu Moon, and Oken Sakura in the Shuka Sho over 2000 metres at
Kyoto Racecourse
is located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 120,000. The current stand was built in 1999.
History
Kyoto Racecourse opened at its current location in December 1, 1925.
In prepara ...
. She completed the Triple Crown, beating Animate Bio by three quarters of a length. On her final run of the season Apapane was matched against older fillies and mares in the
Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup over 2200 metres at Kyoto on 14 November. She started the 1.7/1 favourite but was beaten into third place by the British filly
Snow Fairy.
In January 2011 Apapane picked up her second JRA Award as she was named champion three-year-old filly of 2010 with 284 of the 285 votes.
2011: four-year-old season
Apapane was matched against male opposition on her first appearance of 2011 and finished fourth behind Silport, Clever Tosho and Danon Yoyo in the Grade II
Milers Cup at Hanshin on 17 April. Four weeks later the filly returned to Grade I class and all-female competition for the
Victoria Mile
The Victoria Mile () is a Graded stakes race, Grade 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Japan for four-year-old and above thoroughbred Filly, fillies and mare (horse), mares. Organized by Japan Racing Association, it is run over a dista ...
over 1600 metres on firm ground at Tokyo and started 3/1 second choice in the betting. She faced several of her old rivals from her three-year-old days including Animate Bio, A Shin Returns, Oken Sakura and Wild Raspberry, but by far her most formidable opponent was the outstanding five-year-old racemare
Buena Vista who started the 1/2 favourite. Drawn towards the wide outside of the seventeen runner field she was restrained towards the rear before making a strong late run in the straight. She overtook Lady Alba Rosa and Oken Sakura and then held off the challenge of Buena Vista to win by a neck. In June she started favourite for the
Yasuda Kinen
The Yasuda Kinen (English: Yasuda Memorial, Japanese and Chinese language: 安田記念) is a Japanese Graded stakes race, International Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at the Tokyo Racecourse in Tokyo. Raced annually each June, the Yasuda Ki ...
but finished sixth behind the three-year-old colt
Real Impact, beaten less than two lengths by the winner.
After the summer break Apapane returned in the Grade II
Fuchu Himba Stakes at Tokyo in October in which she started favourite but finished unplaced behind Italian Red. In November she replicated her 2010 performance in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup as she finished third to Snow Fairy. On her final run of the year she was sent to
Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Penfold Park is encircled by the track, and the Ho ...
for the
Hong Kong Mile on 11 December. After racing prominently in the early stages she faded in the straight and finished thirteenth of the fourteen runners behind
Able One.
2012: five-year-old season
Apapane remained in training as a five-year-old but failed to reproduce her best form and failed to win in three races. She finished seventh in the Grade II
Hanshin Himba Stakes, fifth in her attempt to repeat her 2012 success in the Victoria Mile and sixteenth in the Yasuda Kinen. She was being prepared for an autumn campaign when she began to suffer from lameness owing to what was described as "superficial digital flexor tendonitis". She was retired from racing to become a broodmare.
Breeding record
Apapane's daughter
Akaitorino Musume emulated her mother by winning the Shuka Sho in 2021.
Pedigree
See also
*
List of racehorses
This list includes racehorses that exist in the historical record.
Racehorses
For competition horses, such as show jumping, show jumpers and dressage, dressage horses, see .
A
* Ace Impact: Undefeated winner of the 2023 Prix de l'Arc de Tri ...
References
{{reflist
2007 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Japan
Racehorses trained in Japan
Thoroughbred family 9-f
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winners
Oka Sho winners
Yushun Himba winners
Shūka Sho winners