Bubble Gum Fellow
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Bubble Gum Fellow, (, 11 April 1993 – 26 April 2010) was 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 and
sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" an ...
. In 1995 he was rated the best juvenile colt of his generation in Japan when he won three of his four races including the Grade I
Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (朝日杯フューチュリティステークス) is a one-mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred colts two years old in Japan. It is considered the ''de facto'' year-end championship for Japanese thoroughbred racing ...
. In the following spring he won the Spring Stakes and then returned from a lengthy injury absence to win the autumn edition of the
Tenno Sho The is a horse race held twice a year in Japan, once in the spring and once in the autumn. "Tenno" means "Emperor of Japan". The races are both International Grade 1 races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gr ...
. In 1997 he added wins in the Naruo Kinen and the Mainichi Okan before being retired to stud at the end of the season. Apart from his wins, he finished second in the
Takarazuka Kinen The Takarazuka Kinen (宝塚記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds aged three and over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximately miles) at Hanshin Racecourse (阪神競馬場) in late June. It is one of the two "All-Sta ...
and third in the
Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...
. He had modest success as a breeding stallion in Japan and Australia before dying in 2010 at the age of seventeen.


Background

Bubble Gum Fellow was a bay horse with a narrow white blaze bred by Shadai Farm, the breeding operation of his owners Shadai Racehorse Co Ltd. He was from the second crop of foals sired by
Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an United States, American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Cr ...
, who won the 1989
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
, before retiring to stud in Japan where he was champion sire on thirteen consecutive occasions. His other major winners included Deep Impact, Stay Gold, Heart's Cry,
Manhattan Cafe Manhattan Cafe, (, 5 March 1998 – August 2015) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Unraced as a juvenile he began his racing career as a three-year-old in 2001. He improved throughout the season, winning three minor races before devel ...
,
Zenno Rob Roy (27 March 2000 – 2 September 2022) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. In a racing career which lasted from February 2003 until December 2005, he ran twenty times, winning seven races and being placed on ten further occasi ...
,
Special Week Special Week (, 2 May 1995 – 27 April 2018) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. From 1997 to 1999, he won ten of his seventeen races including four at Graded stakes race, Grade I level. After winning his only start as ...
, and
Neo Universe Neo Universe (; May 21, 2000 - March 8, 2021) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 2003 he won the Satsuki Shō and the Tokyo Yūshun (Japanese Derby), but was defeated when attempting to complete the Japanese Triple Crown in t ...
. His dam Bubble Company won one race in France before becoming a broodmare. She also produced Bubble Prospector, whose descendants have included Deep Brillante (
Tokyo Yushun Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
) and That's The Plenty ( Kikuka Sho). The colt was sent into training with
Kazuo Fujisawa (born September 22, 1951, in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan) is a retired trainer of Thoroughbred race horses. He had been a licensed trainer in Japan since 1987 and from 1993 until his retirement in 2022 has won the training title eleven times. Th ...
.


Racing career


1995: two-year-old season

Bubble Gum Fellow made his racecourse debut by finishing third to Abiru Sun God 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 1800 metres at
Tokyo Racecourse is located in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1933 for horse racing, it is considered the "racecourse of racecourses" in Japanese horseracing. It has a capacity of 223,000, with seating for 13,750. Tokyo Racecourse hosts numerous G1 (Grade 1) ...
on 7 October and then won a similar event over the same course and distance three weeks later. In the Fuchu Sansai Stakes (again over 1800 metres at Tokyo) on 19 November he recorded his second victory, beating Sakura Speed and ten others. On his final start of the year, the colt was moved up in class but down in distance for the Grade I
Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (朝日杯フューチュリティステークス) is a one-mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred colts two years old in Japan. It is considered the ''de facto'' year-end championship for Japanese thoroughbred racing ...
over 1600 metres at
Nakayama Racecourse was built in 1990 in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan, for horse racing 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 c ...
on 7 December. Ridden by
Yukio Okabe Yukio Okabe ( Japanese: 岡部 幸雄, ''Okabe Yukio'', born October 31, 1948) is a Japanese former jockey and horse racing commentator. He was a member of the Japan Racing Association (JRA) from 1967 to 2005. From January 1995 to July 2007, he he ...
, he won by three quarters of a length from Eishin Guymon with a gap of two and a half lengths back to Generalist in third. In January 1996, Bubble Gum Fellow was voted Best Two-Year-Old Colt in the JRA Awards for 1995.


1996: three-year-old season

Bubble Gum Fellow began his second season in the Grade II Fuji TV Sho Spring Stakes (a major trial for the
Satsuki Sho Satsuki is a traditional Japanese name for the month of . It is commonly used as a feminine given name and, more rarely, as a surname or a masculine name. Possible spellings Satsuki can be spelled using different ''kanji'' characters and can mean ...
) over 1800 metres at Nakayama on 24 March and won from Cheers Silence and Cash Lavora. The colt then suffered from a serious injury to his right hind leg and was of the racecourse for five months. In his absence Ishino Sunday won the Satsuki Sho, whilst the
Tokyo Yushun Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
fell to Fusaichi Concorde. Bubble Gum Fellow eventually returned for the Grade II Mainichi Okan at Tokyo on 6 October, a race which saw him matched against older horses for the first time. He finished third of the twelve runners behind the British-trained four-year-old Annus Mirabilis and the six-year-old Toyo Lyphard. Three weeks later the colt was one of seventeen horses to contest the autumn edition of the Tenno Sho over 2000 metres at Tokyo. His opponents included Mayano Top Gun ( Kikuka Sho,
Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Conditions races, Grade I Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds three-years-old and above and the world's largest betting horserace. It is run in late December each year, over ...
,
Takarazuka Kinen The Takarazuka Kinen (宝塚記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds aged three and over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximately miles) at Hanshin Racecourse (阪神競馬場) in late June. It is one of the two "All-Sta ...
, Tenno Sho (spring)), Genuine (
Satsuki Sho Satsuki is a traditional Japanese name for the month of . It is commonly used as a feminine given name and, more rarely, as a surname or a masculine name. Possible spellings Satsuki can be spelled using different ''kanji'' characters and can mean ...
,
Mile Championship The Mile Championship is an International Grade I flat horse race in Japan for thoroughbreds three-year-old and above, run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) on the turf at Kyoto Racecourse in November. It was first run in 19 ...
), Marvelous Sunday (Takarazuka Kinen) and Sakura Laurel (Tenno Sho (spring), Arima Kinen). Ridden 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 ...
Bubble Gum Fellow got the best of a closely contested finish, winning by half a length, a neck and a head from Mayano Top Gun, Sakura Laurel and Marvelous Sunday. On his final race as a three-year-old, Bubble Gum Fellow started second favourite behind
Helissio Helissio (1993–2013) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was European Horse of the Year for 1996. A son of Fairy King by Northern Dancer, he was owned by the Spanish businessman Enrique Sarasola and trained by Élie Lellouche. A seven-tim ...
of the
Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...
on 24 November but after reaching seventh place in the straight he quickly faded and finished thirteenth of the fifteen runners behind
Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk- ...
.


1997: four-year-old season

Bubble Gum Fellow began his third season in the Grade II Naruo Kinen over 2000 metres 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 ...
on 15 June and won from Tokai Taro and
Dance Partner Dance Partner, (Japanese: ダンスパートナー, foaled 25 May 1992) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. From the first crop of foals sired by Sunday Silence, she won four of her twenty-five races and finished second nine times ...
(
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 ...
,
Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (''Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup'' until 2012) is an International Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbred fillies and mares run over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximate ...
). At the same track in July he contested the Grade I Takarazuka Kinen and was beaten a neck into second by Marvelous Sunday with Dance Partner in third. As in 1996, Bubble Gum Fellow began his autumn campaign in the Mainichi Okan and won from Tsukuba Symphony and Speed World. He then attempted to repeat his previous success in the Tenno Sho but was beaten a neck by the four-year-old filly Air Groove with a gap of five lengths back to Genuine in third. On 23 November, Bubble Gum Fellow started 2.7/1 favourite in a fourteen-runner field for the xth running of the Japan Cup. Ridden by Okabe, he turned into the straight in fifth place and made steady progress in the closing stages to finish third behind Pilsudski and Air Groove.


Stud record

Bubble Gum Fellow was retired to become a breeding stallion in Japan and was also shuttled to stand for part of the year in Australia. The best of his offspring included the Graded race winners Appare Appare, Candy Vale ( Sunline Stakes), Toshi Candy, Early Robusto, Onoyu and Meiner Bowknot. On 26 April 2010, at the age of seventeen, He he died of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
at the Breeders Stallion Station (Hokkaido), where he was used as a breeding stallion.


Pedigree


References

{{Authority control 1993 racehorse births 2010 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 1-b Deaths from pneumonia in Japan Tenno Sho winners