Duramente (, 22 March 2012 – 31 August 2021) 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 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 ...

. In 2015 he completed the first two legs of the Japanese Triple Crown by winning the Satsuki Shō and the Tokyo Yūshun before his season was ended by injuries. He returned in 2016 to win the

Nakayama Kinen The Nakayama Kinen (中山記念, ''Nakayama Kinen'') is a Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds aged four and older run over a distance of 1,800 metres at the Nakayama Racecourse, Funabashi, Chiba. The race is run in late February ...

and finish second in the

Dubai Sheema Classic The Dubai Sheema Classic is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates open to thoroughbreds which are four-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately miles; 2410 metres since 2010) on the turf track a ...

before his racing career was ended by a leg injury sustained when slipping after the finish of 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 ...

. He had an excellent career as a breeding stallion before dying at the age of nine.

Background

Duramente was a bay horse with a white coronet marking on his left hind leg, bred in Japan by Northern Farm. His 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 Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. His other winners as a breeding stallion include

Lord Kanaloa is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A specialist sprinter, he recorded his first important success in 2011 when he won the Grade 3 Keihan Hai at Kyoto Racecourse. In the following year he won once from his first four starts but then ...

Rose Kingdom Rose Kingdom (, foaled 10 May 2007) is a Japanese Thoroughbred former racehorse and retired sire (horse), sire. In a racing career which lasted from 2009 until 2013 he won six of his twenty-five races. As a two-year-old in 2009 he was undefeated ...

, Belshazzar (

Japan Cup Dirt The Champions Cup ( JPN G-1, formerly the ''Japan Cup Dirt'' until 2013) is a horse race for thoroughbreds aged three and above contested in Japan in early December. Organized by Japan Racing Association The Japan Racing Association () is a pub ...

Rulership Rulership may refer to: * The position or quality of a ruler, see also Sovereignty * A government or the territory under its control * In astrology, the influence of a planet, see also Domicile (astrology) * A thoroughbred The Thoroughbred ...

(

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 ...

), Apapane and

Rey de Oro Rey de Oro ( foaled 5 February 2014) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a juvenile in 2016 he was undefeated in three races including the Grade 2 Hopeful Stakes and was rated one of the best two-year-old colts in Japan. In the following year ...

. Duramente's dam

Admire Groove Admire Groove (in Japanese: アドマイヤグルーヴ, foaled April 30, 2000) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse, broodmare and the winner of the 2003 and 2004 Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Career Admire Groove's first race was on November 10, 20 ...

was a top-class racemare who twice won the

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 ...

and was voted the Best Older Filly or Mare in Japan in 2004. She was a daughter of

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 ...

and

Air Groove Air Groove (in Japanese: エアグルーヴ, foaled April 6th, 1993 ~ April 23rd, 2013) was a Japanese racehorse, who won the 1996 Yushun Himba, and broodmare. Career Air Groove's first race was on October 29, 1995, at the Icho Stakes, where s ...

, a mare who won the

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 ...

and 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 ...

and was voted

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 ...

in 1997. During his racing career, Duramente (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

for ''hard'') has been owned by Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. and trained by Noriyuki Hori.

Racing career

2014: two-year-old season

Duramente began his racing career 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 12 October and finished second of the eleven runners behind Love Your Man. In a similar race at the same course a month later he recorded his first victory, beating Shonen Harakasu and twelve others.

2015: three-year-old season

On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Duramente won the Saintpaulia Sho over 1800 metres at Tokyo on 1 February. Two weeks later over the same course and distance, the colt was moved up in class to contest the Grade 3 Kyodo News Service Hai. Ridden by Syu Ishibashi he started 4/5 favourite in a twelve-runner field but was beaten half a length by Sunday Racing's other runner

Real Steel ''Real Steel'' is a 2011 American science fiction sports film starring Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo and co-produced and directed by Shawn Levy for DreamWorks Pictures. The film is based on the short story "Steel", written by Richard Mathes ...

. On 19 April Duramente was ridden by

Mirco Demuro Mirco Demuro (, January 11, 1979) is an Italian jockey based in Japan. His younger brother, Cristian, as well as their sister, Pamela, is also a jockey. Their late father Giovanni was also a jockey. Career Mirco Demuro first earned his jockey ...

when he was one of fifteen colts to contest the 75th running of the Grade 1 Satsuki Sho over 2000 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 ...

. The Italian Demuro had recently become one of the first two foreign jockeys (alongside

Christophe Lemaire Christophe Patrice Lemaire (Japanese:, born 20 May 1979) is a French-born jockey. He has enjoyed much of his success on the Japanese flat racing circuit, with the most wins at Japan Racing Association racetracks for five consecutive years sin ...

) to receive a full license from the

Japan Racing Association The Japan Racing Association () is a public company established in Japan under a law to operate Chūō Keiba (中央競馬 Central horse racing) and to manage racecourses, betting facilities, and horse-training facilities in the country. It was ...

. Duramente started 3.6/1 third choice in the betting behind

Satono Crown Satono Crown (, foaled 10 March 2012) is a Japanese retired Thoroughbred racehorse and breeding stallion. He showed promising form as a two-year-old in 2014, winning both of his races including the Grade 3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes. As a th ...

(also trained by Noriyuki Hori) and Real Steel. After racing towards the rear of the field he made a forward move approaching the final turn but veered left, interfering with several other horses when Demuro moved him up to challenge entering the straight. In the closing stages the colt produced a strong burst of acceleration to take the lead 100 metres from the finish and won by one and a half lengths from Real Steel with

Kitasan Black is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a three-year track career he won twelve of his twenty races including seven Grade 1 events, won four JRA Awards and set the record for prize money won in Japan. He was a stayer who has produced m ...

two and a half lengths back in third. Demuro, who received a suspension for causing interference said, "He was easy to ride early in the race but he's very highly strung, it was his first time going right-handed and the crowd was very loud too so he may have over-reacted at the fourth corner—he gave me a bit of a fright". Six weeks after his win at Nakayama, Duramente started favourite for the 82nd Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) over 2400 metres at Tokyo. After racing in eighth place he moved up as the field fanned wide on the final turn. He took the lead approaching the last 200 metres and won by one and three quarter lengths from Satono Rasen with Satono Crown in third. Duramente's winning time of 2:23.2 was a new race record, breaking the mark set by his sire King Kamehameha in 2004. Demuro commented "I'm so full of joy and gratitude to have been able to accomplish this with such a powerful and talented colt and especially as an official JRA jockey". In late June it was announced that Duramente had sustained "

distal Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position provi ...

fractures" to both of his front legs and would be unable to race again for at least six months. He did not appear again in 2015.

2016: four-year-old season

Duramente returned after an absence of almost nine months in the Nakayama Kinen on 28 February. Starting the 11/10 favourite he took the lead on the outside on the final turn and held off a late challenge from Ambitious to win by a neck. He was then sent to the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

to contest the

on 26 March. He lost a

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

before the race and as it could not be replaced he competed in the race with three shoes. He finished second behind the British-trained five-year-old Postponed. The colt took a long time to recover from the race and did not reappear until 26 June when he was made the 1.9/1 favourite for the

at Hanshin. He was restrained towards the rear of the seventeen runner field before being switched to the outside to deliver his run in the straight. Duramente made up a great deal of ground, passing horse after horse in the closing stages, but failed by a neck to catch the mare

Marialite Marialite is a silicate mineral with a chemical formula of if a pure endmember or with increasing meionite content. Marialite is the sodium endmember of the scapolite group and a solid solution exists between marialite and meionite, the calci ...

. The colt slipped crossing the finishing line sustaining serious injury to his left foreleg and a subsequent veterinary examination revealed extensive damage to his

fetlock Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ...

pastern The pastern is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof. It incorporates the Equine_forelimb_anatomy#Metacarpal_bones, long pastern bone (proximal phalanx) and the Equine_forelimb_anatomy#Middle_phalanx, short past ...

and

tendons A tendon or sinew is a tough band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tension. Tendons, like ligaments, are made of ...

. Three days after the Takarazuka Kinen it was announced that Duramente was to be retired from racing and would stand as a breeding stallion at Northern Farm in 2017. Mirco Demuro commented "I'm shocked. Duramente's the strongest horse I've ever ridden".

Assessment and awards

In the

JRA Award The is given annually since 1987 by the Japan Racing Association (JRA) to the outstanding horses and people in Japanese Thoroughbred horse racing. The awards originally started as the in 1954 and since 1972 the {{Nihongo, Yūshun Awards, 優駿� ...

s for 2015, Duramente was voted Best Three-Year-Old Colt taking 285 of the 291 votes. In the poll for

he finished third in the voting behind Maurice and

Lovely Day "Lovely Day" is a song by American soul and R&B singer Bill Withers. Written by Withers and Skip Scarborough, it was released in 1977, and appears on Withers's sixth album, ''Menagerie'' (1977). Withers holds a sustained note towards the end ...

Stud record

Despite his short living stud-career of mere five generations, in his first season as a breeding ofstallion Duramente sired the 2021 Kikuka Sho, 2022 Tenno Sho (Spring) and

winner Titleholder, while his second crop of foals included the 2022

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

winner Stars on Earth, and his third crop foals included 2022

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

winner Dura Erede, 2023

NHK Mile Cup The is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies, run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately one mile) on the turf at Tokyo Racecourse in May. The NHK Mile Cup is sponsored by the Japanese p ...

winner Champagne Color, 2023 Kikuka Sho winner Durezza and Liberty Island, the Fillies' Triple Crown of 2023 as well as the winner of

Hanshin Juvenile Fillies The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (阪神ジュベナイルフィリーズ) is a one-mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred fillies two years old. It is considered the ''de facto'' year-end championship for two-year-old fillies in Japan. Qualifying ra ...

in 2022. He died on 31 August 2021 due to acute colitis at the age of nine. He posthumously won the title of

Leading sire in Japan The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of racehorses in Japan for each year since 1924. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season. The 2016 novel ''Mount!'' by Jilly Cooper describes th ...

for 2023.

Notable progeny

Below data is based on JBIS Stallion Reports. ''c = colt, f =

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

, g =

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

''
''bold = grade 1 stakes'' File:Titleholder Tenno Sho(Spring) 2022(IMG1).JPG, Titleholder File:Stars on Earth Yushun Himba 2022(IMG2).jpg, Stars on Earth File:Liberty Island Yushun Himba 2023(IMG1).jpg, Liberty Island File:Dura Erede Tokyo Yushun 2023(IMG1).jpg, Dura Erede File:11R NHK Mile Cup (G1, 3yo) Turf 1600m at Tokyo racecourse (52896120735).jpg, Champagne Color File:Kikuka-sho 2023 Durezza.jpg, Durezza File:Icon Tailor Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Ladies' Classic 2023.jpg, Icon Tailor File:Valle de la Luna Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Ladies' Classic 2023.jpg, Valle de la Luna File:ルガルスプリンターズS優勝時.jpg, Lugal

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 2012 racehorse births 2021 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 8-f Satsuki Shō winners Tokyo Yūshun winners