Real Steel (, foaled 1 March 2012) 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 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 ...

. After winning his only race as a juvenile in 2014 he developed into a top-class performer in the following year when he won the Kyodo Tsushin Hai and finished second in the Spring Stakes,

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 ...

St Lite Kinen The St Lite Kinen (セントライト記念, ''sentoraito kinen'') is a Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts and fillies run over a distance of 2,200 metres at the Nakayama Racecourse, Funabashi, Chiba. The ...

, and Kikuka Sho as well as running fourth in the

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 ...

. He reached his peak as a four-year-old in 2016 when he won the

Dubai Turf The Dubai Turf is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,800 metres (1 mile 1 furlong) on the turf at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai during the Dubai World Cup Night ...

and ran second in 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 ...

. He remained in training for two more years, winning the Mainichi Okan in 2017 and running third in the 2018 Dubai Turf. Real Steel is named after the 2011 film of the same name.

Background

Real Steel is a bay horse standing 1.67 metres high, with a white

star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

and four 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. ...

bred in

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

, Japan by Northern Farm. During his racing career he was owned by Sunday Racing and trained by

Yoshito Yahagi is a trainer of Thoroughbred race horses. He has been a licensed trainer in Japan since 2004 and since 2014 has won the training title three times. After studying English at Athénée Français for six months, he went to Australia to learn hor ...

. He was from the fifth crop of foals sired by Deep Impact, who was 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 ...

in 2005 and 2006, winning races including 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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Deep Impact's other progeny include

Gentildonna is a retired Japanese thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In 2012 she won the Japanese Fillies Triple Crown and was voted Japanese Horse of the Year. She was also the first three-year-old filly to win the Japan Cup, in 2012, and the following ...

Harp Star Harp Star (, foaled 24 April 2011) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the leading two-year-old fillies in Japan in 2013 when she won the Niigata Nisai Stakes and was narrowly beaten in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. In the follo ...

, Kizuna,

A Shin Hikari A Shin Hikari (japanese language, Japanese エイシンヒカリ, foaled 3 May 2011) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He began his racing career as a three-year-old in 2014 when he won his first five races including the Listed Irela ...

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 ...

and

Saxon Warrior Saxon Warrior (foaled 26 January 2015) is a Japanese-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2017 he was one of the best colts of his generation in Europe, winning all three of his races including the Beresford Stakes a ...

. Real Steel's dam Loves Only Me, a half-sister to

Rumplestiltskin "Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of '' Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a woman's firstborn child. Plot ...

, was trained in Ireland but never raced and was exported to Japan after being sold for $900,000 at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...

in November 2009. She was a granddaughter of the outstanding racehorse and broodmare

Miesque Miesque ( ; March 14, 1984 – January 20, 2011) was a champion Thoroughbred racemare. At age three, she was a dual Classic winner in France and Britain, then went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile in America. Her four-year-old campaign was highl ...

. She has also produced 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 ...

winner

Loves Only You Loves Only You (, foaled 26 March 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed promise as a two-year-old when she won both her races. In the following spring she took the Wasurenagusa Sho before extending her unbeaten run to four by wi ...

Racing career

2014: two-year-old season

Real Steel began his racing career on 27 December 2014 when he contested an event for previously unraced juveniles over 1800 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 ...

. Running on firm ground he won by more than three lengths from Liberator.

2015: three-year-old season

For his three-year-old debut Real Steel was stepped up in class to contest the Grade 3 Kyodo Tsushin Hai (a trial race for the

) 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 15 February and started the 5.1/1 second favourite behind Sunday Racing's other runner

Duramente Duramente (, 22 March 2012 – 31 August 2021) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. 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 injurie ...

. Ridden as in all of his race that year by

Yuichi Fukunaga is a Japanese horse trainer and former jockey who has won 29 Grade 1 races in Japan and abroad. He is affiliated with the Japan Racing Association (JRA) in Rittō. His father is former jockey who was said to be a "genius" during his active care ...

he won by half a length from Duramente with Ambitious in third place. Five weeks later 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 colt started favourite for the Spring Stakes but in a slowly run race he was beaten a neck by

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 ...

with third place going to Danon Platina. In the Satsuki Sho over 2000 metres at Nakayama on 19 April Real Steel briefly took the lead in the straight before being overtaken and finishing second to Duramente with Kitasan Black in third and the favoured

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 ...

coming home sixth. The colt was then stepped up in distance for the 82nd running of the

over 2400 metres at Tokyo on 31 May in which he started second favourite and came home fourth behind Duramente, Satono Rasen and Satono Crown. After a break of almost four months, Real Steel returned on 27 September for the

(a trial race for the Kikuka Sho) over 2400 metres at Hanshin. Starting the odds-on favourite he raced in mid-division before finishing strongly but was unable to catch Lia Fail and was beaten two lengths into second place. On 25 October the colt was made second favourite for the Kikuka Sho over 3000 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 ...

. After tracking the leading group he moved into contention entering the straight but despite producing an "impressive kick" in the last 200 metres he failed by a neck to overhaul Kitasan Black. In the

2015 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2015 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2015 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in ...

Real Steel was given a rating of 116, making the 139th best racehorse in the world.

2016: four-year-old season

Real Steel began his third campaign on 28 February 2016 when he finished a close third behind Duramente and Ambitious in the Grade 2

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 ...

over 1800 metres with the unplaced runners including

Logotype A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in a ...

and Isla Bonita. The colt 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 Dubai Turf on 26 March at

Meydan Racecourse Meydan Racecourse is a racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The grandstand is a half mile in length, and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators. Meydan opened on 27 March 2010, replacing Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, which formerly occu ...

. Ridden by Ryan Moore he started at odds of 8/1 in an international field of fifteen runners. Godolphin's

Jebel Hatta The Jebel Hatta is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 2000 at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Raced on turf, it is open to horses four-years-old and up who were bred in the Northern Hemisphere and to horses three-ye ...

winner Tryster went off favourite, while the other contenders included Intilaaq (

Rose of Lancaster Stakes The Rose of Lancaster Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 100 yards (2 ...

), Very Special (

Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th-century. Sty ...

), Forries Waltz (

Al Rashidiya Al Rashidiya () is a locality in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Al Rashidiya is located south of Dubai International Airport in Deira, the eastern region of Dubai. The locality is bounded to the north by route D 89 (Al Khawaneej Road) ...

), The Corsican (

Arc Trial The Legacy Cup is a flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile and 3 furlongs (2,213 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...

), Euro Charline (

Beverly D. Stakes The Beverly D. Stakes is a Grade II flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years and upward over a distance of miles at Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Virginia. The event is a supporting stakes race ...

), Ertijaal (Cape Derby) and Flamboyant (

San Marcos Stakes The San Marcos Stakes is an American Grade III Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to horses aged four and older, it is raced on turf over a distance of one and o ...

). Real Steel tracked the leaders on the outside as the 66/1 outsider Ghaamer set the early pace. Very Special went to the front 600 metres from the finish but Real Steel gained the advantage 200 metres out and kept on well to win by half a length from Euro Charline. Real Steel's trainer Yoshito Yahagi said after the race "I am elated and speechless. I am blessed with this horse and the people around me who have supported him". Ryan Moore commented "He's a beautiful horse, he's got lots of quality. It was a big effort from the horse, he had a tough trip and was out wide but has toughed it out. He never runs a bad race. He's a very brave horse and has had to do it the hard way". On his return to Japan, Real Steel was dropped back in distance for the Grade 1

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 ...

over 1600 metres in which he started the second favourite but was outpaced in the straight and came home eleventh of the twelve runners, six lengths behind the winner Logotype. After a four and a half month summer break the colt returned for the autumn edition of the

over 2000 metres at Tokyo. 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 ...

he came from the rear of the field with a late run on the outside to take second place, one and a half lengths behind the winner

Maurice Maurice may refer to: *Maurice (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name Places * or Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean *Maurice, Iowa, a city *Maurice, Louisiana, a village *Maurice River, a trib ...

. On his final start of the year, Real Steel was made the 3.2/1 second favourite for the Japan Cup over 2400 metres at Tokyo on 27 November. After tracking the leaders he kept on well in the straight without looking likely to win and came home fifth of the seventeen runners behind Kitasan Black, Sounds of Earth, Cheval Grand and Gold Actor. In the 2016 World's Best Racehorse Rankings Real Steel was ranked the 34th best racehorse in the world with a rating of 120.

2017: five-year-old season

Real Steel began his 2017 season in the Nakayama Kinen, as in the previous year, but on this occasion he ran poorly and came home eighth of the eleven runners behind Neorealism. He was expected to defend the Dubai Turf on 25 March but was withdrawn from the race when he bled from his nostrils after a training gallop. He was off the track for over seven months before making his comeback in the Mainichi Okan over 1800 metres at Tokyo on 8 October. Ridden by Mirco Demuro he was made the 4.8/1 third choice in the betting behind

Soul Stirring Soul Stirring (, foaled 13 February 2014) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2016 she won the JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly after winning all three of her races including the Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. In ...

and

Makahiki The Makahiki season is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, in honor of the god Lono of the Hawaiian religion. It lasts four consecutive lunar months, approximately from October/November through February/March. It is a time for men, women ...

in a twelve-runner field which also included Satono Aladdin (

) and One And Only (

). After racing in mid-division on the outside he made steady progress in the straight, took the lead 100 metres from the finish and held off the late challenge of Satono Aladdin to win by a neck. Three weeks later he contested the autumn running of the Tenno Sho for the second time and finished fourth behind Kitasan Black, Satono Crown and Rainbow Line. Real Steel finished 129th 2017 World's Best Racehorse Rankings with a rating of 117.

2018: six-year-old season

On his first appearance of 2018, Real Steel was sent back to Dubai in an attempt to repeat his 2016 victory in the Dubai Turf and started at odds of 10/1 in a 15-runner field. Partnered by Mickael Barzalona he stayed on strongly in the closing stages to

dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

with

Deirdre Deirdre ( , ; ) is a tragic heroine in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She is also known by the epithet "Deirdre of the Sorrows" (). Deirdre is a prominent figure in Irish legend. American scholar James MacKillop (author), James MacKil ...

for third place behind

Benbatl Benbatl (foaled 15 February 2014) is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and breeding stallion. He was unraced as a two-year-old in 2016 but in the following year he won the Hampton Court Stakes and was placed in both the Craven Stakes and ...

and Vivlos. Barzalona said "He turned in a good race, but he just didn't have enough." In his second attempt to win the Yasuda Kinen on 3 June, Real Steel failed to reproduce his best form and trailed home towards the rear of the sixteen-runner field. He was retired shortly after the race when he sustained a

torn ligament A sprain is a soft tissue injury of the ligaments within a joint, often caused by a sudden movement abruptly forcing the joint to exceed its functional range of motion. Ligaments are tough, inelastic fibers made of collagen that connect two or m ...

in his right foreleg. Real Steel's mark of 116 placed him 163rd in the

2018 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2018 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2018 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on ...

with a rating of 117.

Stud record

Real Steel was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion at the

Shadai Stallion Station is a thoroughbred breeding facility located in Abira on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The farm was begun in the late 1970s to early 1980s by the late Zenya Yoshida, and is now run jointly by his sons (Katsumi, Haruya, and Teruya Yoshida), know ...

. He was moved to Breeders' Stallion Station in 2024 and was immediately fully booked after his offspring performed well late in 2023. Real Steel has produced four graded race winners; All Parfait (2022 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes), Lebensstil (2023

), Chikappa (Hokkaido Sprint Cup), and Forever Young (

Saudi Derby Saudi Derby () is an international horse race held at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Race details The race was founded by the Saudi Arabia Jockey Club in 2020. It is currently run at 1,600 meters on dirt, only open to three- ...

UAE Derby The UAE Derby is a Group 2 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,900 metres (approximately 9.5 furlongs) on dirt at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It takes place annually during the Duba ...

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 ...

''
''bold = grade 1 stakes''

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2012 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 20