Shinzan (シンザン; 2 April 1961 – 13 July 1996) was a

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 ...

that won the Japanese Triple Crown.

Background

Shinzan was a bay horse bred by Yoshimatsu Matsuhashi. He was sired by

Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a dista ...

winner Hindostan. His dam, Hayanobori was a great-granddaughter of the Irish mare Beautiful Dreamer who was imported to Japan in the 1930s and became extremely influential: her other descendants included the Japanese classic winners Kazuyoshi, Jitsu Homare, Hakuryo and Meiji Hikari. Shinzan was foaled on April 2, 1961, in the

Hokkaidō Prefecture is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...

Racing career

Shinzan was generally considered to be the best Japanese racehorse of the post-war era and became the first horse to win all 5 big titles of Japan including the Japanese Triple Crown. He became the second horse to win the Japanese Triple Crown and was named Japanese Horse of the Year in 1964. Shinzan won the

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 ...

and

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 ...

(Autumn) as a four-year-old, defending his Horse of the Year title.

Stud record

Shinzan was a successful sire in Japan. His most successful offspring was Miho Shinzan (ミホシンザン) who won the Japanese 2,000 Guineas, Japanese St. Leger, and the Tenno Sho (Spring). Pensioned from stud duties in 1987, Shinzan spent the rest of his life at Tanikawa Stud. He lost sight in his right eye in his later years and also lost all of his teeth. Eventually, he could not stand by himself at times, and his physical weakening became more prominent after February 1994. He died of old age at about 2:00 a.m. on July 13, 1996. He was 35 years, three months and 11 days old. He is (to date) the longest-lived thoroughbred horse ever recorded in Japan. A funeral service was held posthumously. Shinzan's grave is located in the Tanikawa Stud of Urakawacho, Urakawa-gun, Hokkaido, and a bronze statue of Shinzan was built in this stud.

Principal Race Wins

* 1964 Fuji TV Sho Spring Stakes,

Tokyo 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 ...

Turf 1800m * 1964

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 ...

(Japanese 2,000 Guineas), Tokyo Turf 2000m * 1964 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Tokyo Turf 2400m * 1964 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger),

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

Turf 3000m * 1965

Hanshin , derived from the second kanji from and the first kanji from (but in ''on''-reading instead of ''kun''-reading), refers generally to Osaka, Kobe, and the surrounding area in the Kansai region of Japan. In the context of a region of Hyōgo ...

Turf 2000m * 1965 Meguro Kinen (Autumn), Tokyo Turf 2500m * 1965

(Autumn), Tokyo Turf 3200m * 1965

(Grand Prix), Nakayama Turf 2600m Satsuki Sho, Tokyo Yushun, Kikuka Sho, Tenno Sho (Autumn), Arima Kinen was 5 of the 8 major races in Japan (the other 3 are

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 ...

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 Tenno Sho (Spring)), before the introduction of Grade in 1984 which categorized all as GI in 1984. Also, before 1981, a horse can only win Tenno Sho once in their career.

Awards

* 1964 Horse of the Year and Best Three-year-old Colt (Keishu Award) * 1965 Horse of the Year and Best Older Colt or Horse (Keishu Award) * 1984 JRA Hall of Fame horse (Keishu Award is current JRA Award.)

Pedigree

{{Pedigree , name = Shinzan (JPN), bay stallion 1961{{cite web, url=http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=2232966®istry=T&horse_name

Shinzan%20(JPN)&dam_name

Hayanobori%20(JPN)&foaling_year=1961&nicking_stats_indicator=Y , title=Shinzan pedigree , publisher=equineline.com , date=2012-05-08 , accessdate=2013-05-27 , f = Hindostan　(GB) , m = Hayanobori (JPN) , ff = Bois Roussel (FR) , fm = Sonibai (GB) , mf = Hayatake (JPN) , mm = Daigo Buchanum Beauty (JPN) , fff = Vatout , ffm = Plucky Liege , fmf = Solario , fmm = Udaipur , mff = Theft , mfm = Hiryū , mmf = Tournesol (horse), Tournesol , mmm = Buchanum Beauty , ffff = Prince Chimay , fffm = Vashti , ffmf =

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, ffmm = Concertina , fmff =

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, fmmm = Uganda , mfff = Tetratema , mffm = Voleuse , mfmf = Clackmannan , mfmm = Yinkari , mmff = Gainsborough , mmfm = Soliste , mmmf = Shian Mor , mmmm = Daisan Beautiful Dreamer (Family 12) A

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

citizen by the name of Shinzan was born in April 2005. Making him the only North American and European citizen with the name Shinzan.

References

{{reflist {{JRA_Hall_of_Fame_Horse Thoroughbred family 12 1961 racehorse births 1996 racehorse deaths Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winners Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Japanese Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Satsuki Shō winners Tokyo Yūshun winners Kikuka-shō winners Takarazuka Kinen winners Tenno Sho winners Arima Kinen winners