(27 March 2000 – 2 September 2022) was a Japanese

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

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 occasions. As a three-year-old in 2003, he won two

Group races Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as, in Europe, the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l' ...

and finished second in the

Tokyo Yushun Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...

(Japanese Derby). His greatest success came as a four-year-old in the following year when he was named

Japanese Horse of the Year The Japanese Horse of the Year is the highest honor given 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 award originally started as ...

after winning the three all-aged Group One races which comprise Japan's Autumn Triple Crown: the Autumn

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 I races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gr ...

, 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 wi ...

, and the

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above and the world's largest betting horserace.

. In 2005, he failed to win but was placed in the

International Stakes The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards (2 ...

in Britain as well as in the Tenno Sho and Japan Cup. He was then retired to stud where he had success as a sire of winners.

Background

Zenno Rob Roy was a bay horse with one white

foot The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg mad ...

, standing just under 16.2 hands high. He was bred in Japan by the Shiraoi Farm, from parents both of whom had been imported from the United States. He was sired by

Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Crown when he was defeated in the Belmont ...

, who won the 1989

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

, before retiring to stud in Japan where he was champion sire on thirteen consecutive occasions. His dam Roamin' Rachel was a successful racemare who excelled over sprint distances, winning the Grade I

Ballerina Handicap The Ballerina Handicap is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are three years old or older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga S ...

in 1994 before being sold for $750,000 and exported to Japan in 1998.

Racing career

2003: three-year-old season

Zenno Rob Roy made his first appearance in a one-mile maiden race at

Nakayama Racecourse is located in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 165,676. It was built in 1990. Physical attributes Nakayama Race Course has two grass courses, a dirt course, and a jump course. The turf's measures 1 ...

in February, and won by two and a half

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the In ...

. He then finished third to Lincoln at

Hanshin Racecourse is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and it is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After the World War II, ...

before winning again at Nakayama in April. On 3 May at

Tokyo Racecourse is located in Fuchu, 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) ...

, Zenno Rob Roy recorded his first important victory when he won the one and a half mile Aoba Sho, an important trial race for the Tokyo Yushun. Over the same course and distance a month later, the colt finished second in the Tokyo Yushun, half a length behind the winner Neo Universe. Zenno Rob Roy returned in September to win the Kobe Shimbun Hai, a trial race for the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger). In the Kikuka Sho a month later he finished fourth of the eighteen runners behind That's The Plenty, Lincoln and Neo Universe after being boxed in and struggling to obtain a clear run on the turn into the straight. On his final appearance of the season, the colt was one of the twelve horses invited to contest the Arima Kinen at Nakayama on 28 December and finished third behind Symboli Kris S and Lincoln.

2004: four-year-old season

In March 2004, Zenno Rob Roy came second to Win Generale in the Group Two

Nikkei Sho The Nikkei Sho (Japanese 日経賞) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds of at least four years of age. It is run over a distance of 2,500 metres at Nakayama Racecourse in March. The Nikkei Sho was first run in 1953 ...

and then finished second to Ingrandire in the spring running of the Tenno Sho over two miles. On 27 June he finished fourth of the fifteen runners in the

Takarazuka Kinen The Takarazuka Kinen (宝塚記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds where they run over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximately miles) at Hanshin Racecourse (阪神競馬場) in late June. It ...

, three lengths behind the winner Tap Dance City. Zenno Rob Roy began his autumn campaign in the Group Two

Kyoto Daishoten Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the cit ...

on 10 October, when he started the 2/5 favourite but was beaten by Narita Century. Despite his defeat the colt started favourite for the autumn running of the Tenno Sho three weeks later. Ridden for the first time by

Olivier Peslier Olivier Peslier (born 12 January 1973 in Château-Gontier) is a French thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Peslier competes in flat racing mainly in France but travels often around the world for the big international races. He was a retained joc ...

he was held up in the early stages and turned into the straight in ninth place. He made steady progress in the last quarter mile to take the lead close to the finish and won by one and a quarter lengths from the three-year-old filly Dance in the Mood. Four weeks later, Zenno Rob Roy started the 1.7/1 favourite for the Japan Cup, then the world's most valuable turf race, at Tokyo racecourse, in front of a crowd of 119,362. Peslier moved the colt up to challenge for the lead in the straight and he drew clear in the closing stages to win by three lengths from Cosmo Bulk and

Delta Blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of t ...

. On 26 December Zenno Rob Roy attempted to complete Japan's Autumn Triple Crown when he was one of fifteen horses invited to contest the Arima Kinen. Under a strong ride from Peslier, he overtook the front-running Tap Dance City inside the final furlong and won by half a length. The winning time of 2:29.5 was a record for the 2,500

metre The metre ( British spelling) or meter ( American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its p ...

race and the four-year-old's victory was enthusiastically received by the 125,000 crowd. His performances saw him voted Champion Older Horse and

in January 2005.

2005: five-year-old season

Zenno Rob Roy did not begin his five-year-old season until 26 June, when he finished third behind

Sweep Tosho Sweep Tosho (Japanese: スイープトウショウ, foaled 9 May 2001) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Bred and owned by Tosho Sangyo and trained throughout her racing career by Akio Tsurudome she won eight of her twenty-four ...

and Heart's Cry in the Takarazuka Kinen. He was then sent to Europe where he was lodged at the stables of

Geoff Wragg Geoff Wragg (9 January 1930 – 15 September 2017) was a Thoroughbred horse trainer who trained champion horses such as Teenoso and Pentire. He was the son of former jockey and trainer Harry Wragg, from whom he took over the licence at Abingto ...

at Newmarket and in August he contested the

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350, ...

. He stayed on well in the closing stages to finish second of the seven runners, a neck behind the winner Electrocutionist in a "blanket finish". The colt returned to Japan where he ran in all three legs of the Autumn Triple Crown. He was beaten a head by Heavenly Romance in the Tenno Sho and then ran third behind

Alkaased Alkaased (foaled 19 February 2000) is an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2005 Japan Cup in a then world record time. In a racing career which lasted from September 2002 until November 2005, he won ...

and Heart's Cry in the Japan Cup. On his final appearance he finished unplaced behind Heart's Cry in the Arima Kinen.

Stud record

Zenno Rob Roy was retired from racing to stand as a 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 ...

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island 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 from Honshu; th ...

and was shuttled to stand in New Zealand during the southern hemisphere breeding season. In 2007 he covered mares in Australia after being stranded there by travel restrictions following an outbreak of

horse flu Equine influenza (horse flu) is the disease caused by strains of influenza A that are enzootic in horse species. Equine influenza occurs globally, previously caused by two main strains of virus: equine-1 ( H7N7) and equine-2 ( H3N8). The OIE now ...

. His most successful runner as of his death was the

Yushun Himba The , also known as the is a Japanese Grade 1 flat horse race for three-year-old thoroughbred fillies run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately 1 mile 4 furlongs) at the Tokyo Racecourse, Fuchū, Tokyo in May. History It was first run ...

(Japanese Oaks) winner

Saint Emilion In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

. He also sired the Group race winners Pelusa, Animate Bio, Lelouch, Trailblazer, Cosmo Nemo Shin and Zennista. Zenno Rob Roy died from heart failure on 2 September 2022.

Pedigree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zenno Rob Roy 2000 racehorse births 2022 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 2-b Japan Cup winners