Danon Fantasy ( ja, ダノンファンタジー, link=no, foaled 30 January 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. After finishing second in her first appearance as a two-year-old in 2018 she won her three remaining races including the Fantasy Stakes and Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and took the

JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly The JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly is a title awarded annually by the Japan Racing Association The Japan Racing Association ( ja, 日本中央競馬会 Nippon Chūō Keiba Kai, or JRA) is a public company established to operate Chūō Keiba ...

. In the following year she won the

Tulip Sho The Tulip Sho Japanese チューリップ賞} is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run over a distance of 1,600 metres at Hanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyogo. The race is run in March and serve ...

and the

Rose Stakes The Rose Stakes (Japanese language, Japanese ローズステークス) is a Japanese Group races, Grade 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Hyōgo Prefecture for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1800 m ...

. In 2020 she was well beaten in her first three races but ended the year with a win in the Hanshin Cup.

Background

Danon Fantasy is a bay filly with a narrow white blaze bred in Hokkaido by Northern Farm. As a yearling in 2017 she was consigned to the Select Sale and was bought for ¥97,200,000 by Danox Co Ltd. She was sent into training with Mitsumasa Nakauchida. She was from the ninth crop of foals sired by Deep Impact, who was the Japanese Horse of the Year in 2005 and 2006, winning races including the Tokyo Yushun, Tenno Sho,

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.

and Japan Cup. Deep Impact's other progeny include

Gentildonna is a retired Japanese thoroughbred racehorse. 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 year became th ...

Harp Star Harp Star ( ja, ハープスター, link=no, 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 Hansh ...

, Kizuna,

A Shin Hikari A Shin Hikari ( Japanese エイシンヒカリ, foaled 3 May 2011) is a 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 Ireland Trophy. In the followin ...

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

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 ...

. Danon Fantasy's dam Life For Sale was a top class racehorse in Argentina where she won twice at Group 1 level before being exported to Japan at the end of her track career. She was a female-line descendant of Roussette (foaled 1941), a British mare who was exported to Brazil.

Racing career

2018: two-year-old season

Danon Fantasy made her first appearance on 3 June in a contest for previously unraced juveniles over 1600 metres at Tokyo Racecourse and finished second of the fifteen runners behind Gran Alegria. After a break of more than three months she returned for 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 se ...

over the same distance at Hanshin Racecourse and recorded her first success as she won by two

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 ...

from Red Vita and seven others. On 3 November Danon Fantasy was stepped up in class for the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes over 1400 metres at Kyoto Racecourse and started the 1/2 favourite in a nine-runner field. Ridden by

Yuga Kawada A ''yuga'', in Hinduism, is generally used to indicate an age of time. In the '' Rigveda'', a ''yuga'' refers to generations, a long period, a very brief period, or a yoke (joining of two things). In the '' Mahabharata'', the words ''yuga'' ...

she won by one and three quarter

from Belle Soeurs. As Kawada was booked to ride at the Hong Kong International meeting the filly was partnered by Cristian Demuro on 9 December when she was moved up to Group 1 level for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies over 1600 metres. She started the 1.6/1 favourite ahead of Chrono Genesis in an eighteen-runner field which also included Schon Glanz and Beach Samba who had finished first and second in the

Artemis Stakes The Artemis Stakes (Japanese アルテミスステークス) is a Grade 3 horse race for two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run in October over a distance of 1600 metres at Tokyo Racecourse. The race was first run in 2012 and has held Grade 3 sta ...

. Belle Soeurs set the early pace from Meisho Shobu with Danon Fantasy being settled towards the rear before being switched towards the wide outside on the final turn and making rapid progress. Meisho Shobu took the lead in the straight but Danon Fantasy gained the advantage 100 metres from the finish and repelled the challenge of Chrono Genesis to win by half a length, with Beach Samba a neck away in third place. After the race Demuro commented "The filly was relaxed and when I saw the second favorite come outside us after the fourth corner, I told her it's time to go, we have to fight, and she responded really well. She responds very quickly and has a very good turn of foot. She's a good horse and I think she will have a very good chance in the Oka Sho next year". In the official ratings for Japanese two-year-olds Danon Fantasy was rated the best juvenile filly of the year, one pound ahead of Chrono Genesis and five pounds below the top-rated colt

Admire Mars Admire Mars ( ja, アドマイヤマーズ, link=no, foaled 16 March 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a juvenile in 2018 he was undefeated in four races including the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes and the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes and wo ...

. In January 2019 Danon Fantasy topped the poll for Best Two-Year-Old Filly at 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, 優駿賞 ...

s for 2018, receiving 275 of the 276 votes.

2019: three-year-old season

Danon Fantasy began her second campaign in the

(a major trial for the Oka Sho) at Hanshin on 2 March and started odds-on favourite against twelve opponents headed by Schon Glanz and Meisho Shobu. With Kawada in the saddle she settled in third place before taking the lead in the straight and won by a length from Shigeru Pink Dia. Her assistant trainer commented "she got into a good early position and was able to settle well. She had to be switched to the outside on the run for home, but accelerated well to go on and win". On 7 April the filly started the 1.8/1 favourite for the 79th edition of the Oka Sho at Hanshin. She tracked the leaders for most of the way and kept on well in the straight but was beaten into fourth place behind Gran Alegria, Shigeru Pink Dia and Chrono Genesis. Danon Fantasy was stepped up in trip to contest the Yushun Himba at Tokyo on 19 May over 2400 metres, a distance which Kawada admitted would be unlikely to suit her. She started at odds of 5.4/1 and came home fifth of the eighteen runners behind

Loves Only You Loves Only You ( ja, ラヴズオンリーユー, link=no, 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 ...

, Curren Bouquetd'Or, Chrono Genesis and Victoria. After a break of almost four months Danon Fantasy returned to the track for the Rose Stakes (a trial for the Shuka Sho) over 1800 metres at Hanshin on 15 September. Ridden by Kawada she started the 1.2/1 favourite ahead of eleven opponents and won by a neck and a head from Beach Samba and Victoria in a race record time of 1:44.4. In the Shuka Sho over 2000 metres at Kyoto on 13 October Danon Fantasy started the 2.5/1 favourite but after racing in third place for most of the way she dropped from contention in the straight and came home eighth of the seventeen runners behind Chrono Genesis, beaten seven lengths by the winner.

2020: four-year-old season

Danon Fantasy remained in training as a four-year-old and began her campaign by finishing fifth when favourite for the Grade 2

Hanshin Himba Stakes The Hanshin Himba Stakes Japanese 阪神牝馬ステークス} is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds fillies and mares of at least four years of age. It is run over a distance of 1400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse in A ...

on 11 April. In the following month she returned to Group 1 class and ran fifth behind

Almond Eye Almond Eye (Japanese アーモンドアイ, foaled 10 March 2015) is a champion Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown in 2018, and holds a world record over 2,400 meters on turf. She is also a two-time winn ...

in the Victoria Mile at Tokyo. After a five month break she returned to the track for the

Fuchu Himba Stakes The Fuchu Himba Stakes ( Japanese 府中牝馬ステークス) is a Grade 2 horse race for Thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three and over run in October over a distance of 1800 metres at Tokyo Racecourse. It was first run in 1953 and was pro ...

at Tokyo and came home sixth of the eight runners. On 26 December, Danon Fantasy ended her campaign in the Grade 2 Hanshin Cup over 1400 metres in which she was matched against male opposition and started the 8.6/1 fourth choice in the betting behind

Indy Champ Indy Champ ( ja, インディチャンプ, link=no, foaled 21 February 2015) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning his only start as a juvenile in 2017 he showed good form in the following year when he won three races and finished ...

Stelvio Stelvio may refer to * Stelvio, the Italian name for the municipality of Stilfs in South Tyrol * Stelvio (ski course), a downhill ski course in Bormio, Italy * Stelvio Pass, a mountain pass in Italy * Stelvio National Park, a national park of It ...

(2018 Mile Championship) and Fiano Romano. Ridden by Yusuke Fujioka she raced in third place behind Iberis before taking the lead in the straight, breaking clear of her rivals and winning by one and three quarter lengths.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2016 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 7-a