Danon Kingly ( ja, ダノンキングリー, link=no, foaled 25 March 2016) is 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 c ...

racehorse. After winning both of his races as a two-year-old in 2018 he proved himself one of the best colts of his generation in the following year when he won the

Tokinominoru Kinen The Tokinominoru Kinen (Japanese 共同通信杯) is a Grade 3 horse race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run in February over a distance of 1800 metres at Tokyo Racecourse. Officially known as the Kyodo News Hai, the race is named in honour of ...

and the

Mainichi Okan The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English language news website called ''The Mainichi'' (previ ...

as well as running 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 37.468 ...

and third in the

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: ...

. As a four-year-old he defeated a strong field to win the

Nakayama Kinen The Nakayama Kinen is a Japanese 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 or early March. The race wa ...

and ran a close third in the

Osaka Hai is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2 ...

. In 2021 he recorded his first Grade 1 victory in the Yasuda Kinen.

Background

Danon Kingly is a dark bay or brown horse with no white markings bred by Mishima Bokujo. He was sent into training with Kiyoshi Hagiwara and races in the white and red colours of Masahiro Noda's Danox Co Ltd. He 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

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 ...

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 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. 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 is a Japanese word meaning "bond". It may also refer to: Music * ''Kizuna'' (album), a 2022 album by JO1 * "Kizuna" (Aya Matsuura song) * "Kizuna" (Aya Ueto song) * "Kizuna" (Orange Range song) * "Kizuna", a song from the anime Mermaid Melody Pich ...

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 following ...

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 Kingly's dam My Goodness was a Kentucky-bred mare who showed modest racing ability, winning one minor race from six attempts. As a five-year-old she was offered for sale 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 it ...

and was exported to Japan after being bought for $60,000 by Ever Union Shokai. My Goodness's dam

Caressing Physical intimacy is sensual proximity or touching. It is an act or reaction, such as an expression of feelings (including close friendship, platonic love, romantic love or sexual attraction), between people. Examples of physical intimacy i ...

won the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a -mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the Uni ...

and produced several other winners including

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

. She was a female-line descendant of Aphaona, a half-sister to Easton.

Racing career

2018: two-year-old season

On 8 October at Tokyo Racecourse Danon Kingly made his racecourse debut in an event for previously unraced juveniles over 1600 metres in which he was ridden by Keita Tosaki and started at odds of 4.4/1. He raced just behind the leaders before taking the lead in the straight and won by a head from the

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, t ...

Curren Bouquet d'Or. The colt made his second and final appearance of the year in the Hiiragi Sho over the same distance on 15 December when he was again partnered by Tosaki. He went off the 3.6/1 second favourite and won by three 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 Intern ...

from Mythologie after going to the front in the straight.

2019: three-year-old season

Danon Kingly began his second season in the Grade 3

(a trial race for the

) over 1800 metres at Tokyo on 10 February. Starting the 3.2/1 third choice in the betting behind

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 ...

and Fossamagna, he raced in fourth place before overtaking the front-running favourite in the closing stages and winning by one and a quarter lengths. On 14 April the colt contested the 79th running of the Satsuki Sho over 2000 metres at Nakayama and started third favourite behind

Saturnalia Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple ...

and Admire Mars. After settling in fourth place he struggled to obtain a clear run before producing a strong charge along the inside rail and finished third, beaten a head and a nose by Saturnalia and Velox in a three-way photo-finish. He was then stepped up in distance for the 86th edition of the

over 2400 metres at Tokyo 26 May. Starting the 3.7/1 third choice in the betting he raced on the inside in fifth place before making a sustained run in the straight but failed by a neck to overhaul the 92/1 outsider

Roger Barows Roger Barows ( Japanese: ロジャーバローズ, foaled 24 January 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed some promise as a juvenile in 2018 when he won on his debut and ran second in his only other race. In the following spring ...

. After a four-month summer break Danon Kingly returned to the track in the Grade 2

1800 metres at Tokyo on 6 October in which he was matched against older horses for the first time. He started 0.6/1 favourite in a ten-runner field which included Aerolithe (2017

NHK Mile Cup The NHK Mile Cup () 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 ...

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 ...

Mozu Ascot Mozu Ascot ( ja, モズアスコット, link=no, foaled 31 March 2014) is an American-bred Japanese-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who won Grade 1 races on turf and dirt. He did not race as a two-year-old in 2016 but in the following year he won ...

and Keiai Nautique (2018 NHK Mile Cup). After racing in last place for most of the way Danon Kingly was switched to the outside in the straight and produced a sustained run to take the lead in the closing stages and win by a length and a quarter from Aerolithe with Indy Champ the same distance away in third. The colt was partnered by Norihiro Yokoyama when he ended his season in the Mile Championship over 1600 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. It was built in 1999. History Kyoto Race Course opened on December 1, 1925. In preparation for the track's 100th anniversary ...

on 17 November. He started second favourite but after tracking the leaders for most of the way he was unable to make any significant progress in the straight and came home fifth behind Indy Champ,

Danon Premium Danon Premium, ( ja, ダノンプレミアム, link=no, foaled 3 April 2015) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He was the top-rated juvenile in Japan in 2017 when he was undefeated in three races including the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup and the A ...

Persian Knight Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and My Style. In the

2019 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2019 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2019 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 ...

Danon Kingly was given a rating of 118, making him the 78th best racehorse in the world.

2020: four-year-old season

Danon Kingly began his third campaign in the Grade 2

over 1800 metres at Nakayama on 1 March in which he was ridden by

Norihiro Yokoyama Norihiro (written: 仙弘, 了洋, 紀寛, 紀洋, 乗寛, 範宏, 憲広, 教広, 教博, 典洋, 倫宏, 規広 or 謙宏) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese baseball ...

and started 1.5/1 against eight opponents including

Lucky Lilac Lucky Lilac ( ja, ラッキーライラック, link=no, foaled 3 April 2015) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2017 she was undefeated in three races including the Artemis Stakes and Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and took th ...

Win Bright Win Bright ( ja, ウインブライト, link=no, foaled 12 May 2014) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in Hong Kong. He showed good early form, winning once as a juvenile and taking the Spring Stakes and Fukus ...

, Indy Champ, Persian Knight and

Soul Stirring Soul Stirring ( ja, ソウルスターリング, link=no, 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 t ...

. He settled in third place behind the front-running outsider Maltese Apogee before taking the lead in the straight and winning by one and three quarter lengths from Lucky Lilac. Five weeks later the colt started favourite for the Group 1

over 2000 metres at Hanshin Racecourse. By this point horse racing in Japan was taking place behind closed doors owing to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In a change of tactics, Yokoyama sent him into the lead from the start and Danon Kingly maintained his advantage until the last 100 metres when he was overtaken and beaten into third place by Lucky Lilac and

Chrono Genesis Chrono Genesis ( ja, クロノジェネシス, link=no, foaled 6 March 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies in Japan when she won her first two races including the Ivy Stakes and then ran a clo ...

. Keita Tosaki returned from injury to resume his partnership with the colt when Danon Kingly was dropped back in distance for the 1600 metre Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo on 7 June. He tracked the leaders before switching to the outside in the straight but was unable to quicken and came home seventh of the fourteen runners behind

Gran Alegria Gran Alegria ( ja, グランアレグリア, link=no, foaled 24 January 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning a minor race on her debut in 2018 she won the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup before running third in the Asahi Hai Futurity ...

. Danon Kingly returned after an absence of almost five months to contest the autumn edition of the

over 2000 metres at Tokyo on 1 November. He started third choice in the betting but after racing in fifth place he faded in the last 400 metres and finished last of the twelve runner behinds

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

2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2020 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities The Long ...

, Danon Kingly was again given a rating of 118, making him the 80th best horse in the world.

2021: five-year-old season

Danon Kingly did not reappear as a five-year-old until 6 June when he started a 47/1 outsider for the Yasuda Kinen. Gran Alegria started odds-on favourite while the other thirteen runners included

Schnell Meister Schnell Meister ( ja, シュネルマイスター, link=no, foaled 23 March 2018) is a German-bred Japanese-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promise as a two-year-old in 2020 when he won both of his races. In the following spring he fin ...

, Indy Champ,

Salios Salios ( ja, サリオス, link=no, foaled 23 January 2017) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the leading juvenile colt in Japan in 2019 when he was undefeated in three races including the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup and the Asahi H ...

, Lauda Sion and

. Ridden for the first time 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'' and ...

he raced in mid-division before making a sustained run down the centre of the straight. Danon Kingly gained the advantage from Indy Champ and Schnell Meister in the last 100 metres and held off the late challenge of Gran Alegria to win by a head. After the race Kawada said "He felt a bit tense first entering the track but he had good rhythm during the trip and had plenty of horse left. He responded just as I hoped turning the last corner and ran well after that. Although he hasn’t been able to put in the best results in the past, he has definitely demonstrated his true strength today and I’m happy to have been a part of it in my first time in the saddle."

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2016 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 9-f