Efforia ( ja, エフフォーリア, link=no foaled 10 March 2018) 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 two minor races as a two-year-old in 2020 he won the Kyodo Tsushin Hai on his first run of 2021 and maintained his unbeaten record by taking 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: ...

on his next start. He was narrowly beaten 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 ...

but returned in autumn to win 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 ...

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.

Background

Efforia is a bay colt with a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on his left hind leg bred in Japan by Northern Farm. He was sent into training with Yuichi Shikato and raced in the green, white and red colours of the Northern Farm affiliate U Carrot Farm. He was ridden in his first four races by Takeshi Yokoyama. He was from the second crop of foals sired by Epiphaneia who won the Kikuka Sho and 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 with ...

and was rated the second-best horse in the world in 2014. Efforia's dam Katies Heart showed some racing ability in Japan, winning three minor races on dirt from fifteen starts. She was a half-sister to the dam of

Admire Moon ; born February 23, 2003) is a Japanese racehorse who won the 2007 Dubai Duty Free Stakes, Takarazuka Kinen and Japan Cup. Background Admire Moon was foaled on February 23rd, 2003 at Northern Farm in Abira, Hokkaido, Japan. He was bred by Kats ...

and a grand-daughter of the Irish-bred mare

Katies Katies (22 April 1981 – 20 August 2004) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. After recording one minor win as a two-year-old she reached her peak in the spring and summer of the following year, taking ...

whose other descendants have included Sleepless Night (

Sprinters Stakes The is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan open to thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) at Nakayama Racecourse, and it takes place annually in late September or early ...

) and

Hishi Amazon Two Japanese destroyers have been named ''Hishi'': * , a launched in 1921 and sunk in 1942 * Japanese destroyer ''Hishi'', a scrapped incomplete on slip in 1945 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hishi Imperial Japanese Navy ship names Japanese Navy ship names< ...

(

Hanshin Juvenile Fillies The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (阪神ジュベナイルフィリーズ) is a one-mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred fillies two years old. It is considered the ''de facto'' year-end championship for Japanese thoroughbred racing in the two-year-o ...

Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (''Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup'' until 2012) is an International Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbred fillies and mares run over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximately ...

Racing career

2020: two-year-old season

Efforia made his first appearance in a 2000 metre contest for previously unraced juveniles on firm ground at

Sapporo Racecourse is located in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. It was built in 1907 for horse racing use. It has 12,000 seats, with a capacity of 30,000. Sapporo Racecourse hosts one GII (Grade 2) race, the Sapporo Kinen. Physical attributes Main turf cou ...

on 23 August 2020. Starting the 0.4/1 favourite in a seven-runner field he tracked the leaders before taking the lead in the straight and winning by three quarters of a

length 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 Interna ...

from Escobar. On 8 November over the same distance 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) r ...

he started second favourite behind Veil Nebula for a minor race and came from fourth place on the final turn to win by one and a quarter lengths. Commenting on the colt's juvenile campaign, Yuichi Shikato said "physically and mentally he was a little weak, and his hindquarters weren’t so strong, so it took him a bit of time to recover from races."

2021: three-year-old season

For his first run as a three-year-old Efforia was stepped up in class to contest the Grade 3 Kyodo Tsushin Hai over 1800 metres at Tokyo on 14 February and started the 5.8/1 fourth choice in the betting behind Stella Veloce (winner of the

Saudi Arabia Royal Cup The Saudi Arabia Royal Cup (Japanese サウジアラビアロイヤルカップ) is a Grade 3 horse race for two-year-old Thoroughbreds run in October over a distance of 1600 metres at Tokyo Racecourse. The race was first run as an open class r ...

), Shahryar and the filly Leftovers. After tracking the early leaders Efforia made strong progress early in the straight, went to the front approaching the last 200 metres and drew away to win by two and a half lengths from Victipharus. Yuichi Shikato commented: "He ran very smoothly... in what was a perfect race for him". On 18 April Efforia moved up to Grade 1 class for the

over 2000 metres 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 1840 ...

. He went off the 2.7/1 second favourite behind

Danon The Kid Danon The Kid ( ja, ダノンザキッド, link=no foaled 29 January 2018) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the best two-year-olds in Japan in 2020 when he won all three of his races including the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stak ...

in a sixteen-runner field which also included Victipharus, Lagom (

Kisaragi Sho The Kisaragi Sho (Japanese きさらぎ賞) is a Grade 3 horse race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run in February over a distance of 1800 metres at Kyoto Racecourse. The race is also known as the NHK Sho. The race was first run in 1961 and w ...

), Stella Veloce, Gratias (

Keisei Stakes Keisei may refer to: *Keisei (monk) *Keisei Electric Railway *Keisei Bus The is a bus company within the Keisei Group which was established on 1 October 2003 to inherit all business of the Keisei Electric Railway bus department. Local bus serv ...

), Titleholder ( Yayoi Sho) and Red Belle Aube (

Daily Hai Nisai Stakes The Daily Hai Nisai Stakes (Japanese デイリー杯2歳ステークス) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for two-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1600 metres at Kyoto Racecourse in November. The Daily Hai Nisai ...

). Takeshi Yokoyama settled in fourth place as Titleholder and World Revival set the pace before making rapid progress to take the lead entering the straight. He quickly opened up a clear advantage and was never challenged, winning by three lengths from Titleholder. After the race Yokoyama said "I was fortunate to have been able to ride this colt since his debut.. I believed that if I put my concentration on using whatever skills I had as a rider and bring out the best performance from my horse, that we would have a great chance of winning. The pace wasn't that fast, so we were able to cruise along in a good position but we were a little tight going into the stretch and I could not be sure of my win until the end." For his next race Efforia was stepped up in distance for the 88th running of the

over 2400 metres at Tokyo on 30 May and started the 0.7/1 favourite in a seventeen runner field. After settling behind the leaders he moved up to take the lead 200 metres from the finish but was run down in the final strides by Shahryar and was beaten a nose into second place. Shikato described the colt's first defeat as "very frustrating". After an absence of six months, Efforia returned to the track for the autumn edition of the

over 2000 metres at Tokyo on 31 October, when he was matched against older horses for the first time. He was made the 2.4/1 third choice in the betting behind

Contrail Contrails (; short for "condensation trails") or vapor trails are line-shaped clouds produced by aircraft engine exhaust or changes in air pressure, typically at aircraft cruising altitudes several miles above the Earth's surface. Contrails ar ...

and

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 ...

in an eighteen-runner field which also included

World Premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

, Persian Knight (

Mile Championship The Mile Championship is an International Grade I flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) on the turf at Kyoto Racecourse in November. It was first run in 1984 ...

) and Curren Bouquetd'or. Efforia settled in sixth place as the outsider Kaiser Minoru set the pace, before moving up on the outside on the final term. He quickened well in the straight, gained the advantage from Gran Alegria 200 metres from the finish and held off a late challenge from Contrail to win by a length. After the race Yokoyama said "I cried with joy for the first time in my life, as I was very disappointed with the result of the Derby. He’s a good starter and a clever racer so I decided to believe in his ability and ride him without thinking too much.. I am grateful that we were able to win the race in front of many fans." Efforia closed out his three-year-old season with a victory in the Grade 1

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.

, also known as Japan's "Grand Prix." With the most fan votes and sent off as the favorite in the 2500-metre event, Efforia moved forward from the middle of the pack to take the lead in the stretch, winning by three quarters of a

. With four victories out of five starts in his 2021 campaign, including three Grade 1 wins and a Grade 1 placing, Efforia is selected as the

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 p ...

recipient of 2021. File:Efforia Satsuki Sho 2021(IMG2).jpg, 2022 Satsuki Sho File:11R Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (Grade 1, 3yo) Turf 2400m 2021 at tokyo racecourse (51211964037).jpg, 2022 Tokyo Yushun, at paddock

2022 and 2023 seasons

Efforia started his 2022 season with 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 ...

. However, he finished at 9th place behind

Potager The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...

after he hit his head on the gate. He then went on to run in the

Takarazuka Kinen The Takarazuka Kinen (宝塚記念) is a Conditions races, Grade I Flat racing, flat Horse racing, 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 Race ...

as planned, with him being the most favored, but wound up losing behind Titleholder at 6th place. Efforia would go on to take a break for nearly 6 months before coming back to run in the Arima Kinen for the second time, of which he finished at 5th place behind

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...

. Efforia would start his 2023 season with his first Grade-2 race in his career at the

Kyoto Kinen 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 city ...

, and was the second most favored behind

Do Deuce Do Deuce (Japanese: ドウデュース, foaled 7 May 2019) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He was the best two-year-old colt in Japan in 2021 when he was undefeated in three races including the Ivy Stakes and the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. ...

. However, he was unable to finish the race as Efforia suffered atrial fibrillation. Two days after the race; Efforia's owner, Carrot Club, announced that the horse will be retired to stand stud 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), known ...

Pedigree

*Efforia was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3 × 4 to Sunday Silence, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.

References

{{Reflist 2018 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 7-f Japanese Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Satsuki Shō winners Tenno Sho winners Arima Kinen winners