Legacy World (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

レガシーワールド, 23 April 1989 - 18 August 2021) 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 c ...

racehorse best known for winning the 1993

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 ...

. He failed to win in five starts as a juvenile and was gelded before the start of his second season. In 1992 he won six races including the

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

St Lite Kinen, finished fourth in the Japan Cup and ran second in 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 the following year he was lightly raced and made only two appearances before defeating a top-class international field in the Japan Cup 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 ...

. His later career was blighted by injury and he failed to win in fourteen subsequent races before being retired in 1996.

Background

Legacy World was a bay gelding with no white markings bred in Japan by the Heihata Farm. His sire Mogami raced in France where he won the valuable Prix des Foals at

Deauville Racecourse Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques is a race track for thoroughbred horse racing located in Deauville in the Calvados département, in the Normandy ''région'' of France. Originally called Hippodrome de la Touques, it was named for the Touques River t ...

in 1978 before retiring to become a breeding stallion in Japan. He sired several major winners including Sirius Symboli (

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 ...

), Mejiro Ramona (

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 i ...

) and Buzen Candle (

Shuka Sho Shuka ( sa, शुक , also Shukadeva ) is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism. He is the son of the sage Vyasa and the main narrator of the scripture ''Bhagavata Purana''. Most of the ''Bhagavata Purana'' consists of Shuka reciting the story to the k ...

). Legacy World was one of several winners produced by the Japanese mare Donna Lydia, an unraced daughter of the American stallion Jim French. She was descended from Propontis, a British broodmare who was imported to Japan in the first decade of the 20th century. During his track career, Legacy World raced in the colours of Horse Tajima Co Ltd and was initially trained by Toyama Tameo.

Racing career

1991: two-year-old season

Legacy World failed to win in five races as a two-year-old in 1991. Competing exclusively in

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 ...

s he finished fourth over 1200 metres at

Hakodate Racecourse is a horse racing track in Hakodate, Japan, built in 1896. During the period between 2008 and 2009, Hakodate Racecourse was closed for renovation and refurbishment of the grandstand. Work was completed in June 2010. As part of this refurbishment ...

on his debut on 18 August and then ran second over the same course and distance six days later. The best of his three subsequent efforts came when he finished third to Dyna Splendor 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 ...

in October. At the end of his first season, Legacy World's lack of success and difficult temperament led to the decision to have the colt

gelded A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, making th ...

1992: three-year-old season

On his debut as a three-year-old, Legacy World recorded his first win when he defeated fifteen opponents in a maiden over 1800 metres at

Fukushima Racecourse is a horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 s ...

on 11 July. He finished third at

Niigata Racecourse is located in Kita-ku Niigata, Niigata. It is used for horse racing. It was built in 1965. The capacity of the stadium is 75,000. Physical attributes Niigata Race Course has a turf course with two distinct ovals, and a dirt course. Jump race ...

two weeks later and then won twice at Hakodate in August, taking the Okushiri Tokubetsu over 2000 metres and the Matsumae Tokubetsu over 2500 metres. On September 13 the gelding finished second to the four-year-old filly Janis at Hakodate and was then moved up in class for the

St Lite Kinen over 2200 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 ...

two weeks later. He recorded his first major victory as he defeated the

runner-up

Rice Shower Rice Shower (in Japanese: ライスシャワー, March 5, 1989 − June 4, 1995) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the multiple Group 1 titles. History His name refers to the tradition of throwing rice at weddings for good luck. Ric ...

, with Super Sovereign in third, but, as a gelding, he was ineligible to run in the Kikuka Sho which was won by Rice Shower. In October, Legacy World won the Tokyo Sports Hai over 2400 metres at

and on 8 November he recorded his sixth victory of the year when he took the Doncaster Stakes over the same distance at Kyoto. On 29 November at Tokyo, Legacy World was moved up to the highest level and started a 16.9/1 outsider for the twelfth running of the Japan Cup over 2400 metres. Ridden by Hiroshi Kawachi he finished fourth of the fourteen runners behind

Tokai Teio Tokai Teio (Japanese: トウカイテイオー, April 20, 1988 – August 30, 2013) was a champion Japanese thoroughbred racehorse. In 1991 he won the Satsuki Sho and the Tokyo Yushun. He was the 1991 Japanese Horse of the Year. In 1992 he won t ...

, Naturalism and the

Arlington Million The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward on the turf. It was originally raced at the now-closed Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois over a distance of m ...

winner

Dear Doctor "Dear Doctor" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', and originally aired on January 23, 2002, on UPN. The episode was written by Maria and Andre Jacquemetton, ...

. The unplaced horses included

User Friendly Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a soft ...

Let's Elope Let's Elope (20 November 1987 – 11 September 2016) was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse in Australia. Background Bred by Highview Stud in Hamilton, New Zealand, Let's Elope was a giant chestnut mare who in 1991 became the first mare in ...

, Dr Devious and

Quest for Fame ''Quest for Fame'' is a music video game developed by Virtual Music Entertainment and distributed by IBM. They were eventually acquired by Namco (who then made the arcade version in 1999) to create karaoke machines. In 2001, they resurfaced w ...

. On his final appearance of the year, Legacy World was invited to compete in 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.

over 2500 metres at Nakayama on 27 December and finished second of the sixteen runners behind the five-year-old

Mejiro Palmer Mejiro may refer to: * Mejiro, Tokyo is a residential district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan, centered at Mejiro Station of Yamanote Line. * Another name for Warbling white-eye. * Kurosaki Dojo - formerly known as Mejiro Gym, a Japanese kickboxing/MMA g ...

with Nice Nature in third.

1993: four-year-old season

Legacy World returned in January 1993 at Nakayama and finished second to the six-year-old White Stone in the Grade II American Jockey Club Cup over 2200 metres. After Toyama's death in May 1993, the gelding entered the stable of the first-season trainer Hideyuki Mori. After an absence of more than eight months, Legacy World returned in the Grade II Kyoto Daishoten over 2400 metres on 10 October and finished second of the ten runners to Mejiro McQueen. On 28 November, in front of a record crowd of 175,000, the gelding made his second attempt to win the Japan Cup, a race which pitted seven Japanese horses against nine overseas challengers, and started at odds of 11.5/1. The other Japanese runners were Winning Ticket (Tokyo Yushun), Rice Shower, Mejiro Palmer, Matikanetannhauser (third in the Kikuka Sho), Nice Nature and the dirt racer Hashiru Shogun ( Teio Sho). The North American contingent comprised

Kotashaan Kotashaan (foaled May 4, 1988 in Orne, France) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in France and earned Champion honors in the United States. Background He was bred and raced by brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, owners of the House ...

(the 4.2/1 favourite), Star of Cozzene and Luazar ( Del Mar Handicap) whilst Europe was represented by White Muzzle (

Derby Italiano The Derby Italiano is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Capannelle over a distance of 2,200 metres (about 1 mile and 3 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in ...

) from Britain, Urban Sea from France, Misil ( Premio Roma) from Italy and Platini ( Gran Premio di Milano) from Germany. The other two runners were Naturalism from Australia and

The Phantom Chance The Phantom Chance (foaled 3 November 1989) is a New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse who won the New Zealand Derby in 1992 and Cox Plate in 1993, earning over $2 million in his 44-race career. Family The Phantom Chance, a gelding by Noble Bij ...

from New Zealand. Kawachi tracked the leaders and reached the final turn in second place behind Mejiro Palmer before taking the lead in the straight. He stayed on strongly in the closing stages to win by one and a quarter lengths with Kotashaan taking second in a three-way photo finish from Winning Ticket and Platini. Kent Desormeaux, the rider of the runner-up, was fined by the racecourse stewards after he mistook the finish line and stopped riding 100 metres from the end of the race. After the gelding's victory, Hideyuki Mori said "The horse was very lightly raced. Legacy World was therefore a fresh horse, specially prepared for the Japan Cup. This was his target". Kawachi, who was winning the race at the fifth attempt commented "I was secretly confident the big chance was today". On his last run of the year, Legacy World was again invited to run in the Arima Kinen, but finished fifth of fourteen behind Tokai Teio on 26 December.

1995 & 1996: later career

Legacy World missed the whole of 1994 after sustaining a serious tendon injury, and although he returned for two more seasons in 1995 and 1996 he never recovered his best form. As a six-year-old he finished no better than ninth in six races. In his final season he ran seven times, finishing fourth in a minor race at Hanshin and ending his career by finishing eighth to Mayano Top Gun in Takarazuka Kinen on 7 July 1996. At the end of his racing career, Legacy World was retired to a retirement facility in Hokkaido, where he died on August 18, 2021, due to infirmities of old age. Japan Racing Association official website ''

n Japanese N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

'. Accessed 18 August 2021.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1989 racehorse births 2021 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 4-d Japan Cup winners