Leontes, ( ja, リオンディーズ, link=no, foaled 29 January 2013) 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 ...

racehorse and sire. He was rated the best two-year-old in Japan in 2015 after winning a minor race on his debut and then taking the

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called '' Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by ...

Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (朝日杯フューチュリティステークス) is a one mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred colts two years old. It is considered the ''de facto'' year-end championship for Japanese thoroughbred racing in the t ...

on his second and final start of the year. In the following spring he finished second in the Yayoi Sho, fourth 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: ...

and fifth 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 ...

before his track career was ended by injury.

Background

Leontes is a dark bay or brown horse, standing 1.67 metres, with no white markings bred in Japan by Northern Farm. During his racing career he was owned by U Carrot Farm and trained by

Katsuhiko Sumii (born 28 March 1964, Kanazawa, Ishikawa) is a Japanese horse trainer. He trained the first and second placing horses in the 2006 Melbourne Cup, Delta Blues and Pop Rock. Other notable horses Sumii has trained include Kane Hekili, Vodka, Victo ...

. He was ridden in most of his races by the Italian-born jockey Mirco Demuro. His sire, King Kamehameha was one of the best Japanese colts of his generation, beating a field including Heart's Cry and

Daiwa Major Daiwa Major ( ja, ダイワメジャー, link=no) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. A horse who excelled at distances of , he won the Satsuki Shō, the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown in 2004. His greatest succ ...

in the 2004

Japanese Derby 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 diaspo ...

. His other winners as a breeding stallion include

Lord Kanaloa is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A specialist sprinter, he recorded his first important success in 2011 when he won the Grade 3 Keihan Hai at Kyoto Racecourse. In the following year he won once from his first four starts but th ...

Rose Kingdom Rose Kingdom ( ja, ローズキングダム, link=no, foaled 10 May 2007) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from 2009 until 2013 he won six of his twenty-five races. As a two-year-old in 2009 he was u ...

Rey de Oro Rey de Oro ( ja, レイデオロ, link=no foaled 5 February 2014) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a juvenile in 2016 he was undefeated in three races including the Grade 2 Hopeful Stakes and was rated one of the best two-year-old colts ...

, Apapane and

Duramente Duramente ( ja, ドゥラメンテ, link=no, 22 March 2012 – 31 August 2021) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2015 he completed the first two legs of the Japanese Triple Crown by winning the Satsuki Shō and the Tokyo Yūshun before h ...

. Leontes' dam Cesario was a top-class racemare won 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 ...

and the American Oaks and went on to produce 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 ...

winner Epiphaneia and Saturnalia. She was a fourth-generation descendant of the

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...

winner Pia. As a fourth-generation descendant of the Epsom Oaks winner Pia, Cesario was related to other major winners, including

Chief Singer Chief Singer (19 March 1981 – 2000) was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1983 until September 1984 he ran nine times and won four races. The colt won the Group Thr ...

and Pleasantly Perfect.

Racing career

2015: two-year-old season

Leontes did not appear on the track until 22 November when he contested an event for previously unraced juveniles over 2000 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, ...

and won by a length from Peace Mind. For his next race the colt was stepped up sharply in class for the

Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes over 1600 metres 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 World War I ...

on 15 December and started the 4.9/1 second favourite behind the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes winner Air Spinel. Leontes raced at the rear of the field and was still last of the sixteen runners as the field exited the final turn. He then produced a strong, sustained run on the outside, overtook Air Spinel in the last 100 metres and won by three quarters of a length. Mirco Demuro commented "I had been told that this colt was powerful and he certainly showed that when I rode him in training on Wednesday—he was pretty keen but smart and an honest colt. It was his first time over a mile but he responded and really stretched well on the outside. He's got a lot to look forward to in his three-year-old season." In the JRA Awards for 2015 Leontes topped the poll for the

JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Colt The JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Colt 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 ( ...

taking 289 of the 291 votes.

2016: three-year-old season

On his first run of 2016 Leontes started 0.9/1 favourite for the Grade 2 Yayoi Sho (a major trial race for the

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 ...

) 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 184 ...

. He took the lead entering the straight and broke clear of his rivals but was caught in the final strides and beaten a neck by

Makahiki The Makahiki season is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, in honor of the god Lono of the Hawaiian religion. It is a holiday covering four consecutive lunar months, approximately from October or November through February or March. The focu ...

. In the Shuka Sho over the same course and distance on 17 April Leontes started second favourite behind

Satono Diamond Satono Diamond ( ja, サトノダイヤモンド, link=no, foaled 30 January 2013) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promise as a juvenile in 2015 when he won both of his races. In the following year he developed into a top-class p ...

. As in the Yayoi Sho he took the lead at the start of the straight but was outrun in the closing stages, coming home fourth of the eighteen runners behind Dee Majesty, Makahiki and Satono Diamond. He was demoted to fifth place for causing interference to Air Spinel in the straight. On 29 May Leontes started the 4.5/1 fourth choice in the betting for the

over 2400 metres 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 ...

. In a change of tactic he was restrained towards the rear before producing a strong late run but was unable to reach the leaders and finished fifth behind Makahiki. When being prepared for an autumn campaign Leontes suffered a tendon injury to his left foreleg which ended his season. He was retired from racing at the end of the year.

Stud career

Leontes began his stud career in 2017 at the Breeders Stallion Station in

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2013 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 16-a