Loves Only You ( ja, ラヴズオンリーユー, link=no, foaled 26 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. She showed promise as a two-year-old when she won both her races. In the following spring she took the Wasurenagusa Sho before extending her unbeaten run to four by winning 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 i ...

in record time. She sustained he first defeat in November 2019 when she ran third in the

Queen Elizabeth II Cup The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1975 by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, it is run annually in April at a distance of 2,000 metres (ten ...

. She failed to win in five starts as a four-year-old in 2020, but returned to her best form in 2021 when she won 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 ...

, the

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championship ...

in the United States and the

Hong Kong Cup The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres (about miles or 10 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in ...

. She was awarded an

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

as the

American Champion Female Turf Horse The American Champion Female Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. It is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a female horse (filly or mare) for her performance on grass race courses. Until 1978 t ...

for 2021, as well as the

JRA Award for Best Older Filly or Mare The JRA Award for Best Older Filly or Mare is a title awarded annually by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). Since 1987 the honor has been part of the JRA Awards. Records Most successful horse (2 wins): * Dyna Actress – ''1987, 1988'' * Mejiro ...

of the same year.

Background

Loves Only You is a bay mare with a short white blaze and a white

socks 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 her left hind and forelegs bred 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 la ...

by Northern Farm. As a yearling in 2017 he was consigned to the Select Sale and was bought for ¥172,800,000 by DMM.com Co Ltd, as one of the horses that the company offered for shared ownership among users of the website. She was sent into training with

Yoshito Yahagi Yoshito Yahagi(矢作芳人, ''Yahagi Yoshito'') (born March 20, 1961, in Tokyo, Japan) is a trainer of Thoroughbred race horses. He has been a licensed trainer in Japan since 2004 and since 2014 has won the training title three times. He has ...

. She was from the ninth crop of foals sired by Deep Impact, who was 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 ...

in 2005 and 2006, winning races including 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 ...

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 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 ...

. Loves Only You's dam Loves Only Me, a half-sister to

Rumplestiltskin "Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; german: Rumpelstilzchen) is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about a little imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a ...

, was trained in Ireland but never raced and was exported to Japan after being sold for $900,000 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 ...

in November 2009. She was a granddaughter of the outstanding racehorse and broodmare

Miesque Miesque ( ; March 14, 1984 – January 20, 2011) was a champion Thoroughbred racemare. At age three, she was a dual Classic winner in France and Britain, then went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile in America. Her four-year-old campaign was highl ...

. Loves Only Me has also produced Loves Only You's full brother

Real Steel ''Real Steel'' is a 2011 American science fiction sports drama film starring Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo and co-produced and directed by Shawn Levy for DreamWorks Pictures. The film is based on the short story "Steel", written by Richard Mathe ...

Racing career

2018: two-year-old season

On 3 November 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 ...

Loves Only You began her track career in an event for previously unraced juveniles over 1800 metres and won from Arden Forest. Twenty-two days later at the same track the filly started the 1.3/1 favourite for the Shiragiku Sho over 1600 metres in which she was ridden by

Yasunari Iwata (born March 12, 1974; from Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture) is a Japanese jockey who rode the winner of the 2006 Melbourne Cup, Delta Blues. It was Iwata's first race outside Japan. He debuted in the Hyōgo Keiba, one of the racing organizations in ...

and won by one and three quarter

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 Rambling Alley.

2019: three-year-old season

Loves Only You made her three-year-old debut in the

Listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

Wasurenagusa Sho over 2000 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. After the World War II, GH ...

on 7 April in which she was ridden by Mirco Demuro. Despite starting badly and meeting with interference she produced a strong late run and won by three lengths. Demuro later commented "It was an easy win... She got bumped a bit at the break and got upset and clamped down on the bit until the first turn. But, she's a very clever horse and calmed right down". On 19 May Loves Only You was stepped up in class and distance for 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 re ...

Yushun Himba 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 which she was partnered by Demuro and started the 3/1 favourite. Second choice in the betting was Chrono Genesis (winner of the

Daily Hai Queen Cup The Daily Hai Queen Cup (Japanese language, Japanese クイーンカップ) is a Graded stakes race, Grade 3 Horse racing, horse race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run in February over a distance of 1600 metres at Tokyo Racecourse. The ...

) while the other sixteen runners included Contra Check (

Flower Cup The Flower Cup (Japanese フラワーカップ) is a Grade 3 horse race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run in March over a distance of 1800 metres at Nakayama Racecourse. The race was first run in 1987 and has been run at Grade 3 level ...

Danon Fantasy 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 Fant ...

, Shigeru Pink Dia (runner-up in the Oka Sho), Victoria (

Flora Stakes The Flora Stakes ( Japanese フローラステークス) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres at Tokyo Racecourse is located in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. ...

), Schon Glanz ( Artemis Stakes), Figlia Pura ( Fairy Stakes) and No One (

Fillies' Revue The Fillies' Revue Japanese フィリーズレビュー} is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyogo. The race is run in M ...

). The outsider Jodie set the pace from Contra Check and Aile Voix while Loves Only You raced in mid division before moving to the outside to make her challenge in the straight. Curren Bouquetd'or went to the front approaching the last 400 metres but Loves Only You produced a sustained run on the outside to gain the advantage in the final strides and win by a neck with two and a half lengths back to Chrono Genesis in third. The winning time of 2:22.8 was a new race record. After the race Demuro said "I was a bit worried at the final corner since we were in a lower position than planned, but she showed an incredible burst of speed and stretched beautifully. She has a heart of steel". It was intended to bring Loves Only You back in autumn 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 ...

but she missed the race after being found to have an inflamed tendon. The filly eventually made her comeback in the Grade 1

when she was matched against older fillies and mares for the first time. Starting the 1.5/1 favourite she raced in second place for most of the way but was unable to quicken in the straight and came home third behind

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 ...

and the front-running Crocosmia. In January 2020, 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 2019, Loves Only You finished runner-up to

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 the poll to determine the

JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Filly The JRA Award for Best Three-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 Keib ...

, taking 99 of the 274 votes.

2020: four-year-old season

In the spring of 2020 Loves Only You was sent to

Meydan Racecourse Meydan Racecourse is a racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The grandstand is over a mile in length, and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators. Meydan opened on 27 March 2010, replacing Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, which formerly occupi ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

to contest the Sheema Classic in March, but the meeting was abandoned owing to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic. The filly returned to Japan and made her 2020 debut on 17 May when she started 8.5/1 third choice in the betting for the

Victoria Mile The Victoria Mile () is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for four-year-old and above thoroughbred fillies and mares run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) on the turf at Tokyo Racecourse in May. Winners See also * Horse ...

at Tokyo, but after racing in mid-division she struggled to obtain a clear run and came home seventh 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 ...

and Sound Chiara. The filly dropped to Grade 3 class and matched against male opponents in the

Naruo Kinen The Naruo Kinen (in Japanese: 鳴尾記念) is a Grade 3 middle-distance race for three-year-olds and older horses in the JRA. It is run over 2000 metres at Hanshin Racecourse in June. The race often serves as a trial race for the Takarazuka K ...

over 2000 metres at Hanshin on 6 June when she started the 0.8/1 favourite but was beaten a nose by the eight-year-old Perform A Promise. After a five month break Loves Only You returned to the track at Tokyo in October and finished fifth behind Salacia when favourite for the Grade 2

Fuchu Himba Stakes The Fuchu Himba Stakes (Japanese language, Japanese 府中牝馬ステークス) is a Conditions races, Grade 2 Horse racing, horse race for Thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three and over run in October over a distance of 1800 metres at Tokyo ...

over 1800 metres. On 15 November the filly started the 4.5/1 third choice for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup over 2200 metres at Hanshin. After racing in eleventh place she produced a strong late run on the outside and finished third behind Lucky Lilac and Salacia, beaten half a length by the winner. The filly ended her season 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 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 ...

when she started the 14.5/1 sixth choice in the betting and came home tenth of the sixteen runners behind Chrono Genesis, beaten six lengths by the winner.

2021: five-year old season

Loves Only You started her 2021 season at the Kyoto Kinen, where she won her first race in 21 months after passing fellow stablemate Stay Foolish. She then returned to Dubai to once again run the Sheema Classic, where she finished third behind

Mishriff Mishriff (foaled 1 April 2017) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After showing some promise when winning one minor race as a two-year-old in 2019 he emerged as a top-class middle-distance performer in the following year ...

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 ...

after briefly being in the lead. Loves Only You did not return to Japan after the Sheema Classic but instead went to Hong Kong to compete in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. She entered the race with

Vincent C Y Ho Vincent C Y Ho (born 25 May 1990) is a horse racing jockey. He made an impressive start to his riding career with 10 wins in his first season in 2009/10. He became Hong Kong's champion apprentice with 39 wins in 2010/11. In 2012/13 he rode 28 wi ...

as her jockey, and won the race after beating the 2nd place by 3/4 lengths. With this win, this marked not only her second GI victory, but also finishing the race where the top four were Japanese-trained horses (Loves Only You,

Glory Vase Glory Vase ( ja, グローリーヴェイズ, link=no, foaled 2 March 2015), is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promising form in his first two seasons of racing, winning two minor races and finishing fifth in the Kikuka Sho. As a f ...

Daring Tact Daring Tact ( ja, デアリングタクト, link=no, foaled 15 April 2017) is a champion Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing#Japan, Japanese Fillies Triple Crown in 2020. After winning her only race as ...

, and Kiseki, in respective order). Loves Only You returned to Japan for a brief period to race in the

Sapporo Kinen The Sapporo Kinen (Japanese 札幌記念) is a Grade 2 Handicap horse race for Thoroughbreds aged three and over run in August over a distance of 2,000 metres at Sapporo Racecourse. It was first run in 1965 and was promoted to Grade 3 in 1984. Th ...

with an American race in mind, where she finished in second place behind

Sodashi Sodashi ( ja, ソダシ, link=no foaled 8 March 2018) is a pure white Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2021 Japanese 1000 Guineas. She was also one of the best two-year-olds in Japan in 2020 when she was unbeaten in four races incl ...

. She was the most favored in that race, but was stuck in the back and had to runthe fastest among the entrants for the last three furlongs to catch up. Loves Only You was the third favored at 4.30 odds on the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf behind

War Like Goddess War Like Goddess (foaled April 14, 2017) is an American multiple Graded Stakes winning Thoroughbred racehorse. Her graded wins include the Grade I Flower Bowl Stakes in 2021 the Grade II Glens Falls Stakes twice (2021 and 2022) at Saratoga R ...

and

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

, who was the two filly crown winner of the previous year in England. The race started with Loves Only You and her jockey

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 ...

placing themselves in fourth or fifth place with Going to Vegas leading early. War Like Goddess and Love then each moved five wide to take the lead at the far turn, with My Sister Nat engaging the former in the final stretch, before Loves Only You passing over them and winning against My Sister Nat in a half-length lead. Her victory marked the first Japanese-trained horse to win the race, as well as her jockey and trainer also being the first to win the race. This race also marked Kawada's first victory abroad. After her victory at

Del Mar Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "from the sea". It may refer to: Places in the United States * Del Mar, California * Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California * Del Mar racetrack, located in Del Mar, California * Del Mar Fai ...

, Loves Only You did not return to Japan but instead headed back to Hong Kong to compete in the Hong Kong Cup, which was announced to be her final race. During the race, she was briefly stuck among the crowd of horses but managed to push herself through, and won the race after passing Russian Emperor as Hishi Iguazu came up to her and narrowing the lead. After winning her final race, Loves Only You returned to Japan. A retirement ceremony was held at the Tokyo Racecourse on January 30, 2022 before she was returned to the Northern Farm to stand stud.

Honors

Loves Only You was named the Best Older Filly or Mare of 2021 by the JRA for her victories abroad. She was also awarded the Eclipse Award as the American Champion Female Turf Horse in 2021 for her victory in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Offspring

Loves Only You gave birth to her first foal in Japan on February 27, 2023. The foal is a colt by Shadai Stallion Station's Epiphaneia, the 2014

victor and an earner of more than US$6 million who has sired Japanese grade 1 winners

, Efforia ( JPN), and

Circle of Life "Circle of Life" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King''. Composed by English musician Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie (the deep female lead vocals) and Lebo M. (opening vocals ...

. He stood the 2022 season for ¥18,000,000 (US$131,997).

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2016 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 20 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winners