Mikki Queen ( ja, ミッキークイーン, link=no), foaled 8 February 2012, 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 and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. She showed promise as a juvenile in 2014 when she won the second of her two starts. In 2015 she took 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 ...

after winning both 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 ...

and 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 ...

as well as finishing second in 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 ...

and the

Rose Stakes The Rose Stakes (Japanese language, Japanese ローズステークス) is a Japanese Group races, Grade 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Hyōgo Prefecture for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1800 m ...

. She failed to win in 2016 when she had injury problems but ran second in 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 ra ...

and 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 ...

. As a five-year-old she won the

Hanshin Himba Stakes The Hanshin Himba Stakes Japanese 阪神牝馬ステークス} is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds fillies and mares of at least four years of age. It is run over a distance of 1400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse in A ...

and finished third in both 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 ...

and the Queen Elizabeth II Cup before being retired from racing at the end of the year.

Background

Mikki Queen is a bay mare with 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 hind legs bred in Japan by Northern Farm. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

she was consigned to the Japan Racing Horse Association sale and was bought for 105,000,000 by Mizuki Noda. The filly was sent into training with Yasutoshi Ikee and was ridden in both of her races by Suguru Hamanaka. During her track career Mikki Queen was an unusually small Thoroughbred who usually weighed around 430 kg and lost up to 20 kg after a race. She was from the fifth 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 ...

. Mikki Queen's dam Musical Way was a high-class performer in France, winning the

Prix Dollar The Prix Dollar is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,950 metres (about 1 mile and 1¾ furlongs), and it ...

in 2007. She was descended from the American broodmare Jambo (foaled 1959), making her a distant relative of

Nonoalco Nonoalco (1971–1992) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in France. Background He was out of the mare Seximee, a daughter of the 1954 Preakness Stakes winner Hasty Road. His sire was the very important Nearctic, who also si ...

Racing career

2014: two-year-old season

On 7 December 2014 Mikki Queen began her racing career by finishing a close second to Gilda in an event for hitherto unraced juveniles over 1400 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 ...

. Two weeks later at the same track the filly recorded her first success as she won from seventeen opponents in a

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 ...

over 1600 metres.

2015: three-year-old season

Mikki Queen began her second campaign in the

(a trial race for the

Oka Sho The is a Japanese Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan. The race is restricted to three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies and is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) at the Hanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyōgo in April. It was ...

) over 1600 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 February and finished second to Cat Coin, beaten a neck by the winner. The filly missed the Oka Sho in April, as she had not earned sufficient prize money, and was stepped up in trip to win Wasurenagusa Sho over 2000 metres earlier on the card. Yasutoshi-Ikee20110115

In the 76th running of the Yushun Himba over 2400 metres at Tokyo on 24 May Mikki Queen started the 5.8/1 third favourite behind Rouge Buck (winner of the

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 ...

) and the Oka Sho winner Let's Go Donki. The other fourteen runners included Kokorono Ai (

Tulip Sho The Tulip Sho Japanese チューリップ賞} is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run over a distance of 1,600 metres at Hanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyogo. The race is run in March and serve ...

), Queens Ring (

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 ...

), Culminar (2nd in the Oka Sho) and Cat Coin. After racing towards the rear of the field, Mikki Queen produced a strong run in the straight, gained the advantage 50 metres from the finish and won by three-quarters of a length from Rouge Buck. Hamanaka commented "I'm so happy she was able to demonstrate her ability. I especially concentrated on her break since she's been struggling at it so far. I thought I would relax her so to get her turn of foot at the stretch. She responded well and quickened being driven, so I just prayed for the best." After a break of almost four months Mikki Queen returned for the

(a trial for the

) over 1800 metres at Hanshin. She came from last place on the final turn to finish second one and half lengths behind the winner Touching Speech with third place going to Tosen Victory. On 18 October the filly started 2/1 favourite for the 20th edition of the Shuka Sho 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 ...

when her seventeen opponents included Touching Speech, Let's Go Donki, Tosen Victory, Queens Ring, Kokorono Ai and Cat Coin. Starting from a draw on the far outside she raced in eighth place before making rapid progress on the inside in the straight and after taking the lead 100 metres out she held off the late challenge of Queens Ring to win by a neck. The winning time of 1:56.9 was a new record for the race. After the race Hamanaka said "she was just amazing. Her usual slow start wasn't that bad today and since the pace and surface was fast, I intentionally kept her near the pace. At the top of the stretch, I asked her to go right through the group of horses instead of going wide because I had faith in her strength and she responded beautifully." On her final race of the year Mikki Queen was matched against older horses and started third favourite for the

over 2400 metres at Tokyo on 29 November. She came home eighth of eighteen runners, two and a half lengths behind the winner Shonan Pandora. In 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 2015 Mikki Queen topped the poll for the

taking all 291 of the votes. In the official Japanese rankings Mikki Queen was rated equal with Let's Go Donki as the best three-year-old filly, nine pounds behind the top colt

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 ...

2016: four-year-old season

On her four-year-old debut Mikki Queen started favourite for the Grade 2

over 1600 metres in April but failed by a neck to catch the front-running six-year-old mare Smart Layer. In the Grade 1

at Tokyo in the following month she again started favourite but despite making rapid progress from the rear of the field in the straight she was beaten two and a half lengths into second by Straight Girl with Shonan Pandora and Smart Layer in third and fourth. Mikki Queen's return in autumn was delayed by an injury to her left foreleg and she was off the track for almost six months before contesting the

at Kyoto in November when she finished well to take third behind Queens Ring and Sing With Joy. On 25 December she ended her campaign by running fifth to

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 ...

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

s for 2016 Mikki Queen finished fourth behind Marialite, Queens Ring and Straight Girl in the voting for 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 ...

. She was rated the third best older filly or mare in Japan behind Marialite and Straight Girl in the official Japanese ratings.

2017: five-year-old season

Mikki Queen began her fourth campaign on 8 April with a second attempt to win the Hanshin Himba Stakes and started 1.2/1 favourite ahead of fifteen opponents including Queens Ring, Admire Lead (

), Jour Polaire, Denim and Ruby (runner-up in the Japan Cup), Touching Speech and

Meisho Mambo Meisho Mambo ( ja, メイショウマンボ, link=no, foaled 25 February 2010) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the second and third legs of the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown in 2013. She showed some promise as a juvenile in 2012 w ...

. After being settled in eighth place by Hamanaka, Mikki Queen was switched to the outside in the straight and took the lead in the closing stages to win by one and three quarter lengths from Admire Lead. She started odds-on favourite for the Victoria Mile on 14 May but after having trouble obtaining a clear run in the straight she came home seventh behind Admire Lead. On 25 June the mare was moved back up in distance to take on male opposition in the

over 2200 metres at Hanshin and produced one of her best efforts as he finished third behind

Satono Crown Satono Crown ( ja, サトノクラウン, link=no, foaled 10 March 2012) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promising form as a two-year-old in 2014, winning both of his races including the Grade 3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes. As ...

and

Gold Actor Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

with Rainbow Line,

Cheval Grand Cheval Grand (in Japanese: シュヴァルグラン) (foaled March 14, 2012) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2016 Copa Republica Argentina and the 2017 Japan Cup Career Cheval Grand's first race was on September 21, 2014, wher ...

and

Kitasan Black is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and prospective sire. In a three-year track career he won twelve of his twenty races including seven Grade 1 events, won four JRA Awards and set the record for prize money won in Japan. He was a stayer who h ...

finishing further back. As in the previous year, Mikki Queen began her autumn campaign by running third in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup; on this occasion she produced a "powerful late run" but was beaten a neck and a head by Mozu Katchan and Crocosmia in a three-way photo finish. The mare ended her track career on 24 December when she came home unplaced behind Kitasan Black in the Arima Kinen. In the

s for 2017 Mikki Queen finished third behind Vivlos and Admire Lead in the voting for the

. She was rated the third best older filly or mare in Japan behind Vivlos and Queens Ring in the official Japanese ratings.

Breeding record

At the end of her racing career, Mikki Queen was retired to become a broodmare. She produced her first foal, a bay colt sired by

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 then ...

in 2019.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2012 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 2-s