Special Week ( ja, スペシャルウィーク, link=no, 2 May 1995 – 27 April 2018) 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 and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

. Between 1997 and 1999 he won ten of his seventeen races including four at

Grade I 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 ...

level. After winning his only start as a juvenile he emerged as a top-class performer in the following season: he won 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 ...

(Japanese Derby) and three other graded races as well as being placed 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: ...

, 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 ...

. He performed even better as a four-year-old in 1999 winning the

Hanshin Daishoten , derived from the second kanji from and the first kanji from (but in ''on''-reading instead of ''kun''-reading), refers generally to Osaka, Kobe, and the surrounding area in the Kansai region of Japan. In the context of a region of Hyōg ...

, the spring and autumn editions of 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 Gra ...

, and the Japan Cup. In the last-named race he defeated a strong international field including the winners of the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

and The Derby. He later became a successful breeding stallion siring 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 ...

Buena Vista Buena Vista, meaning "good view" in Spanish, may refer to: Places Canada *Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, with the name being originally derived from “Buena Vista” *Buena Vista, Saskatchewan *Buena Vista, Saskatoon, a neighborhood in ...

Background

Special Week was a brown horse with a white blaze standing 16.1¾

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

high, bred in Japan by Hidaka Taiyo Bokujo. He was sired by

Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Crown when he was defeated in the Belmont ...

, who won the 1989

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

, before retiring to stud in Japan where he was champion sire on thirteen consecutive occasions. His other major winners included Deep Impact, Stay Gold, Heart's Cry,

Zenno Rob Roy (27 March 2000 – 2 September 2022) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. In a racing career which lasted from February 2003 until December 2005, he ran twenty times, winning seven races and being placed on ten further occasi ...

and

Neo Universe Neo Universe ( ja, ネオユニヴァース, link=no) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. In 2003 he won the Satsuki Shō and the Tokyo Yūshun (Japanese Derby), but was defeated when attempting to complete the Japanes ...

. Special Week's dam Campaign Girl was an unraced daughter of Maruzensky and was a great-granddaughter of the leading Japanese broodmare Shiraoki, whose other descendants have included

Vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuritie ...

, Kodama (

, Tokyo Yushun), Shin Tsubame (Satsuki Sho), Matikanefukukitaru ( Kikuka Sho) and Sister Tosho (

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 ...

). Campaign Girl died shortly after foaling Special Week and the colt had to be hand-fed by stable staff. During his racing career the colt was owned by Hiroyoshi Usuda, trained by Toshiaki Shirai and ridden in most of his races by

Yutaka Take (born March 15, 1969 in Kyoto, Kyoto) is a Japanese jockey. A legend in Japan, Yutaka Take made his riding debut in 1987 and currently holds seven all-time records in his native country. Take has won at least one Grade 1 races for 23 straight ...

Racing career

1997: two-year-old season

On his only appearance as a two-year-old Special Week ran 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 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 19 November. He made a successful debut, beating thirteen opponents headed by Legacy Hunter.

1998: three-year-old season

Special Week began his second season by finishing second to Asahi Creek in the Shiraume Sho 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 January. In the following month was moved up in class and distance for the Grade III Kisaragi Sho over 1800 metres at the same course and recorded his first major win, beating Bold Emperor and thirteen others. In March he was stepped up again for the Grade II Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho (the major trial race 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 ...

and won from Seiun Sky and King Halo. In the Satsuki Sho over the same course and distance on 19 April he was unable to reproduce his earlier form and finished third, beaten half 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 ...

and a length by Seiun Sky and King Halo. On 7 June, Special Week was one of a field of eighteen colts, also including Seiun Sky and King Halo, to contest the Tokyo Yushun 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 ...

and was ridden as in most of his races by Yutaka Take. Special Week won by five lengths from Bold Emperor with Daiwa Superior taking third ahead of Seiun Sky. After a four-month break, Special Week returned in October for the Grade II Kyoto Shimbun Hai over 2200 metres on 18 October and won from King Halo. On 8 November he faced King Halo, Bold Emperor, Seiun Sky and Daiwa Superior in the Grade I Kikuka Sho over 3000 metres at

. He finished second of the eighteen runners behind Seiun Sky, who won in a course record time of 3:03.2. On his final start of the season Special Week was matched against older horses for the first time in the

at Tokyo on 29 November. Ridden by

Yukio Okabe Yukio Okabe (Japanese: 岡部幸雄, ''Okabe Yukio'', born October 31, 1948) is a Japanese former jockey. He belonged to the Japan Racing Association (JRA) from 1967 to 2005. From January 1995 to July 2007, he held the record for the most wins as ...

he started the 2.3/1 favourite in a fifteen-runner field which included challengers from Germany, Canada, the United States and Britain. He was in sixth place entering the straight and made steady progress in the closing stages to finish third behind El Condor Pasa and

Air Groove Air Groove (in Japanese: エアグルーヴ, foaled April 6th, 1993 ~ April 23rd, 2013) is a Japanese racehorse and the winner of the 1996 Yushun Himba. Career Air Groove's first race was on October 29, 1995, at the Icho Stakes, where she came ...

1999: four-year-old season

Special Week began his third season in the Grade II American Jockey Club Stakes at Nakayama on 24 January and won from Silent Hunter and Mejiro Steed. On 21 March at Hanshin he added another Grade II win when he defeated Mejiro Bright in the 3000 metre

. The Grade I spring edition of the Tenno Sho over the same course and distance saw Special Week matched against eleven opponents including Mejiro Bright (winner of the race in 1998), Matikanefukukitaru, Seiun Sky, Stay Gold, Silk Justice (

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.

). Special Week recorded his second Grade I win as he defeated Mejiro Bright by half a length with Seiun Sky two and a half lengths back in third. 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 ...

over 2200 metres at Hanshin on 11 July, his final start before the summer break, Special Week was matched against

Grass Wonder Grass Wonder ( ja, グラスワンダー, link=no, foaled 18 February 1995) is an American-bred, Japanese-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from 1997 until 2000 he won nine of his fifteen races including fou ...

a colt who had been the best of his generation in 1997 but missed most of the 1998 season before returning to win the Arima Kinen in December. Special Week was beaten three lengths into second place by Grass Wonder but finished seven lengths clear of the other ten runners. On his return to racing in autumn, Special Week finished seventh behind Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi in the Kyoto Daishoten on 10 October. In the Tenno Sho over 2000 metres at Tokyo on 31 October, Special Week attempted to become the second horse to win both the spring and autumn editions of the race in the same year. The race attracted a seventeen-runner field including Mejiro Bright, Silent Hunter, Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi, King Halo, Seiun Sky, Stay Gold, Stinger (

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- ...

) and Air Jihad (

Yasuda Kinen The Yasuda Kinen (English: Yasuda Memorial, Japanese and Chinese language: 安田記念) is a Japanese International Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at the Tokyo Racecourse in Tokyo. Raced annually each June, the Yasuda Kinen is run at a dis ...

). In a closely contested conclusion to the race, Special Week prevailed by a neck from Stay Gold, with Air Jihad, Stinger, Seiun Sky and the outsider Embrasser Moi all finishing within two lengths for the winner. The winning time of 1:58.0 was a new record for the race. On 28 November, in front of a crowd of 155,000, Special Week made his second attempt to defeat international competition in the Japan Cup. The

winner

Montjeu Montjeu (4 April 1996 – 29 March 2012) was an Irish-bred, French-trained thoroughbred horse racing racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from September 1998 to November 2000, he ran sixteen times and won eleven races, including ...

started favourite with Special Week the joint-second choice alongside the German horse Tiger Hill, twice winner of the

Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is schedul ...

. The other European challengers were High-Rise,

Borgia The House of Borgia ( , ; Spanish and an, Borja ; ca-valencia, Borja ) was an Italian-Aragonese Spanish noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Valencia, the surname being a toponymic from the town ...

and Fruits of Love (

Hardwicke Stakes The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and ...

) whilst Hong Kong was represented by their Horse of the Year

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

. The best fancied of the other Japanese runners were Rascal Suzuka (third in the Kikuka Sho), Stay Gold and Umeno Fiber (

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 ...

). Special Week was restrained by Take in the early stages before turning into the straight in sixth place. He took the lead approaching the last 200 metres and won by one and a half lengths and a nose from Indigenous and High-Rise, with Montjeu in fourth. Yutaka Take, who was winning the race for the first time said, "I am very pleased because I could achieve one of my dreams... I am proud to be Japanese." Special Week ended his racing career when he met Grass Wonder for the second time in the Arima Kinen at Nakayma in December. The race produced a four-way photo finish in which Special Week was beaten a nose by Grass Wonder, with

T M Opera O T M Opera O ( ja, テイエムオペラオー, link=no, March 13, 1996 – May 2018) was a champion Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, and was the world's all-time leading money earner at the time of his retirement in 2001. In 1999, he was the ...

and Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi just behind. For his efforts over the course of the season, Special Week was given a special award at the JRA Awards for 1999.

Stud record

Special Week was retired from racing to stand 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), know ...

in Hokkaido. He later moved to the Lex Stud where he was based in 2015. He died from injuries sustained when he fell in his paddock in April 2018. The most successful of his offspring was the mare

who won six Grade I races including the Tenno Sho and the Japan Cup, Roman Legend ( Tokyo Daishoten), Cesario (Yushun Himba,

American Oaks The American Oaks is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the turf held annually in late December Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. The event currently of ...

) and Toho Jackal (Kikuka Sho).

Popular culture

Special Week was the inspiration for the main character of the 2018 anime ''

Uma Musume Pretty Derby is a multimedia franchise created by Cygames. A mobile game for iOS and Android was scheduled to debut in late 2018 and then delayed to February 2021. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation by P.A. Works aired from April t ...

'', which premiered shortly before his death.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1995 racehorse births 2018 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 3-l Japan Cup winners