Taiki Shuttle (, foaled March 23, 1994; died August 17, 2022) was an American-bred, Japanese-trained

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 ...

race horse 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 sports, as its basic pr ...

and

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

. He won races at the highest level both home and abroad, most notably winning the

Mile Championship The Mile Championship is an Graded stakes race, International Grade I Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) on the turf at Kyoto Ra ...

(twice),

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 ...

, and

Sprinters Stakes The is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan open to thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) at Nakayama Racecourse, and it takes place annually in late September or early ...

in Japan and the

Prix Jacques Le Marois The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile ...

in France. Taiki Shuttle was honored as the Japanese Racing Association's (JRA) Champion Sprinter in both 1997 and 1998, and was named the Japan Horse of the Year in 1998, along with Champion Older Male Horse. In 1999, he was inducted into the JRA Hall of Fame. Taiki Shuttle died on August 17, 2022. He suffered a heart attack while he was sleeping due to his advanced age.

Background

Foaled in the United States, Taiki Shuttle is a flaxen

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

horse with a large white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

, bred and owned by Taiki Farm. Taiki Shuttle is a son of

Devil's Bag Devil's Bag (1981–2005) was an American champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was syndicated as a two-year-old for US$36 million, the highest price for any 2-year-old in racing history. Background Bred by Canadian E. P. Taylor at his Windfie ...

, the 1983

American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing Fo ...

. His dam, Welsh Muffin, a daughter of

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

, was a stakes winner in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. During his racing career he was trained by Kazuo Fujisawa.

Racing career

1996 and 1997

Taiki Shuttle was originally slated to enter Fujisawa Stable's Miura training center in the fall of his juvenile year, but the schedule was delayed due to leg injury and hoof suppuration. He entered Fujisawa stable on February 5, 1997. Even after he entered the area, he was troubled by moyamoya disease in his legs, and the condition deteriorated with training, so his debut was again delayed. His connections' patience paid off as Taiki Shuttle broke his maiden at first asking in a maiden race 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 ...

on April 19, 1997 going 1600 meters on dirt, and won his next two races, including the Shobu Stakes on turf. He tasted defeat in his fourth start when running second to Tenzan Storm in the Bodaiju Stakes 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 ...

. Taiki Shuttle won his first graded stakes next in the Group 3 Unicorn Stakes. He would not be defeated again until his final race. He then won the Group 2

Swan Stakes The Swan Stakes (Japanese スワンステークス) is a Grade 2 horse race for Thoroughbreds aged three and over run in October over a distance of 1,400 metres at Kyoto Racecourse. It was first run in 1958 and was promoted to Grade 2 in 1984 wh ...

as a prep race for the

, a prestigious mile race in Japan, which he won. He then won the

to close out the year. He was named Best Sprinter or Miler of 1997 by the Japanese Racing Association.

1998

Taiki Shuttle opened 1998 with a win in the Group 3

Keio Hai Spring Cup The Keio Hai Spring Cup (Japanese 京王杯スプリングカップ) is a Grade 2 horse race for Thoroughbreds aged four and run in May over a distance of 1,400 metres at Tokyo Racecourse. It was first run in 1956 over 1600 metres and was later r ...

in May. The next month he won the Group 1

. After the Yasuda Kinen, Taiki Shuttle shipped out to France to run in the Group 1

. He won the race and then went on to win his second Mile Championship. In his final career race, he tried to repeat in the Sprinters Stakes, finishing third behind Meiner Love. Taiki Shuttle was named Horse of the Year, Best Sprinter or Miler, and Best Older Male of 1998 by the Japanese Racing Association.

Honours

Taiki Shuttle was voted Japan's Champion Sprinter/ Miler in 1997 and 1998. In the latter year he has also named Japanese Champion Older Male Horse and

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 ...

. He has been inducted into the

Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame The Horse Racing Hall of Fame ( ja, 競馬の殿堂) is a Japanese horse racing memorial hall which was installed on September 2, 1985 at the JRA Horse Racing Museum, Fuchu, Tokyo. It was founded by Japan Racing Association to honor the achievem ...

Retirement and stud career

Taiki Shuttle stood his stallion career at stud at Arrow Stud in Shinhidaka (former Shizunai), Japan. He periodically shuttled to East Stud 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 ...

. Taiki Shuttle was pensioned from breeding and moved to Kimura Farm in 2018, a retirement facility for racehorses connected with East Stud and . He was moved to the farm along with Meisho Doto, another pensioned stallion. The two underwent successful

castration Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which an individual loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical castration uses pharmaceut ...

in January 2019. On September 15, 2019, the manes of Taiki Shuttle and

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 (horse), 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 ...

, a fellow JRA Champion, were mysteriously cut by an unknown person. It appeared that a sharp tool had been used to cut the hair, but the horses were otherwise unharmed. The farm filed a report with the Hokkaido Police and ceased visitation to the farm for security and investigative purposes. The suspect, 55 year old Kazuyo Tanaka from

Kawaguchi, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 607,373 in 293,582 households and a population density of 9800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is the Greater Tokyo Area's 8th most p ...

, was arrested the following year. Taiki Shuttle, along with Meisho Doto, were moved from the Versailles Farm to the Northern Lake Farm on June 16, 2021. Taiki Shuttle would pass away at Northern Lake Farm the following year due to old age. Taiki Shuttle's notable progeny include: * Win Kluger (2000) winner of the

NHK Mile Cup The NHK Mile Cup () is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies, run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately one mile) on the turf at Tokyo Racecourse in May. The NHK Mile Cup is sponsored by ...

(Jpn-I) in 2003. * Meisho Bowler (2001) winner of the

February Stakes The is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 8 furlongs) at Tokyo Racecourse in late February. It was first run in 1984 as February Handicap, and wa ...

(JPN-GI) in 2005. * Summer Wind (2005) winner of the JBC Sprint (Jpn-I) in 2010. File:Success Brocken 20080601P1.jpg, Win Kluger File:Meisho Bowler 001.jpg, Meisho Bowler File:Summer-Wind20100105.jpg, Summer Wind

References

Pedigree for Taiki Shuttle
{{JRA_Hall_of_Fame_Horse 1994 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Japan Japanese Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Thoroughbred family 4-d