Wagnerian, (

Japanese 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 diaspor ...

: ワグネリアン, foaled 10 February 2015) 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. He was one of the best two-year-olds in Japan in 2017 when he was unbeaten in three races including the Grade 3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes. In the following spring he was defeated in his first two starts of the year but then recorded his biggest win 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 ...

(Japanese Derby). On his only subsequent appearance of 2018 he won the

Kobe Shimbun Hai The Kobe Shimbun Hai (Japanese 神戸新聞杯) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 2400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse in September, but was contested over 2000 metres unti ...

. Wagnerian failed to win in 2019 but finished third in both the Osaka Hai 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 ...

Background

Wagnerian is a bay horse with no white markings 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 lar ...

, Japan by his owner Makoto Kaneko. During his racing career he was trained by Yasuo Tomomichi. He was from the eighth 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 pa ...

in 2005 and 2006, winning races including 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 ...

, Arima Kinen and

. Deep Impact's other progeny include Gentildonna, Harp Star, Kizuna, A Shin Hikari, Marialite and Saxon Warrior. Wagnerian's dam Miss Encore, who won one race from nine attempts died in September 2018 as a result of injuries sustained in the Hokkaido earthquake. She was a daughter of Broad Appeal, an American-bred mare who was imported to Japan and won several good races on dirt. Broad Appeal was descended from the Irish broodmare Royal Meage, the ancestor of many major winners including

Dancer's Image Dancer's Image (April 10, 1965 – December 26, 1992) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first winner in the history of the Kentucky Derby to be disqualified. Background Dancer's Image was a gray horse owned and bred by businessm ...

Habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

and Suave Dancer.

Racing career

2017: two-year-old season

Wagnerian began his racing career on 12 July at

Chukyo Racecourse is located in Toyoake, Aichi, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It was built in 1994. It has a capacity of 58,400. It has 8,795 seats. Physical attributes Chukyo Racecourse has a grass courses, a dirt course, and a jump course. The turf's m ...

when he was a narrow winner of a contest for previously unraced juveniles over 2000 metres. After a break of two months the colt returned in the Nojigiku Stakes over 1800 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 ...

and won by two lengths from Delos. On 18 November Wagnerian was stepped up in class for the Grade 3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes over 1800 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 started the 0.4/1 favourite against six opponents. Ridden by Yuichi Fukunaga, who became his regular jockey, he came home three lengths clear of Lucas, with Charlemagne a neck away in third. In the official ratings for Japanese two-year-olds Wagnerian was rated the third best juvenile of the year behind Danon Premium ( Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes) and Time Flyer ( Hopeful Stakes).

2018: three-year-old season

Wagnerian began his second campaign in the Yayoi Sho 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 ...

on 4 March in which he finished second of the ten runners, beaten one and a half lengths by Danon Premium. In the Grade 1

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: ...

over the same distance on 15 April the colt was made the 5/2 favourite but came home seventh of the sixteen runners, almost six lengths behind the upset winner Epoca d'Oro. On 27 May, in front of a crowd of 126,767, Wagnerian was one of eighteen colts to contest the 85th edition of the Japanese Derby over 2400 metres at Tokyo and started the 11.5/1 fifth choice in the betting behind Danon Premium, Blast Onepiece, Kitano Commandeur and Epoca d'Oro. After tracking the leaders Wagnerian produced a sustained challenge down the centre of the course in the straight, gaining the advantage in the last 50 metres and winning by half a length from Epoca d'Oro with Cosmic Force, Etario, Blast Onepiece and Danon Premium close behind. Fukunaga, who was winning the race for the first time said "The staff did a terrific job in preparing the colt and he just gave his best. I just drove him feverishly to the line. I’ve won G1 races in Tokyo before, but to win the Derby is totally a different story. I was beginning to have doubts after having so many chances, but thanks to the support of my family and so many others, I’m thrilled to have won at last". Following a break of almost four months Wagnerian returned to the track on 23 September for the

over 2400 metres at Hanshin and started the 1.7/1 joint favourite alongside Epoca d'Oro. After racing in mid-division Wagnerian made strong progress in the straight, catching the front-running outsider Meisho Tekkon on the last 100 metres and holding off the late challenge of Etario to win by half a length. The colt was aimed at the autumn edition of the

but did not recover sufficiently from his race at Hanshin and was rested for the remainder of the year. In January 2019 Wagnerian was runner-up to Blast Onepiece in the poll to determine the

JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt The JRA Award for Best Three-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 ...

for 2018 taking 88 of the 276 votes. In the 2018 World's Best Racehorse Rankings Wagnerian was rated the eleventh best three-year-old colt in the world and the fifth-ninth best horse of any age or sex.

2019: four-year-old season

On his first appearance as a four-year-old Wagnerian started the 7.4/1 fourth favourite for the Grade 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin on 31 March. He raced in mid-division before staying on strongly to take third place behind Al Ain and Kiseki, beaten half a length by the winner. He was then off the track for four and a half months before contesting the Grade 2

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. ...

in August when he finished fourth behind Blast Onepiece, Sungrazer and

Fierement Fierement, ( ja, フィエールマン, link=no, foaled 20 January 2015) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. Unraced as a juvenile he won his first two starts as a three-year-old before running second in the Radio Nikkei Sho and the winning the ...

. After another break he returned in the autumn edition of the

at Tokyo on 27 October when he started at odds of 17.7/1 in a field of sixteen. He stayed on well from the rear of the field without looking likely to win and came home fifth as victory went to the filly

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 ...

. On 24 November Wagnerian ended his season by starting second favourite for the Japan Cup. After settling behind the leaders he lost his position entering the straight but then "unleashed a furious charge" to take third place behind Suave Richard and Curren Bouquetd'or.

2020: five-year-old season

Wagnerian made his first appearance of 2020 in the Osaka Hai on 5 April and started the 4.2/1 fourth choice in the betting. He raced behind the leaders on the inside rail and struggled to obtain a clear run approaching the straight before finishing well to take fifth place, two and a half lengths behind the winner

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 ...

. At the same track on 28 June Wagnerian contested the 61st edition of the Grade 1

Takarazuka Kinen The Takarazuka Kinen (宝塚記念) is a Grade I flat 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 Racecourse (阪神競馬場) in late June. It is ...

. He raced in second place behind the front-running outsider Tosen Surya for most of the way but dropped out of contention in the straight and came home thirteenth of the eighteen runners behind Chrono Genesis.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2015 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 4-r