Heart's Cry (

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 ...

:ハーツクライ 15 April 2001 – 9 March 2023) was a retired Japanese

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from January 2004 until November 2006 he ran nineteen times and won five races. In his first two seasons he was placed in many important races including the

Tokyo Yushun Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Takarazuka Kinen The Takarazuka Kinen (宝塚記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds aged three and over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximately miles) at Hanshin Racecourse (阪神競馬場) in late June. It is one of the two "All-Sta ...

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 ...

, before recording a 16/1 upset victory over the

Japanese Horse of the Year The Japanese Horse of the Year is the highest honor given to the most outstanding horse 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 ...

Deep Impact in the

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Conditions races, Grade I Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds three-years-old and above and the world's largest betting horserace. It is run in late December each year, over ...

Nakayama Racecourse was built in 1990 in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan, for horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for c ...

in December 2005. In the following year Heart's Cry proved himself in international competition, winning the

Dubai Sheema Classic The Dubai Sheema Classic is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates open to thoroughbreds which are four-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately miles; 2410 metres since 2010) on the turf track a ...

in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

and finishing third in the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

in Britain. After his retirement from racing he became a successful breeding stallion.

Background

Heart's Cry was a bay horse with a narrow white blaze and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

on his left hind leg, bred by the Yoshida family's Shadai Farm. He was sired by

Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an United States, American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Cr ...

, who won the 1989

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

, before retiring to stud in Japan where he was champion sire on thirteen consecutive occasions. His dam Irish Dance was a successful racemare who won the

Niigata Daishoten The Niigata Daishoten (Japanese 新潟大賞典) is a Grade 3 horse race organized by Japan Racing Association (JRA) for Thoroughbreds aged four and over. It is run in late April or early May over a distance of 2000 metres on turf at Niigata Rac ...

and Niigata Kinen, both Grade III races in Japan. The horse was named after a number from the show ''

Riverdance ''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions J ...

'', in reference to his dam's name.

Racing career

2004: three-year-old season

Heart's Cry began his racing career by winning a ten

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

race 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. The current stand was built in 1999. History Kyoto Racecourse opened at its current location in December 1, 1925. In prepara ...

on 5 January 2004. A month later he was moved up to Group Three level and finished third in the Kisaragi Sho at the same course. He then won a ten furlong race at

Hanshin Racecourse is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After World War II, GHQ orde ...

before finishing unplaced 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 ...

, the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown. In May Heart's Cry won his first important race when he took the Group Two Kyoto Shimbun Hai, a trial race for the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), beating Suzuka Mambo by half a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit for length is chosen, ...

. In the Tokyo Yushun four weeks later, Heart's Cry finished second of the eighteen runners, one and a half lengths behind the winner King Kamehameha. Heart's Cry returned after a summer break to finish third to King Kamehama in the Kobe Shimbun Hai, but then finished unplaced in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger),

and

2005: four-year-old season

In his first five starts as a four-year-old, Heart's Cry ran well without winning. In Spring he finished second in the Group Two Osaka Hai and then ran fifth of the eighteen runners behind Suzuka Mambo in the two mile

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 1 races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gr ...

. In June he finished strongly to take second place, a neck behind

Sweep Tosho Sweep Tosho (Japanese: スイープトウショウ, foaled 9 May 2001 — died December 5, 2020) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Bred and owned by Tosho Sangyo and trained throughout her racing career by Akio Tsurudome, she wo ...

in the

, beating major winners such as

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 Tap Dance City. He was then off the course for more than four months. Heart's Cry returned in October to finish sixth in the Autumn Tenno Sho, in which he was ridden for the first time by

Christophe Lemaire Christophe Patrice Lemaire (Japanese:, born 20 May 1979) is a French-born jockey. He has enjoyed much of his success on the Japanese flat racing circuit, with the most wins at Japan Racing Association racetracks for five consecutive years sin ...

, before running in the

a month later. Held up in the early stages, he was still fourteenth of the eighteen runners turning into the straight but then finished strongly and failed by a nose to catch the British runner Alkaased who won in a record time of 2:22.1. The beaten runners included Zenno Rob Roy,

Ouija Board The Ouija ( , ), also known as a Ouija board, spirit board, talking board, or witch board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", and occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along ...

Warrsan {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Warrsan , image_name = , caption = Racing silks of Saeed Manana , sire = Caerleon , grandsire = Nijinsky , dam = Lucayan Princess , damsire = High Line , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1998 , country = Ir ...

Bago Bago may refer to: Places Myanmar * Bago, Myanmar, a city and the capital of the Bago Region * Bago District, a district of the Bago Region * Bago Region, an administrative region * Bago River, a river * Bago Yoma or Pegu Range, a mountain ran ...

and Better Talk Now. On 25 December, Heart's Cry was one of sixteen runners invited to contest the

. The colt had gone ten races and nineteen months since his last win and started at odds of 16.1/1 while the undefeated three-year-old champion Deep Impact was made the 3/10 favourite. Lemaire rode the horse close to the lead before moving to the front in the straight and holding off the late challenge of Deep Impact to win by half a length.

2006: five-year-old season

In 2006, Heart's Cry was campaigned internationally. In March he was sent to Dubai to contest the

Nad Al Sheba Nad Al Sheba () is a locality in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Situated south of the Dubai Creek, Nad Al Sheba is best known for its racecourse, the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, which hosted the Dubai World Cup annually until 2009. Organisati ...

. Ridden by Lemaire he contested the lead from the start, tactics which surprised his trainer Kojiro Hashiguchi. He went clear of the field in the straight and won by four and a quarter lengths from

Collier Hill Collier Hill (foaled 26 March 1998) is a British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. He was bred by the prominent American sportsman George W. Strawbridge, Jr. who was involved in both Steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase and flat racing a ...

with the multiple Group One winners

and

Alexander Goldrun Alexander Goldrun (foaled 9 February 2001 in Ireland) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Dermot Cantillon, she was raced by Mrs. Noel O'Callaghan for whom she compiled a race record of 10 wins, seven seconds, and six thirds in thirty ...

in fourth and fifth. In the August 2006 edition of the

World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR), known as World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) before 2012, are horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf R ...

, Heart's Cry was ranked the equal second best horse in the world, a

pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), various units of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile * A bas ...

behind

Makybe Diva Makybe Diva (foaled 21 March 1999) is a champion Australian Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the only horse to win three Melbourne Cups and the only mare to win it more than once. She achieved the feat in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She als ...

and equal with Electrocutionist and David Junior. Four months after his run in Dubai, Heart's Cry appeared at

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade ...

in England for Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

. Lemaire claimed to be full of confidence before the race and Heart's Cry's participation attracted a large Japanese media contingent. Starting the 3/1 second favourite, he took the lead in the straight but was overtaken in the final furlong and finished third behind

Hurricane Run Hurricane Run (2002–2016) was a champion Irish-bred thoroughbred racehorse. He was the second French-trained horse, after his sire Montjeu, to win both the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The colt w ...

and Electrocutionist. After his race at Ascot, Heart's Cry did not run again until the Japan Cup on 29 November. He started the 5.8/1 second favourite but ran disappointingly, finishing tenth of the eleven runners behind Deep Impact. After the race the

Japan Racing Association The Japan Racing Association () is a public company established in Japan under a law to operate Chūō Keiba (中央競馬 Central horse racing) and to manage racecourses, betting facilities, and horse-training facilities in the country. It was ...

announced that the horse had developed breathing problems which may have affected his performance, and his retirement was announced in early December.

Stud record

Heart's Cry was retired to become a stallion at his owners'

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 ...

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

. He sired 35 individual group or graded race winners, ten of them at the highest level. In addition, Heart's Cry is the damsire of Efforia, who was named the Japanese Horse of the Year of 2021, and

Tagaloa In Samoan mythology, Tagaloa (also known as Tagaloa-Lagi or Tagaloa, Lagi of the Heavens/Skies) is generally accepted as the supreme ruler,

, who won the

Blue Diamond Stakes The Blue Diamond Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds, at set weights, run over 1200 metres at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The event is Victoria's richest two-year-old race ...

in 2020. He was retired from stud duties in 2021 at the age of 20. On March 9, 2023, staff of Shadai Stallion Station found Heart's Cry unable to stand. He passed away later the same day.

Major winners

''c = colt, f =

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

, g =

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

'' File:Admire-Rakti Meguro-Kinen 2013.jpg, Admire Rakti File:Just-A-Way Tenno-Sho(Autumn) 2013(IMG1).jpg, Just A Way File:Nuovo Record Rose Stakes 2014(IMG1).jpg, Nuovo Record File:One-And-Only Tokyo-Yushun 2014(IMG1).jpg, One and Only File:Cheval Grand Japan Cup 2017(IMG1).jpg, Cheval Grand File:Suave Richard Japan Cup 2019(IMG1).jpg, Suave Richard File:Lys gracieux(JPN) IMG 1664-2 20190623.jpg, Lys Gracieux File:DSC 3425Yoshida.jpg, Yoshida File:Time Flyer (JPN) IMG 0746-1 20180317.jpg, Time Flyer File:Salios Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes 2019(IMG2).jpg, Salios File:Do Deuce Tokyo Yushun 2022(IMG2).jpg, Do Deuce File:Notturno 220713.jpg, Notturno

Pedigree

References

{{reflist Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan 2001 racehorse births 2023 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 6-a Arima Kinen winners