Narita Top Road (Japanese: ナリタトップロード, Hepburn: Narita Toppu Rōdo; April 4, 1996 - November 7, 2005) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire that competed from 1998 to 2002. Considered one of the top three of his generation due to the intense 1999 Classic showdowns alongside T. M. Opera O and Admire Vega, in which he finished on podiums in all three legs. He was the winner of the Kikuka Shō in 1999.
He never won another G1 race after the Kikuka Sho. Still, he frequently finished on podiums or in the top five for the rest of his career. Due to his relentless effort and long-standing tenure, Narita Top Road was described as a "supporting lead that always chased his rivals" by the fans and racing associations alike.
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Racing career
1998: two-year-old season
Narita Top Road ran his maiden race at the Hanshin Racecourse in December 5, where he finished second behind Meiner Success. Later that month, he won his first race at another maiden race at Hanshin.
1999: three-year-old season
Narita Top Road won his first graded race when he won that year's Kisaragi Sho. The horse then went on to the Yayoi Sho, where he beat Admire Vega. He was then entered in to the Satsuki Sho, where he finished third behind T. M. Opera O and Osumi Bright. The horse also ran in the Tokyo Yushun, where he finished second behind Admire Vega.
After taking the summer off, the horse once again finished second behind Admire Vega at the Kyoto Shimbun Hai. Later, at the Kikuka-shō, the horse took the fourth position in the pack before taking the lead at the fourth corner. Narita Top Road held on to the lead from there and won the race, even as T. M. Opera O closed the gap. After winning the Kikuka-shō, he was entered in to that year's Arima Kinen but finished 7th.
2000: four-year-old season
Narita Top Road started the season off with the Kyoto Kinen, where he finished second behind T. M. Opera O; and later to the Hanshin Daishoten and Tenno Sho (Spring), both of which the horse finished third behind T. M. Opera O and Rascal Suzuka. After a summer break, the horse was entered into the Kyoto Daishoten, where he finished second behind T. M. Opera O and finished 5th at the Tenno Sho (Autumn). After finishing 4th at the Stayers Stakes, Kunihiko Watanabe, who had been the horse's jockey up to this point, resigned from the position, and the role went to Hitoshi Matoba. However, the horse could not win the Arima Kinen, which was the horse's next race.
2001: five-year-old season
Narita Top Road started the season with the Kyoto Kinen, but finished third behind Maquereau. As Matoba retired around this time, Watanabe returned to jockey duty for the Hanshin Daishoten. Narita Top Road won the race with a course record of 3:02.5.
Later that year, the horse ran in the Kyoto Daishoten. However, the horse did not finish the race as Stay Gold made physical contact with the horse, causing Watanabe to fall off and injuring both the horse and jockey. Subsequently, Stay Gold was disqualified as a result of this incident.
2002: six-year-old season
Narita Top Road once again started the season with the Kyoto Kinen, where he managed to win the race after being nearly beaten by Matikane Kinnohosi. He was then entered in to the Hanshin Daishoten, where he easily beat Jungle Pocket. However, he finished third behind Manhattan Cafe and Jungle Pocket later at the Tenno Sho (Spring).
Following this race, the horse spent the summer off, returning victoriously at the Kyoto Daishoten, but was unable to secure a single victory until his retirement at the Arima Kinen that year.
Stud career
Following his retirement, Narita Top Road stood stud at the Shadai Stallion Station. His most successful progeny was Bella Rheia, who won the Flora Stakes and finished second in the Yushun Himba in 2007.
Narita Top Road died on November 7, 2005, 6 years to the day after his Kikuka-shō win after suffering a heart failure. He had been recovering from a bladder stone surgery at the time.
Racing form
The following form is based on information available on JBIS Search and netkeiba.
In popular culture
An anthropomorphized version of Narita Top Road appears as a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Uma Musume Pretty Derby, voiced by Kanna Nakamura, with the horse being the featured character in the anime Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Road to the Top. In the game, she is a Mob Umamusume in the scenario Trackblazer: Start Of The Climax.