Silver Sonic (Japanese: シルヴァーソニック, Shiruvā Sonikku; foaled 22 March 2016) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He recorded six wins from twenty-four starts between 2019 and 2024, including the Stayers Stakes (GII) in 2022 and the Red Sea Turf Handicap (G3) in 2023. In the 2022 Tennō Shō (Spring), he unseated his jockey at the start and ran on riderless, passing the post second before falling; he was uninjured. He was rated 115 on the 2023 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. His name means "silver of the speed of sound".
Contents
Background
Silver Sonic is a grey stallion bred in Chitose, Hokkaido, by Shadai Farm. He was sired by Orfevre, a son of Stay Gold, and his dam was Air Thule, a grey mare by Tony Bin who won the Hanshin Himba Stakes. He was owned by Shadai Race Horse and trained by Yasutoshi Ikee at the JRA's Ritto Training Center. His half-brother Captain Toule (by Agnes Tachyon) won the Satsuki Shō, and his half-sister Ultimo Toule (by Fuji Kiseki) won the Centaur Stakes and the Silk Road Stakes. His granddam Ski Paradise won the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and the Keio Hai Spring Cup.
He was nicknamed "Silvie" by his groom, Keita Ikemoto.
Racing career
2019: three-year-old season
Silver Sonic did not race as a two-year-old. He debuted on 20 January 2019 in a 3-year-old newcomer race over 1600 metres on turf at Kyoto Racecourse, finishing second. After two further second-place finishes, he won his maiden race on 2 June at Hanshin Racecourse. He then won the Kunisaki Tokubetsu on 27 July and the Hyogo Tokubetsu on 29 September, recording three consecutive wins.
2020: four-year-old season
He ran four times in 2020 without winning, recording a third-place finish in the Karasuma Stakes as his best result.
2021: five-year-old season
Silver Sonic began the year with unplaced and minor finishes in allowance races. On 12 June, he won the June Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse, entering the open class. After a sixth-place finish in the October Stakes, he contested the Stayers Stakes (GII) on 4 December at Nakayama Racecourse, his first graded stakes start, and finished third behind Divine Force.
2022: six-year-old season
He began the year with third-place finishes in the Manyo Stakes and the Hanshin Daishōten (GII). On 1 May, he contested the Tennō Shō (Spring) (GI) at Hanshin. He stumbled shortly after the start, unseating jockey Yuga Kawada. He continued to run riderless, passing the post second behind the winner Titleholder, before tripping over the outer rail. He sustained only minor abrasions.
He missed the remainder of the season with a splint bone injury in his left foreleg. After being excluded from the Copa Republica Argentina by ballot, he returned on 3 December in the Stayers Stakes at Nakayama. Ridden by Damian Lane, he advanced along the inside rail in the straight and won by 0.1 seconds from Plume d'Or, recording his first graded stakes victory. The win was the 800th JRA victory for trainer Yasutoshi Ikee.
2023: seven-year-old season
On 25 February, Silver Sonic contested the Red Sea Turf Handicap (G3) at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Saudi Arabia. Ridden by Damian Lane, he took the lead at the entrance of the straight and won by 2.5 lengths from Enemy, recording his first overseas victory. The win made him the third consecutive generation of his sire line, after Stay Gold and Orfevre, to win a graded stakes race outside Japan. On 30 April, he ran in the Tennō Shō (Spring) at Kyoto, finishing third behind Justin Palace and Deep Bond. A planned autumn campaign in Australia, including the Melbourne Cup, was cancelled after swelling in his left fetlock, and he did not race again that year.
2024: eight-year-old season
Silver Sonic was entered for the Red Sea Turf Handicap but withdrew after being allocated a top weight of 61 kg. He ran in the Hanshin Daishōten on 17 March, finishing 11th, and in the Tennō Shō (Spring) on 28 April, finishing 16th. He was subsequently diagnosed with severe suspensory ligament inflammation, and his retirement was announced on 26 May 2024. His JRA registration was cancelled on 29 May 2024, and he became a riding horse at Shadai Farm. In the 2024 Idol Horse Audition, he received 23,457 votes, the most of any horse, placing first in the retired horse division.
Race record
The following table details all 24 starts of Silver Sonic's racing career based on official JBIS, netkeiba, and Racing Post records. Record current as of his final start on 28 April 2024.
Pedigree
Silver Sonic is inbred 5 × 4 to Northern Taste and 5 × 4 to Northern Dancer.
His dam Air Toule won the Hanshin Himba Stakes (GII).
His half-brother Captain Toule won the Satsuki Shō, and his half-sister Ultimo Toule won the Centaur Stakes and the Silk Road Stakes.
His granddam Ski Paradise won the Moulin de Longchamp (FR G1) and the Keio Hai Spring Cup (GII).
His great-granddam Ski Goggle won the Acorn Stakes (USA G1).