Tamamo Cross (Japanese: タマモクロス, Hepburn: Tamamo Kurosu; May 23, 1984 – April 10, 2003) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He competed from 1987 to 1988, recording nine wins in eighteen starts, including the 1988 Tennō Shō (Spring), 1988 Tennō Shō (Autumn), and 1988 Takarazuka Kinen. He received the Japanese Horse of the Year award in 1988.
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Background
Tamamo Cross was a gray horse bred in Niikappu, Hokkaido, by Nishikino Bokujo. He was sired by C.B. Cross, a Japanese stallion, and his dam was Green Chateau, a daughter of the American-bred Chateaugay. He was purchased by Michio Mino and raced under the Tamamo Co., Ltd. banner. He was sent into training with Isami Obara at the JRA's Ritto Training Center.
Racing career
1987: Three-year-old season
Tamamo Cross debuted on March 1, 1987, in a maiden race on the turf at Hanshin Racecourse, finishing seventh. He transitioned to dirt and won his next start, a maiden race at Hanshin on April 11. In May, he failed to finish an allowance race at Kyoto Racecourse after encountering interference.
He returned to the turf in October, winning two consecutive allowance races at Kyoto. On December 6, he contested the Naruo Kinen (GII) at Hanshin. Ridden by Katsumi Minai, he won the 2500-meter race by a margin of 1.0 seconds, setting a new track record of 2:33.0 on a good to soft track.
1988: Four-year-old season
Tamamo Cross began his 1988 campaign by winning the Kyoto Kimpai (GIII) on January 5. In March, he contested the Hanshin Daishoten (GII), finishing in a dead heat for first place with Dyna Carpenter.
On April 29, he entered the Tenno Sho (Spring, GI) at Kyoto. He won the 3200-meter race by 0.5 seconds over Running Free, securing his first GI victory. In June, he won the Takarazuka Kinen (GI) at Hanshin, defeating Nippo Teio by 0.4 seconds.
In the autumn, Tamamo Cross contested the Tenno Sho (Autumn, GI) at Tokyo Racecourse on October 30. In a notable matchup against fellow gray horse Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross took the lead in the final straight and won by 0.2 seconds.
On November 27, he ran in the Japan Cup (GI) at Tokyo. He finished second, losing by 0.1 seconds to the American-trained horse Pay the Butler. He made his final start in the Arima Kinen (GI) at Nakayama Racecourse on December 25, finishing second by 0.1 seconds to Oguri Cap.
Following the Arima Kinen, Tamamo Cross was named the 1988 Japanese Horse of the Year and received the JRA Award for Best Older Colt or Horse.
Statistics
The following table details all 18 starts of Tamamo Cross's racing career based on official netkeiba and JBIS records.
R indicated that it was a record time finish
Stud career
Tamamo Cross's descendants include:
c = colt, f = filly
In popular culture
An anthropomorphized version of Tamamo Cross appears as a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Naomi Ōzora. She is depicted as a small, spirited girl with a Kansai dialect (localized as a New York accent in the global release of the mobile game) who comes from a poor family and takes every opportunity she can to save money, reflecting her real-life counterpart's farm going bankrupt early in his life. She is childhood friends, rivals, and roommates with Oguri Cap, whose socially awkward and gluttonous behavior regularly exasperates her. Due to her small build and as part of a running gag, Super Creek often coddles and sometimes infantilizes her despite her protests. She makes an appearance as a major character in the spin-off series Umamusume: Cinderella Gray.
In the manga Midori no Makibaō, the titular character Midori Makibaou (voiced by Inuko Inuyama in the anime adaptation) is believed to be based on Tamamo Cross. He is depicted as a small, white mule who, despite his size, races against Thoroughbred horses.
Pedigree
Tamamo Cross was inbred 5 × 5 to Hyperion.