Yamanin Sucre (Japanese: ヤマニンシュクル, Hepburn: Yamanin Shukuru; April 1, 2001) is a Japanese Thoroughbred Racehorse and Broodmare. In 2003, she won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and was named the JRA Best Two-Year-Old Filly.
Her name is derived from the owner's customary prefix "Yamanin" and sucre, the French word for "sugar."
Contents
Racing career
2003: two-year-old-season
Yamanin Sucre won her debut race at Hakodate Racecourse in the summer of 2003, before finishing second in the Clover Sho at Sapporo. She subsequently won the Cosmos Sho, increasing her earning enough to be able to participate in stakes races. She continued to perform well in the Sapporo Nisai Stakes, finishing third.
In the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies at the end of the year, she was only the sixth favoured to win, with bettors preferring mares with stronger pedigrees or better performance, such as Sweep Tosho and Fille de Reve. She broke well, and settled into third or fourth place throughout the race; in the final strides, she passed several horses and caught up to the pace setter, Yamanin Alcyon, winning by a neck. Following the turn of the year, she was named the 2003 JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly, with 277 out of 287 total votes.
2004: three-year-old-season
As a three-year-old, Yamanin Sucre began her campaign with a third-place finish in the Tulip Sho and went on to produce a series of consistent performances on the fillies' classic circuit; she finished third in the Oka Shō, fifth in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), and second in the Shūka Shō. She also placed third at the Grade 3 Queen Stakes. Although she repeatedly finished narrowly short of victory, she was unable to win a race that season. During training, it was discovered she had developed tendonitis, forcing her to go on a year-long leave to recover.
2005: four-year-old-season
In 2005, she returned to racing toward the end of the year, finishing fourth as the eight favorite in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. In her next start, the Grade 3 Naruo Kinen, she faced male horses for the first time time, and finished seventh, failing to place in the top five for the first time in her career.
2006: five-year-old-season
As a five-year-old, Yamanin Sucre began the year with a fourth-place finish in the Kyoto Himba Stakes. In her next start, the Nakayama Himba Stakes, she was voted the favorite for the first time since her debut, and managed to secure the victory, her first in two years and four months. She continued to perform well on the fillies' circuit, notably finishing second in the Queen Stakes during the summer.
Seeking redemption for her defeat the previous year, she returned to the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. As she attempted to make her move entering the final straight, her path was obstructed by Kawakami Princess, who passed aggressively and bumped Sucre. After the race, Yamanin Sucre's jockey, Hirofumi Shii, dismounted, and she was examined by a veterinary team. She was subsequently diagnosed with an incomplete rupture of the superficial digital flexor tendon in her right foreleg, having lost her balance when her path was obstructed.
Yamanin Sucre crossed the finish line in 12th place, resulting in an 11th-place finish after the subsequent placing adjustment and marking the first double-digit finish of her career; Kawakami Princess, who crossed the finish line first, was demoted to 12th place for the interference. Yamanin Sucre was delisted from racing on November 18, 2006, less than a week later.
Following her retirement, Yamanin Sucre was kept as a broodmare at Nishikioka Farm in Hokkaido. Expectations were high, given her distinguished female family, and her descent from Tokai Teio. However, none of her offspring achieved notable success. She retired from broodmare duties in 2020 and, from 2021, became one of the horses covered by the Retired Racehorses Care and Exhibition Program.
Pedigree
Family: 3-c.
Yamanin Sucre is inbred to Northern Dancer 4 × 3, meaning the horse appears once in both her 4th and 3rd generation. This information is available on netkeiba.