was an American-bred, Japanese-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won races at the highest level both home and abroad, most notably winning the Mile Championship (twice), Yasuda Kinen, and Sprinters Stakes in Japan and the Prix Jacques Le Marois in France.
Taiki Shuttle was honored as the Japan Racing Association's (JRA) Champion Sprinter in both 1997 and 1998, and was named the Japan Horse of the Year in 1998, along with Champion Older Male Horse. In 1999, he was inducted into the JRA Hall of Fame.
Taiki Shuttle died due to advanced age on August 17, 2022. He had suffered a heart attack while he was sleeping.
Background Foaled in the United States, Taiki Shuttle was a flaxen chestnut horse with a large white star, bred and owned by Taiki Farm. Taiki Shuttle is a son of Devil's Bag, the 1983 American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse. His dam, Welsh Muffin, a daughter of Caerleon, was a stakes winner in Ireland.
During his racing career he was trained by Kazuo Fujisawa.
Racing career
1996 and 1997 Taiki Shuttle was originally slated to enter Fujisawa Stable's Miura training center in the fall of his juvenile year, but the schedule was delayed due to leg injury and hoof suppuration. He entered Fujisawa stable on February 5, 1997. Even after he entered the area, he was affected by an unresolved leg condition which deteriorated with training, so his debut was again delayed.
On April 19, 1997, his connections' patience paid off as Taiki Shuttle debuted in his maiden race at a 1600-meter dirt track, the Tokyo Racecourse. He won his next two races, including the Shobu Stakes on turf. He was defeated in his fourth start when running second to Tenzan Storm in the Bodaiju Stakes at Hanshin Racecourse. Next, Taiki Shuttle won his first graded stakes in the Group 3 Unicorn Stakes. He would not be defeated again until his final race.
He won the Group 2 Swan Stakes as a prep race for the Mile Championship, a prestigious mile race in Japan. He closed out the year with another win in the Sprinters Stakes. He was named Best Sprinter or Miler of 1997 by the Japanese Racing Association (JRA).
1998 Taiki Shuttle opened 1998 with a win in the Group 3 Keio Hai Spring Cup in May. The next month he won the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen. Taiki Shuttle was then shipped out to France to run in the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois. He won the race and went on to win his second Mile Championship.
In his final career race, he tried to repeat a win in the Sprinters Stakes, but finished third behind Meiner Love.
Despite the loss, the JRA named Taiki Shuttle Horse of the Year, Best Sprinter or Miler, and Best Older Male of 1998.
Racing form Taiki Shuttle won 11 races out of the 13 starts in which he placed second and third in another two. This data available is based on JBIS, netkeiba and irishracing. DateTrackRaceGradeDistance(Condition)EntryHNOdds(Favored)FinishTimeMarginsJockeyWinner(Runner-up)1997 – three-year-old seasonApr 19Tokyo3yo Newcomer1,600 m (Fast)16102.8 (1)1st1:39.0–0.7Yukio Okabe(Akashi Glisten)May 3Kyoto3yo Allowance1W1,200 m (Fast)1632.1 (1)1st1:12.2–0.2Yukio Okabe(Sound Cascade)Jun 8TokyoShobu StakesOP1,600 m (Firm)983.0 (2)1st1:36.5–0.2Yukio Okabe(Shinko Splendor)Jul 6HanshinBodaiju StakesOP1,600 m (Firm)1491.7 (1)2nd1:20.90.0Yukio OkabeTenzan StormOct 4TokyoUnicorn Stakes31,600 m (Fast)1635.1 (3)1st1:36.8–0.4Yukio Okabe(Washington Color)Oct 25KyotoSwan Stakes21,400 m (Firm)1694.8 (2)1st1:20.7–0.1Norihiro Yokoyama(Sugino Hayakaze)Nov 16KyotoMile Championship11,600 m (Firm)1853.8 (2)1st1:33.3–0.4Norihiro Yokoyama(Kyoei March)Dec 14NakayamaSprinters Stakes11,200 m (Firm)16161.9 (1)1st1:07.8–0.3Yukio Okabe(Sugino Hayakaze)1998 – four-year-old seasonMay 16TokyoKeio Hai Spring Cup21,400 m (Firm)1611.5 (1)1st–0.2Yukio Okabe(Osumi Tycoon)Jun 14TokyoYasuda Kinen11,600 m (Heavy)1721.3 (1)1st1:37.5–0.4Yukio Okabe(Oriental Express)Aug 16DeauvillePrix Jacques le Marois11,600 m (Soft)8110/3 (1)1st1:37.4–0.2Yukio Okabe(Among Men)Nov 22KyotoMile Championship11,600 m (Firm)1391.3 (1)1st1:33.3–0.8Yukio Okabe(Big Sunday)Dec 20NakayamaSprinters Stakes11,200 m (Firm)15131.1 (1)3rd1:08.60.0Yukio OkabeMeiner Love Legend:
indicated that it was a record finish time.
Honours Taiki Shuttle was voted Japan's Champion Sprinter/ Miler in 1997 and 1998. In the latter year he has also named Japanese Champion Older Male Horse and Japanese Horse of the Year. He has been inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame.
Retirement and stud career Taiki Shuttle stood his stallion career at stud at Arrow Stud in Shinhidaka (formerly Shizunai), Japan. He periodically shuttled to East Stud in Hokkaido.
Taiki Shuttle was pensioned from breeding and moved to Kimura Farm in 2018, a retirement facility for racehorses connected with East Stud and . He was moved to the farm along with Meisho Doto, another pensioned stallion. The two underwent successful castration in January 2019.
On September 15, 2019, the manes of Taiki Shuttle and Rose Kingdom, a fellow JRA Champion, were mysteriously cut by an unknown person. It appeared that a sharp tool had been used to cut the hair, but the horses were otherwise unharmed. The farm filed a report with the Hokkaido Police and ceased visitation to the farm for security and investigative purposes. The suspect, 55 year old Kazuyo Tanaka from Kawaguchi, Saitama, was arrested the following year.
Taiki Shuttle, along with Meisho Doto, were moved from the Versailles Farm to the Northern Lake Farm on June 16, 2021. Taiki Shuttle would pass away at Northern Lake Farm the following year due to old age.
Notable progeny Below data is based on JBIS Stallion Reports. c = colt, f = filly
bold = grade 1 stakes FoaledNameSexDamMajor Wins2000Win KlugercInviteNHK Mile Cup, Churchill Downs Cup2001Golden CastcReturn BandamCentaur Stakes (twice)2001Meisho BowlercNice RaiseFebruary Stakes, Daily Hai Nisai Stakes, Negishi Stakes, Garnet Stakes (Japan), Kokura Nisai Stakes2001WingletfAir WingsTurquoise Stakes, Nakayama Himba Stakes2001Dear ChancefMaruka MoonlightMermaid Stakes (Japan)2002T M ChurasanfFull FlingsIbis Summer Dash2002Deep SummercChickareeYukan Fuji Sho Crystal Cup2005Satono ProgresscToyo RoyalNew Zealand Trophy2005Summer WindcShin WindJapan Breeding Farms' Cup Sprint2006Red SpadacBarbicatKeio Hai Spring Cup, Sekiya Kinen, Tokyo Shimbun Hai2008French CactusfBrush With TequilaFillies' Revue
In popular culture An anthropomorphized version of Taiki Shuttle appears as a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Yuka Ōtsubo. She is depicted as an outgoing, energetic, and friendly North American transfer student who enjoys barbecue, planning parties, and displaying affection by giving hugs, and is notable for often speaking English. However, she is rather simple-minded and dislikes being alone, oftentimes causing her to be clingy around close friends.
Pedigree
Taiki Shuttle has a 3x5 inbreeding of Hail to Reason and a 5x5 inbreed of Mahmoud.
See also List of racehorses
References