is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was sired by Deep Impact, and out of . She is owned by a former professional baseball player, Kazuhiro Sasaki.
Early life Verxina, a black mare with a diamond-shaped star and strip, was foaled on March 5, 2009, by Deep Impact out of Halwa Sweet. She was bred by Northern Farm in Abira, Hokkaido, Japan. Verxina's dam, Halwa Sweet, who was famous for being born without a tail, went on to give birth to two other successful racehorses, Cheval Grand and Vivlos, both of which are also owned by Sasaki. Her sire, Deep Impact, was a champion racehorse known for winning the Japanese Triple Crown and earning a title in the Japanese Racing Association Hall of Fame.
Racing career She began her racing career as a 2-year-old, but debuted as a 3-year-old at the Queen Cup. Her major wins were at the Queen Cup, and twice at the Victoria Mile. During her time as a racer, Verxina represented the stables she resided in, Yasuo Tomomichi, twice.
Verxina was ridden by Hiroyuki Uchida for most of her races.
2012: three-year-old season At age 3, Verxina won the Queen Cup in Japan. She placed second at the Yushun Himba, Oka Sho and the Shuka Sho, all to her paternal half-sister Gentildonna. She also came in second in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, and Kansai Telecasting Corporation Sho Rose Stakes.
2013: four-year old season At age 4, Verxina started off by placing 6th at the Sankei Osaka Hai, losing out to Orfevre. She then won the Victoria Mile while being the favourite to win the race.
Following her win at the Victoria Mile, she raced in the Yasuda Kinen, Kyoto Daishoten, Queen Elizabeth 2 Cup and the Japan Cup.
She was the favourite at the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, but was unable to convert that into a win, finishing 10th.
2014–2015: five-year old season and retirement As a 5 year old, Verxina raced in the Tokyo Shimbun Hai and the Hanshin Himba Stakes, in which she suffered major defeats by finishing 11th in both races.
She then entered the Victoria Mile to defend her title, and with her poor form at the previous two races, she was the 11th favourite to win the race. Verxina had an explosive start in the race to take the lead and managed to keep it all the way to the end, sealing a historic back to back win at the Victoria Mile. She was the first back to back winner since the inauguration of the race in 2006.
After the Victoria Mile, she went to Takarazuka Kinen. She was the 8th favourite in this race, with the favourite to win being Gold Ship. With Yuichi Fukunaga at the helm for this race, she started the race in her usual style, keeping the lead until the final straight. Entering the final straight, she started losing steam and eventually around 100m before the finish line, she was overtaken by Gold Ship and Curren Mirotic, finishing 3rd.
In autumn, Verxina went to the Queen Elizabeth II Cup for the 3rd time as well as the Arima Kinen, but lost both races.
On January 5, 2015, Verxina retired at age 5 to become a breeding mare at the Northern Farm in Abira, Hokkaido.
Racing form Verxina won five races and placed in another seven out of 21 starts. This data available on JBIS and netkeiba. DateTrackRaceGradeDistance(Condition)EntryHNOdds(Favored)FinishTimeMarginsJockeyWinner(Runner-up)2011 – two-year-old seasonAug 28Sapporo2yo Newcomer1,800 m (Firm)1152.6 (1)1st1:55.2–0.2Yuichi Fukunaga(Golden Crow)Nov 13KyotoKigiku ShoALW (1W)1,800 m (Firm)1062.8 (1)3rd1:47.60.1Yuichi FukunagaBrightlineDec 11HanshinErica ShoALW (1W)2,000 m (Firm)1024.7 (3)1st2:04.10.0Ioritz Mendizabal(Tagano Rayonner)2012 – three-year-old seasonFeb 11TokyoQueen Cup31,600 m (Firm)1694.7 (2)1st1:36.6–0.2Yasunari Iwata(Ichiokuno Hoshi)Apr 8HanshinOka Sho11,600 m (Firm)181510.2 (4)2nd1:34.70.1Hiroyuki UchidaGentildonnaMay 20TokyoYushun Himba12,400 m (Firm)1893.6 (2)2nd2:24.40.8Hiroyuki UchidaGentildonnaSep 16HanshinRose Stakes21,800 m (Firm)1073.8 (2)2nd1:47.00.2Hiroyuki UchidaGentildonnaOct 14KyotoShuka Sho12,000 m (Firm)1816.1 (2)2nd2:00.40.0Hiroyuki UchidaGentildonnaNov 11KyotoQueen Elizabeth II Cup12,200 m (Soft)16121.9 (1)2nd2:16.30.0Hiroyuki UchidaRainbow Dahlia2013 – four-year-old seasonMar 31HanshinSankei Osaka Hai22,000 m (Firm)141410.6 (4)6th1:59.80.8Hiroyuki UchidaOrfevreMay 12TokyoVictoria Mile11,600 m (Firm)18113.1 (1)1st1:32.40.0Hiroyuki Uchida(Whale Capture)Jun 2TokyoYasuda Kinen11,600 m (Firm)181520.0 (7)8th1:32.00.5Craig WilliamsLord KanaloaOct 6KyotoKyoto Daishoten22,400 m (Firm)13821.7 (3)8th2:23.50.6Yasunari IwataHit the TargetNov 10KyotoQueen Elizabeth II Cup12,200 m (Soft)1893.3 (1)10th2:17.20.6Yasunari IwataMeisho MamboNov 24TokyoJapan Cup12,400 m (Firm)17149.3 (9)7th2:26.30.2Yasunari IwataGentildonna2014 – five-year-old seasonFeb 17TokyoTokyo Shimbun Hai31,600 m (Soft)141520.6 (9)11th1:34.40.2Hiroyuki UchidaWhale CaptureApr 12HanshinHanshin Himba Stakes21,400 m (Firm)13712.2 (5)11th1:20.80.5Hiroyuki UchidaSmart LayerMay 18TokyoVictoria Mile11,600 m (Firm)181428.3 (11)1st1:32.3–0.1Hiroyuki Uchida(Meisho Mambo)Jun 29HanshinTakarazuka Kinen12,200 m (Firm)12335.6 (8)3rd2:14.60.7Yuichi FukunagaGold ShipNov 16KyotoQueen Elizabeth II Cup12,200 m (Firm)181018.3 (7)11th2:13.20.9Hiroyuki UchidaLachesisDec 28NakayamaArima Kinen12,500 m (Firm)16277.7 (12)14th2:36.10.8Hiroyuki UchidaGentildonna Legend:
Breeding career As of 2025, Verxina has foaled 5 offsprings. Of these, her most successful progeny is , by King Kamehameha, who won the Niigata Kinen in 2020, and , by Maurice, who won the 2023 Fuchu Himba Stakes.
In popular culture An anthropomorphized version of Verxina appears as a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Kaya Okuno. She is depicted as the confident older sister of Vivlos and Cheval Grand who has a fondness for baseball, likely in reference to her real-life jockey, Kazuhiro Sasaki. She wants to set a good example for her younger siblings by becoming the "queen" of the racing world, but despite being a highly talented racer with a wealthy upbringing, she is constantly bested by her rival, Gentildonna, and consequently feels disheartened by the number two.
Pedigree
References