Oju Chosan (Japanese: オジュウチョウサン, Hepburn: Ojuu Chousan; foaled April 3, 2011) is a retired champion Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and active breeding stallion who is best known for his multiple victories in Japan's major steeplechase races. He owns speed records in Nakayama Racecourse's two annual Grade 1 jump races: the Nakayama Grand Jump, which he has won six times (including five consecutive victories from 2016 to 2020), and the Nakayama Daishogai, which he has won on three occasions.
The Japan Racing Association (JRA) has gone so far as to release merchandise for Oju Chosan, the first such item to be unveiled for a steeplechase horse. In 2026, he was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame, becoming only the second steeplechase horse ever to do so, following Grand Marchs in 1985.
Background Oju Chosan's father is Stay Gold, a winner of 7 races from 50 starts who would later become one of Japan's most influential stallions, siring such flat champions as Orfevre and Gold Ship. Stay Gold's father is American Horse of the Year and Triple Crown contender Sunday Silence.
Oju Chosan's mother is Shadow Silhouette, sired by two-time Japanese Horse of the Year Symboli Kris S.
Racing career Oju Chosan made his debut at the Tokyo Racecourse under the training of Mitsuhiro Ogata in October 2013 in a flat race but finished in 11th place and his second race in 8th place, before a broken front leg forced him to take a year off, by which point maiden races that suited Oju Chosan had finished. They then tried to have him run in a steeplechase race in November 2014, but came in last.
Training role was passed from Ogata to Shoichirō Wada soon after, with Shinichi Ishigami being his primary jockey. From there, Oju Chosan's performance gradually improved, as he would go on to win 11 steeplechase races in a row from 2016 to 2019, and ultimately win 20 races from 38 starts as of April 2022. In addition to his victories in the Nakayama Grand Jump and Nakayama Daishogai, he has won the Grade 2 Tokyo High Jump at Tokyo Racecourse two times and the Grade 2 Hanshin Spring Jump at Hanshin Racecourse three times.
Oju Chosan's victory at the Nakayama Grand Jump in 2022 made him the oldest horse in Japan to win a graded race, as well as the most wins in a JRA G1 steeplechase races.
Oju Chosan retired in December 2022 after finishing in 6th place at the 2022 Nakayama Daishogai behind Nishino Daisy. He went to stand stud at the in Hokkaido starting from 2023.オジュウチョウサンがYogiboヴェルサイユリゾートファームで種牡馬入り - サンスポ、2023年1月23日閲覧。
Racing statistics The following form is based on information available on netkeiba.com and JBIS-Search. Date Distance (Condition) Race Class Course Field Odds(Favourite) Finish Time Winning(Losing)Margin Winner(2nd Place) Jockey Ref2013 – Two-year-old season Oct 19 Turf 1800 m (Firm) Two Year Old Debut Tokyo 15 66.5 (12th) 11th 1:54.3 ( lengths) Logi Taste Nov 16 Turf 2000 m (Firm) Two Year Old Tokyo 13 219.1 (11th) 8th 2:02.9 ( lengths) Bell Canyon 2014 – Three-year-old season Nov 15 Jump 2800 m (Firm) Three Year Old and Up Fukushima 14 99.1 (14th) 14th 3:19.6 (~75 lengths) Shigeru Hitachi 2015 – Four-year-old season Jan 5 Jump 2880 m (Firm) Four Year Old and Up Nakayama 12 101.7 (11th) 3:19.6 ( length) Ace One Jan 24 Jump 3000 m (Soft) Four Year Old and Up Chukyo 13 5.8 (2nd) 3:24.3 (3 lengths) Kau Wela Feb 21 Jump 3000 m (Firm) Four Year Old and Up Tokyo 14 6.3 (4th) 3:25.0 lengths (Ifu Dodo) Mar 21 Jump 3300 m (Good) Four Year Old and Up Open OP Chukyo 14 6.0 (3rd) 3:39.9 lengths (Admire Simon) Jun 6 Jump 3100 m (Heavy) Three Year Old and Up Open OP Tokyo 13 8.0 (4th) 9th 3:34.6 ( lengths) Sanacion Jun 27 Jump 3110 m (Good) Tokyo Jump Stakes J・GIII Tokyo 14 62.0 (9th) 4th 3:28.3 ( lengths) Osumi Moon Jul 25 Jump 3380 m (Firm) Three Year Old and Up Open OP Fukushima 8 3.5 (2nd) 3:44.0 3 lengths (Kashima Shinsei) Dec 5 Jump 3570 m (Firm) Illumination Jump Stakes OP Nakayama 15 12.7 (4th) 4th 3:59.9 ( lengths) Sanacion Dec 26 Jump 4100 m (Firm) Nakayama Daishogai J・GI Nakayama 14 21.3 (6th) 6th 4:42.2 (~ lengths) Up to Date 2016 – Five-year-old season Mar 6 Jump 3200 m (Firm) Four Year Old and Up Open OP Nakayama 14 5.8 (2nd) 3:32.5 ( lengths) Nihonpiro Baron Apr 16 Jump 4250 m (Firm) Nakayama Grand Jump J・GI Nakayama 10 6.5 (2nd) 4:49.4 lengths (Sanacion) Jun 25 Jump 3110 m (Good) Tokyo Jump Stakes J・GIII Tokyo 14 2.0 (1st) 3:26.2 lengths (Win Yard) Oct 16 Jump 3110 m (Firm) Tokyo High Jump J・GII Tokyo 10 2.1 (1st) 3:27.6 lengths (Makio Bowler) Dec 23 Jump 4100 m (Firm) Nakayama Daishogai J・GI Nakayama 11 1.4 (1st) 4:45.6 9 lengths (Up to Date) 2017 – Six-year-old season Mar 11 Jump 3900 m (Firm) Hanshin Spring Jump J・GII Hanshin 11 1.3 (1st) 4:28.1 lengths (Up to Date) Apr 15 Jump 4250 m (Firm) Nakayama Grand Jump J・GI Nakayama 13 1.3 (1st) 4:50.8 lengths (Sanrei Duke) Oct 15 Jump 3110 m (Soft) Tokyo High Jump J・GII Tokyo 10 1.4 (1st) 3:32.5 ~12 lengths (Good Sky) Dec 23 Jump 4100 m (Firm) Nakayama Daishogai J・GI Nakayama 15 1.1 (1st) length (Up to Date) 2018 – Seven-year-old season Apr 14 Jump 4250 m (Firm) Nakayama Grand Jump J・GI Nakayama 12 1.5 (1st) 15 lengths (Up to Date) Jul 7 Turf 2600 m (Good) Kaiseizan Tokubetsu 1 Win Fukushima 12 2.0 (1st) 2:42.3 3 lengths (Dream Spirit) Nov 3 Turf 2400 m (Firm) Nambu Tokubetsu 2 Win Tokyo 7 3.1 (3rd) 2:25.0 length (Black Platinum) Dec 23 Turf 2500 m (Good) Arima Kinen GI Nakayama 16 9.2 (5th) 9th 2:33.0 (5 lengths) Blast Onepiece 2019 – Eight-year-old season Mar 9 Jump 3900 m (Firm) Hanshin Spring Jump J・GII Hanshin 12 1.1 (1st) 4:23.6 lengths (Taisei Dream) Apr 13 Jump 4250 m (Firm) Nakayama Grand Jump J・GI Nakayama 11 1.1 (1st) 4:47.6 lengths (Thinking Dancer) Oct 6 Turf 2400 m (Firm) Rokusha Stakes 3 Win Tokyo 15 3.4 (1st) 10th 2:26.6 ( lengths) African Gold Nov 3 Turf 2500 m (Firm) Copa Republica Argentina GII Tokyo 13 19.4 (7th) 12th 2:32.8 ( lengths) Muito Obrigado Nov 30 Turf 3600 m (Firm) Stayers Stakes GII Nakayama 13 6.5 (4th) 6th 3:46.5 ( lengths) Mondo Intero 2020 – Nine-year-old season Mar 14 Jump 3900 m (Good) Hanshin Spring Jump J・GII Hanshin 9 1.7 (1st) 9 lengths (Shingun Michael) Apr 18 Jump 4250 m (Heavy) Nakayama Grand Jump J・GI Nakayama 11 1.1 (1st) 5:02.9 3 lengths (Meisho Dassai) Nov 14 Jump 3140 m (Firm) Kyoto Jump Stakes J・GIII Hanshin 6 1.1 (1st) 3:29.8 ( lengths) Tagano Espresso 2021 – Ten-year-old season Apr 17 Jump 4250 m (Firm) Nakayama Grand Jump J・GI Nakayama 8 2.2 (2nd) 5th 4:52.6 ( lengths) Meisho Dassai Oct 17 Jump 3110 m (Good) Tokyo High Jump J・GII Tokyo 12 2.1 (1st) 3:29.1 (2 lengths) Love and Pop Dec 25 Jump 4100 m (Good) Nakayama Daishogai J・GI Nakayama 14 3.3 (2nd) 4:46.6 3 lengths (Blason d'Amour) 2022 – Eleven-year-old season Mar 12 Jump 3900 m (Firm) Hanshin Spring Jump J・GII Hanshin 11 1.7 (1st) 4:21.5 ( lengths) A Shin Click Apr 16 Jump 4250 m (Good) Nakayama Grand Jump J・GI Nakayama 9 2.1 (1st) 4:52.3 lengths (Blason d'Amour) Oct 16 Jump 3110 m (Firm) Tokyo High Jump J・GII Tokyo 12 2.7 (2nd) 9th 3:33.4 (~45 lengths) Xenoverse Dec 24 Jump 4100 m (Firm) Nakayama Daishogai J・GI Nakayama 11 2.4 (1st) 6th 4:48.2 ( lengths) Nishino Daisy
in the chart and the time written in red indicates the horse finished in record time.
Pedigree
Oju Chosan was inbred 4 × 5 to Hail to Reason, meaning that this stallion appears in both the fourth and fifth generations of his pedigree.
See also List of racehorses
References