Twin Turbo (Japanese: ツインターボ; Hepburn: Tsuin Taabo; April 13, 1988 – January 15, 1998) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and stud. His main victories were at the 1993 Tanabata Sho and Sankei Sho All Comers. Despite few high placements in races, he was widely popular with fans throughout his career for his extreme front-running style, which led to him burning out and losing miserably more often than not. He has become just as well-known as Silence Suzuka among Japanese front-runners.
Background Twin Turbo was foaled in 1988 in Shizunai, Hokkaido. He had a powerful spring in his legs from a young age, but he didn't eat much and was extremely small.Shibata (1998) p.8 He was reared and trained at Nikko Kentucky Farm at one year old, and in the spring of the following year he entered Takehisa Sasakura's stable at Miho Training Center in Ibaraki prefecture.Shibata (1998) p.9
He was a docile horse while in the stable, but he would thoroughly rebel against anyone who mounted him, making him difficult to train. It took four months for him to pass the required gate test,Shibata (1998) pp.10–11 meaning that his racing debut wouldn't be until next year in 1991.
Racing career 1991: three-year-old season Twin Turbo made his debut in a maiden race at Nakayama Racecourse on March 2, 1991. Sasakura's only instructions for his jockey, Nobuhiro Ishizuka, were "Let him run how he likes. Put him in front. Then just hold onto the reins."Shibata (1998) p.12 Ishizuka did as instructed, having the horse run to the front out of the starting gate, and won the race by three lengths. He went on to win a second race, a condition race called the Mokuren Sho.
After the horse's two consecutive victories, he was on the verge of earning the right to run in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). The team switched his jockey to Shoichi Osaki and entered him into the Aoba Sho (then an open stakes race) that served as a Derby trial race. Halfway down the final straight, Twin Turbo lost speed and was defeated for the first time, placing 9th to Leo Durban. He then entered another condition race, the Komakusa Sho, where he placed 5th jockeyed by Masato Shibata.
In his next graded race, the G3 Radio Tampa Sho, Osaki took the reins again, pushing Twin Turbo far out in to the lead on the back stretch and giving the horse his first graded win. This was also Sasakura's first graded thoroughbred victory.
After a midsummer recuperation, Twin Turbo's autumn season started by contesting the St Lite Kinen. With Osaki jockeying once again, he held fast in second place a neck from Strong Kaiser. Near the end, Leo Durban—who had beaten him in a showdown at the Aoba Sho and who would win his next race, the Kikuka Sho—surged up the field, but Twin Turbo held him to a neck's length to finish 2nd.
Twin Turbo didn't contest the final race of the thoroughbred classic year, the Kikuka Sho, instead opting for the Fukushima Kinen, a G3 race held at Fukushima Racecourse just like the Radio Tampa Sho. There, he came in 2nd for a second consecutive time, this time to Yagura Stella.
He then contested the Arima Kinen, a grand prix race and his first G1, but only managed to place 14th. After the race, it was discovered that he had a nosebleed.
1992: four-year-old season At the beginning of the year, Twin Turbo's physical condition worsened, forcing him into a long hiatus until November to recover. His comeback race was the Fukushima Minyu Cup (an open stakes race), his only race of the year, where he was the number-one favorite. However, he finished in 10th.
1993: five-year-old season Twin Turbo's poor results continued into 1993, with a 6th place finish at the Kimpai (East), 6th at the Nakayama Kinen, and 8th at the Niigata Daishoten.
In July, he contested the Tanabata Sho, a Grade 3 race at Fukushima Racecourse, where he'd previously done well. Twin Turbo had always been slow out of the gates, and to fix that, Eiji Nakadate came in. The jockey was a specialist when it came to front-running and skillful at coming out of the gates.柴田(1998)p.16 Nakadate is reported as saying that he'd always wanted to ride Twin Turbo at least once.
The day of the race saw a record 47,391 attendees at Fukushima Racecourse, and Twin Turbo was third-favorite to win. He pulled out far into the lead at a high pace of 57.4 seconds in the first 1000 meters, and he maintained that speed all the way to the finish line, beating Ayrton Symboli by four lengths and achieving his first victory in about two years. Nakadate commented that "I just held the reins. The horse won a brilliant victory by himself."柴田(1998)p.17
After a break, Twin Turbo came back two months later to compete in the G3 All Comers, once again with Eiji Nakadate at the reins. The field included strong racers like Rice Shower, who had won 2 G1 races including that year's spring Tenno Sho. Twin Turbo was the third favorite behind Rice Shower and Sister Tosho, winner of the 1991 Oka Sho.
As always, Twin Turbo pulled far out ahead at the start, getting about 10 lengths from second-place White Stone; the front pack was also ten lengths in front of the rear pack. Twin Turbo ran alone, never slowing down on the final straightaway and reaching the finish line five lengths ahead of Hashiru Shogun, earning his second graded victory. Masato Shibata, who jockeyed White Stone (4th) during the race, said "If I'd chased any deeper, White Stone would have collapsed."柴田(1998)p.19 He would indeed go on to see disastrous results in a later race by pushing too hard. Still, Twin Turbo's pace in the front 1000 meters was relatively fast at 59.5 seconds. While watching the patrol film after the race, Nakadate commented that "I was in disbelief. How were we that far ahead?"
Twin Turbo's next attempt at a G1 race was the autumn Tenno Sho, where he was first favorite the day before and third favorite the day of. His rival horses were cautious of his extreme front-running style, though, and he was unable to pull into a lead. He finished last in the race at 17th, finishing 2.8 seconds behind the winner Yamanin Zephyr.
1994–1996: later seasons and retirement The next two years for Twin Turbo saw a string of nine races where he would create a huge lead at first, then lose speed on the final straightaway, ultimately becoming unable to win another JRA race after his All Comers victory. Nakadate commented "I feel like he might have burned himself out at the All Comers," but even during this slump, the horse continued to receive fan support for what they saw as honorable defeats.
Later in 1995, he transferred to a new public stable at Kaminoyama Racecourse. While he won his first race there, he then had an 11-race losing streak. At eight years old in 1996, he entered his last run at the Cluster Cup before retiring. While he became a stud horse at Saito Bokujo in Miyagi Prefecture in 1997, he only foaled five children in a single generation before dying of heart failure on January 15, 1998.
In 2014, the JRA held a sixtieth-anniversary memorial race at the year's Tanabata Sho on July 13, featuring the "Idaten Twin Turbo Cup" as a semi-main race that day. The race's name was determined based on a fan vote, but Twin Turbo had over twice the number of votes as the second-place horse, Miyabi Ranveli.
Statistics The following form is based on information from JBIS-Search and netkeiba. Date Racecourse Name Grade Field Finished Jockey Distance/Type Time Winner (2nd place)1991 – three-year-old season NakayamaMaiden race12 Nobuhiro Ishizuka Dirt 1800m 1:57.2 (Kochi Port) NakayamaMokuren Sho11 Nobuhiro IshizukaTurf 2000m 2:03.4 (Sanei Luck) TokyoAoba ShoOpen17 9thShoichi OsakiTurf 2400m 2:28.9 Leo Durban TokyoKomakusa Sho18 5thMasato ShibataTurf 2000m 2:02.0 Strong Kaiser FukushimaRadio Tampa ShoG311 Shoichi OsakiTurf 1800m 1:48.5(Kamino Sword) NakayamaSt Lite KinenG213 Shoichi OsakiTurf 2200m 2:12.8Strong Kaiser FukushimaFukushima KinenG314 Shoichi OsakiTurf 2000m 2:01.4Yagura Stella NakayamaArima KinenG115 14thShoichi OsakiTurf 2500m 2:34.4Dai Yusaku1992 – four-year-old season FukushimaFukushima Minyu CupOpen10 10thYoshitomi ShibataTurf 1800m 1:52.0Rabbit Ball1993 – five-year-old season NakayamaKimpai (East)G313 6thYoshitomi ShibataTurf 2000m 2:00.9Sekitei Ryu O NakayamaNakayama KinenG214 6thYoshitomi ShibataTurf 1800m 1:47.5Movie Star NiigataNiigata DaishotenG314 8thShoichi OsakiTurf 2200m 2:14.4Hashino Kenshiro FukushimaTanabata ShoG316 Eiji NakadateTurf 2000m 1:59.5(Ayrton Symboli) NakayamaSankei Sho All ComersG313 Eiji NakadateTurf 2200m 2:12.6(Hashiru Shogun) TokyoTenno Sho (Autumn)G117 17thEiji NakadateTurf 2000m 2:01.7Yamanin Zephyr1994 – six-year-old season NakayamaAmerican Jockey Club CupG214 6thEiji NakadateTurf 2200m 2:14.7Matikanetannhauser NakayamaNikkei ShoG29 6thEiji NakadateTurf 2500m 2:34.4Stage Champ SapporoHakodate KinenG314 11thHiromasa TamogiTurf 2000m 2:03.8Wako Chikako FukushimaFukushima KinenG314 8thTohru MunakataTurf 2000m 2:02.7Silk Grayish NakayamaArima KinenG113 13thKatsuharu TanakaTurf 2500m 2:37.2Narita Brian1995 – seven-year-old season NakayamaAmerican Jockey Club CupG210 10thEiji NakadateTurf 2200m 2:17.4Sakura Chitose O OhiTeio ShoGraded15 15thYutaka TakeDirt 2000m 2:10.9Lively Mount FukushimaNiigata DaishotenG314 11thTohru MunakataTurf 2000m 2:06.2Irish Dance KaminoyamaFumizuki TokubetsuA27 Eiji Kaikata Dirt 1700m 1:52.5(Azuree Symboli) KaminoyamaThree-year-old & UpA29 9thEiji Kaikata Dirt 1700m 1:55.1Tiger Berg KaminoyamaThree-year-old & UpA28 7thEiji Kaikata Dirt 1700m 1:54.5Air in Heart KaminoyamaNagatsuki TokubetsuA110 10thTashiro Yoshihisa Dirt 1800m 2:00.0Takeden Mangetsu KaminoyamaKannazuki TokubetsuA29 9thTashiro Yoshihisa Dirt 1700m 1:55.2Hokusai Roller KaminoyamaThree-year-old & UpA110 9thTashiro Yoshihisa Dirt 1800m 2:02.3Air in Heart KaminoyamaThree-year-old & UpA26 ScratchedSho Yamanaka Dirt 1700m –Lilliput Queen1996 – eight-year-old season KaminoyamaThree-year-old & UpA110 9thEiji Kaikata Dirt 1800m 2:05.2Hokusai Roller KaminoyamaThree-year-old & UpA19 9thEiji Kaikata Dirt 1800m 2:04.7Noiseless Winner KaminoyamaMinazuki TokubetsuA29 9thTatsuki Endo Dirt 1700m 1:55.6Kagarisky KaminoyamaFumizuki TokubetsuA19 7thTatsuki Endo Dirt 1800m 1:59.9Tannhauser KaminoyamaThree-year-old & UpA27 7thTatsuki Endo Dirt 1700m 1:54.8Namura Create MoriokaCluster Cup G312 11thEiji Kaikata Dirt 1200m 1:13.3Tokio Crafty
Running style and popularity The term "oo-nige" (huge lead) came to be synonymous with Twin Turbo. His manner of either winning by an overwhelming margin or losing speed and losing miserably made him a unique type of front-runner. When the Japan Racing Association's PR magazine, Yushun, ran a "ten most unique racehorses" poll in 2014, the voting for front-runners in the 1980s to 2000s ended with Twin Turbo at second place behind Silence Suzuka both in terms of fan vote and expert vote.『優駿』 October 2004, pp.16, 20 Silence Suzuka had gained fame as one of the strongest front-runners of all time, and the judge Shohei Shimosaka said that there had been a fierce debate before the expert panel cast their votes about whether to choose Silence Suzuka or Twin Turbo.『優駿』 October 2004, p.16