Calstone Light O (Japanese: カルストンライトオ, Hepburn: Karusuton Raito O; 3 May 1998 – 7 February 2024) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He competed from 2000 to 2005, recording nine wins in thirty-six starts, including the Sprinters Stakes in 2004 and the Ibis Summer Dash in 2002 and 2004.

Background Calstone Light O was a dark bay horse with a white blaze and a white sock on his right hind leg bred in Urakawa, Hokkaido by Oshima Bokujo. He was sired by Warning, the top-rated European racehorse in 1988 who stood as a breeding stallion in Europe before being exported to Japan. His other best progeny included Piccolo, Diktat (Prix Maurice de Gheest, Haydock Sprint Cup), Charnwood Forest (Queen Anne Stakes), and Annus Mirabilis (Dubai Duty Free). Calstone Light O's dam was Oshima Lucia, a daughter of Crystal Glitters who won 4 of her 18 starts.

In 1999, he was offered at the Hokkaido Summer Sale and purchased for ¥18.9 million by Sadamitsu Shimizu. The name "Calstone" was derived from Shimizu's business dealing in pumice (light stone), combined with "Light" and "O" (from the owner's name, Sadamitsu, and "King"). He was sent into training with Yuya Ooneda at the JRA's Ritto Training Center, and later transferred to the stable of Hiroyuki Ooneda.

Racing career

2000: Two-year-old season Calstone Light O debuted on November 5, 2000, in a maiden race on the turf at Kyoto Racecourse, winning by a margin of 0.7 seconds. He followed this with a victory in the Kaede Sho (500 Win Allowance) later that month. He concluded his two-year-old season by finishing tenth in the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (GI).

2001: Three-year-old season In 2001, Calstone Light O competed primarily in sprint stakes races. He won the Aoi Stakes (OP) in May. He finished third in the Falcon Stakes (GIII), the Ibis Summer Dash (GIII), and the Centaur Stakes (GIII). He also placed second in the Fukushima Minyu Cup (OP) and the Margaret Stakes (OP).

2002: Four-year-old season Calstone Light O secured his first graded stakes victory in the Ibis Summer Dash (GIII) at Niigata Racecourse in August 2002. Ridden by Naohiro Onishi, he won the 1000-meter straight turf race in a time of 0:53.7, setting a new course record. He subsequently finished third in the Centaur Stakes (GIII) and the Fukushima Minpo Hai (OP).

2003: Five-year-old season During the 2003 season, Calstone Light O struggled in graded stakes company, finishing unplaced in the Sprinters Stakes (GI) and the CBC Sho (GII). He recorded his only victory of the year in the Andromeda Stakes (OP) at Kyoto in November.

2004: Six-year-old season Calstone Light O won his second Ibis Summer Dash (GIII) in August 2004. On October 3, he contested the Sprinters Stakes (GI) at Nakayama Racecourse. Starting as the fifth favorite on a sloppy track, he took the early lead and maintained his advantage in the final strides, winning by a margin of 0.7 seconds over Durandal.

In December, he traveled to Hong Kong to compete in the Hong Kong Sprint (GI) at Sha Tin Racecourse, where he finished fourteenth behind Silent Witness.

2005: Seven-year-old season In his final racing season, Calstone Light O finished second in the Hankyu Hai (GIII) and fourth in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (GI). He ran fourth in his third attempt at the Ibis Summer Dash and tenth in the Sprinters Stakes. Following the Sprinters Stakes, it was announced that he had developed inflammation in his right foreleg. He was officially retired from racing on November 2, 2005.

Stud career Following his retirement, Calstone Light O stood at Lex Stud in Shizunai, Hokkaido, beginning in 2006. He later moved to Hashimoto Bokujo in Abira, and subsequently to Nissei Bokujo in Hidaka. He sired several winners in regional NAR competition, including Brave Call (winner of the Hyogo Derby) and Tulipa (winner of the Hyogo Wakagoma Sho and Nojigiku Sho). He was noted as one of the few active stallions in Japan that is a descendant of the Godolphin Arabian.

Calstone Light O died of old age on February 7, 2024, at Nissei Bokujo at the age of 25.

Statistics The following table details all 36 starts of Calstone Light O's racing career based on official netkeiba and JBIS records.

Date Distance (Condition) Race Class Course Odds(Favourite) Field Finish Time Winning(Losing)Margin Winner(2nd Place) Jockey Ref2000 – two-year-old season Turf 1200 m (Good) 3-Y-O Newcomer Maiden Kyoto 5.2 (3rd) 13 1:09.5 –0.7 (Capital Luck) Takao Koike Turf 1200 m (Good) Kaede Sho Allowance Kyoto 3.6 (2nd) 11 1:08.9 –1.0 (Rugger Pageant) Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1600 m (Good) Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes GI Nakayama 26.5 (8th) 16 10th 1:35.7 1.2 Mejiro Bailey Takao Koike2001 – three-year-old season Dirt 1400 m (Heavy) Violet Stakes Open Kyoto 3.3 (1st) 13 10th 1:26.4 1.7 Meiner Ehre Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1400 m (Good) Margaret Stakes Open Hanshin 8.8 (5th) 14 1:21.2 0.1 Stima Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1200 m (Good) Aoi Stakes Open Kyoto 2.0 (1st) 16 1:07.4 –0.1 (Resurreccion) Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1200 m (Good) Falcon Stakes GIII Chukyo 2.7 (1st) 17 1:09.1 0.2 Rusunai Christie Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1600 m (Good) Bodaiju Stakes Open Hanshin 6.5 (5th) 11 4th 1:34.5 0.9 Meisho Ramses Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1200 m (Good) Kitakyushu Tankyori S Open Kokura 3.5 (3rd) 10 1:07.9 –0.1 (Nobori Yukio) Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1000 m (Good) Ibis Summer Dash GIII Niigata 3.0 (1st) 12 0:54.2 0.3 Mejiro Darling Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1200 m (Good) Centaur Stakes GIII Hanshin 3.0 (1st) 13 1:08.2 0.1 Tennessee Girl Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1200 m (Good) Fukushima Minyu Cup Open Fukushima 3.6 (1st) 14 1:08.5 0.4 Yuwa Falcon Junichi Serizawa Turf 1200 m (Good) Andromeda Stakes Open Kyoto 2.5 (1st) 11 6th 1:08.4 0.3 Tenshino Kiseki Hiroshi Kawachi Turf 1200 m (Good) CBC Sho GII Chukyo 4.9 (2nd) 15 9th 1:10.2 1.1 Rikiai Taikan Hiroshi Kawachi2002 – four-year-old season Turf 1200 m (Good) TV Aichi Open Open Chukyo 40.9 (10th) 18 13th 1:09.9 1.3 Native Heart Koshiro Take Turf 1200 m (Good) TUF Hai Allowance Fukushima 4.1 (1st) 16 1:08.4 –0.4 (Tenzan Desert) Naohiro Onishi Turf 1400 m (Good) NST Open Open Niigata 14.1 (5th) 18 7th 1:19.6 0.6 Magnaten Naohiro Onishi Turf 1200 m (Good) Kokura Nikkei Open Open Kokura 1.5 (1st) 11 1:08.3 0.2 Tenshino Kiseki Shigefumi Kumazawa Turf 1000 m (Good) Ibis Summer Dash GIII Niigata 2.6 (2nd) 13 R0:53.7 –0.3 (Breaktime) Naohiro Onishi Turf 1200 m (Good) Centaur Stakes GIII Hanshin 5.8 (2nd) 12 1:07.8 0.7 Believe Naohiro Onishi Turf 1200 m (Good) Fukushima Minpo Hai Open Fukushima 3.0 (1st) 16 1:08.3 0.1 Star El Dorado Naohiro Onishi Turf 1400 m (Good) Swan Stakes GII Kyoto 62.8 (11th) 18 13th 1:21.9 2.1 Shonan Kampf Shigefumi Kumazawa2003 – five-year-old season Turf 1200 m (Good) Centaur Stakes GIII Hanshin 64.9 (7th) 13 12th 1:09.4 1.6 Tenshino Kiseki Koshiro Take Turf 1200 m (Good) Sprinters Stakes GI Nakayama 76.9 (11th) 15 13th 1:09.6 1.6 Durandal Ichiyo Murata Turf 1200 m (Good) Fukushima Minyu Cup Open Fukushima 5.7 (3rd) 16 5th 1:07.6 0.2 Atago Taisho Naohiro Onishi Turf 1200 m (Heavy) Andromeda Stakes Open Kyoto 8.6 (5th) 12 1:10.3 –0.2 (She is Tosho) Takao Koike Turf 1200 m (Good) CBC Sho GII Chukyo 14.9 (5th) 16 10th 1:09.5 1.0 She is Tosho Takao Koike2004 – six-year-old season Turf 1200 m (Good) Baden Baden Cup Open Fukushima 10.7 (5th) 16 1:07.3 0.0 Wonder Seattle Naohiro Onishi Turf 1200 m (Good) Hakodate Sprint Stakes GIII Hakodate 9.8 (5th) 15 1:09.7 0.3 She is Tosho Junichi Serizawa Turf 1000 m (Good) Ibis Summer Dash GIII Niigata 2.2 (1st) 12 0:53.9 –0.5 (Takao Ruby) Naohiro Onishi Turf 1200 m (Sloppy) Sprinters Stakes GI Nakayama 8.5 (5th) 16 1:09.9 –0.7 (Durandal) Naohiro Onishi Turf 1000 m (Good) Hong Kong Sprint GI Sha Tin 5.5 (2nd) 14 14th 1:00.1 3.3 Silent Witness Naohiro Onishi2005 – seven-year-old season Turf 1200 m (Good) Hankyu Hai GIII Hanshin 5.7 (3rd) 16 1:08.5 0.0 Keeneland Swan Naohiro Onishi Turf 1200 m (Good) Takamatsunomiya Kinen GI Chukyo 7.1 (3rd) 18 4th 1:08.9 0.5 Admire Max Naohiro Onishi Turf 1000 m (Good) Ibis Summer Dash GIII Niigata 1.8 (1st) 13 4th 0:54.5 0.5 T M Churasan Naohiro Onishi Turf 1200 m (Good) Sprinters Stakes GI Nakayama 26.3 (8th) 16 10th 1:08.0 0.7 Silent Witness Naohiro Onishi

In popular culture An anthropomorphized version of Calstone Light O appears as a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Yumiko Mochizuki. She is depicted as a straight-faced girl with a strange obsession with speed and straight lines that extends outside the racetrack, as well as being excessively honest and open about her feelings. She is single-minded, prefers completing tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible, and has a strong dislike for curves, which she regularly attempts to remove from her daily life.

Pedigree

See also Thoroughbred racing in Japan Sprinters Stakes

References