Curren Bouquetd'or (Japanese: カレンブーケドール, Hepburn: Karen Būkedōru; foaled 23 April 2016) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and active broodmare. She competed from 2018 to 2021, recording two wins in seventeen starts, including the Listed Sweet Pea Stakes in 2019. Despite never winning a graded stakes race, she placed second in six Grade 1 and Grade 2 races, including the Yushun Himba, Shuka Sho, and Japan Cup in 2019, earning her the moniker of a "silver collector" in Japanese racing media.

Background Curren Bouquetd'or is a bay mare bred in Chitose, Hokkaido, by Shadai Farm. She was sired by the Japanese Triple Crown winner Deep Impact, and her dam is Solaria, a Chilean-bred mare who won multiple Group 1 races in Chile, including the Chilean 1000 Guineas and El Derby. She was owned by Takashi Suzuki, who uses the "Curren" prefix for his horses, and sent into training with Sakae Kunieda at the JRA's Miho Training Center.

Racing career

2018: Two-year-old season Curren Bouquetd'or debuted on October 8, 2018, in a maiden race on the turf at Tokyo Racecourse, finishing second to Danon Kingley. She finished third in a subsequent maiden race at Tokyo in November. On December 16, she recorded her first victory in a maiden race at Nakayama Racecourse, ridden by Oisin Murphy.

2019: Three-year-old season Curren Bouquetd'or began her 2019 campaign by finishing fourth in the Queen Cup (GIII) at Tokyo. On April 28, she won the Sweet Pea Stakes (Listed) at Tokyo. She subsequently contested the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, GI) on May 19, finishing second by a nose to Loves Only You in a race where the top three finishers all recorded the same official time.

In the autumn, she finished third in the Shion Sho (GIII) and second in the Shuka Sho (GI) behind Chrono Genesis. On November 24, she entered the Japan Cup (GI) at Tokyo. Ridden by Akihide Tsumura, she finished second, losing by 0.1 seconds to Suave Richard.

2020: Four-year-old season In 2020, Curren Bouquetd'or finished second in the Kyoto Kinen (GII) behind Chrono Genesis. She was scheduled to travel to the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Sheema Classic, but the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning to Japan, she finished second in the All Comers (GII) at Nakayama in September, losing by a nose to Centelleo. She later finished fourth in the Japan Cup and fifth in the Arima Kinen (GI).

2021: Five-year-old season Curren Bouquetd'or finished second in the Nikkei Sho (GII) in March and third in the Tenno Sho (Spring, GI) in May. She finished fourth in the Takarazuka Kinen (GI) in June.

In her final start on October 31, she finished twelfth in the Tenno Sho (Autumn, GI) at Tokyo. Following the race, it was discovered that she had developed suspensory ligament desmitis in her left foreleg. She was officially retired from racing on November 30, 2021.

Statistics The following table details all 17 starts of Curren Bouquetd'or'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 Ref2018 – two-year-old season Turf 1800 m (Firm) 2-Y-O Newcomer Maiden Tokyo 6.1 (3rd) 18 1:37.5 0.0 Danon Kingly Hiroshi Kitamura Turf 1800 m (Firm) 2-Y-O Maiden Maiden Tokyo 1.7 (1st) 16 1:50.4 0.6 Krasavitsa Hiroshi Kitamura Turf 1600 m (Firm) 2-Y-O Maiden Maiden Nakayama 1.8 (1st) 16 1:35.5 0.0 (Sing for You) Oisin Murphy2019 – three-year-old season Turf 1600 m (Firm) Queen Cup GIII Tokyo 8.5 (4th) 9 4th 1:34.4 0.2 Chrono Genesis Keita Tosaki Turf 1800 m (Firm) Sweet Pea Stakes Listed Tokyo 5.1 (2nd) 12 1:47.7 0.0 (Sing for You) Akihide Tsumura Turf 2400 m (Firm) Yushun Himba GI Tokyo 94.1 (12th) 18 2:22.8 0.0 Loves Only You Akihide Tsumura Turf 2000 m (Firm) Shion Stakes GIII Nakayama 2.8 (1st) 15 1:58.4 0.1 Passing Through Akihide Tsumura Turf 2000 m (Good) Shuka Sho GI Kyoto 5.6 (2nd) 17 2:00.2 0.3 Chrono Genesis Akihide Tsumura Turf 2400 m (Firm) Japan Cup GI Tokyo 10.5 (5th) 15 2:26.0 0.1 Suave Richard Akihide Tsumura2020 – four-year-old season Turf 2200 m (Soft) Kyoto Kinen GII Kyoto 2.8 (2nd) 9 2:16.8 0.4 Chrono Genesis Akihide Tsumura Turf 2200 m (Good) Sankei Sho All Comers GII Nakayama 3.7 (2nd) 9 2:15.5 0.0 Centelleo Akihide Tsumura Turf 2400 m (Firm) Japan Cup GI Tokyo 24.9 (5th) 15 4th 2:23.2 0.2 Almond Eye Akihide Tsumura Turf 2500 m (Firm) Arima Kinen GI Nakayama 7.9 (3rd) 16 5th 2:35.6 0.6 Chrono Genesis Kenichi Ikezoe2021 – five-year-old season Turf 2500 m (Firm) Nikkei Sho GII Nakayama 2.3 (1st) 15 2:33.4 0.1 Win Marilyn Kohei Matsuyama Turf 3200 m (Firm) Tenno Sho (Spring) GI Hanshin 7.3 (4th) 17 3:15.2 0.5 World Premiere Keita Tosaki Turf 2200 m (Firm) Takarazuka Kinen GI Hanshin 6.7 (3rd) 13 4th 2:11.7 0.8 Chrono Genesis Keita Tosaki Turf 2000 m (Firm) Tenno Sho (Autumn) GI Tokyo 19.6 (4th) 16 12th 1:59.2 1.3 Efforia Keita Tosaki

In popular culture An anthropomorphized version of Curren Bouquetd'or appears as a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Anju Oda. She is depicted as gentle, empathetic, and considerate to the point where she is often subservient to the needs of others above her own. Like her real-life counterpart, she also has a determined and hardworking side of her personality that manifests from feeling underestimated compared to her more talented rivals from her generation, and wishes to someday attain a prestigious racing career.

Broodmare career Following her retirement, Curren Bouquetd'or returned to Shadai Farm to become a broodmare.

c = colt, f = filly

Foaled Name Sex Colour Sire Major wins 2023 Hamtan c Bay Epiphaneia – 2024 Sanlit Bouquet f Dark Bay Bricks and Mortar – 2025 Curren Bouquetd'or 2025 f Bay Epiphaneia –

Pedigree

Curren Bouquetd'or is inbred 4 × 5 to Mr. Prospector.

See also Thoroughbred racing in Japan Japan Cup

References