Shadai Kagura (Japanese: シャダイカグラ, Hepburn: Shadai Kagura; 23 March 1986 – 4 April 2005) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She competed from 1988 to 1989, recording seven wins in eleven starts, including the Oka Shō (GI) in 1989. She also won the Rose Stakes (GII) and Pegasus Stakes (GIII) in 1989. She was named Best 4-Year-Old Filly in 1989. Her career ended when she suffered a suspensory ligament rupture during the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (GI), finishing last in her retirement race.
Background Shadai Kagura was a chestnut mare bred in Monbetsu, Hokkaido, by Nojima Bokujo. She was sired by Real Shadai, an American-bred son of Roberto who had raced in France before being imported to Japan as a stallion, and her dam was Milly Bird, a daughter of the French-bred stallion Faberge. Her racing name combines the "Shadai" prefix of her sire with the "Kagura" prefix used by owner Shigeru Yoneda. She was owned by Shigeru Yoneda and sent into training with Yuji Ito at the JRA's Ritto Training Center.
Racing career
1988: two-year-old season (three-year-old by Japanese reckoning) Shadai Kagura debuted on June 19, 1988, in a maiden race on the dirt at Sapporo Racecourse, ridden by Masato Shibata, finishing second. She won a maiden race at Sapporo on July 3. After a break due to periostitis, she returned in October, winning the Rindo Sho (Allowance) at Kyoto Racecourse with Yutaka Take aboard, and the Kyoto 3-Year-Old Stakes (Open) at Kyoto in November. She finished second in the Radio Tampa Hai 3-Year-Old Filly Stakes (GIII) at Hanshin Racecourse in December.
1989: three-year-old season Shadai Kagura won the Elfin Stakes (Open) at Kyoto in February and the Pegasus Stakes (GIII) at Hanshin in March.
On April 9, she contested the Oka Shō (GI) at Hanshin. Drawn in the extreme outside post (18 of 18), she started slowly and was positioned at the rear. Take guided her through the inner rail on the final turn to recover ground, and she finished strongly to defeat Hokuto Venus by a neck. She became the first horse since Sugihime in 1961 to win the Oka Shō from the outside post.
On May 21, she finished second in the Yushun Himba (GI) at Tokyo Racecourse, beaten a neck by Light Color.
On October 22, she won the Rose Stakes (GII) at Kyoto by 1.5 lengths. On November 12, she contested the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (GI) at Kyoto as her retirement race. She was positioned in second place entering the third turn but suddenly decelerated and finished last (20th), beaten 7.6 seconds by Sand Piaris. She was found to have ruptured the suspensory ligament in her right foreleg.
Statistics The following table details all 11 starts of Shadai Kagura's racing career based on official netkeiba and JBIS records.
Date Distance (Condition) Race Class Course Odds(Favourite) Field Finish Time Jockey Winning(Losing)Margin Winner(2nd Place) Ref1988 – two-year-old season Dirt 1000 m (Soft) 3-Y-O Newcomer Maiden Sapporo 6.1 (4th) 7 1:00.1 Masato Shibata 1.2 Matsu Swift Dirt 1000 m (Firm) 3-Y-O Newcomer Maiden Sapporo 1.1 (1st) 5 1:02.1 Masato Shibata –0.1 (Super One) Turf 1400 m (Good) Rindo Sho Allowance Kyoto 5.7 (3rd) 10 1:24.8 Yutaka Take –0.1 (Miss Junius) Turf 1600 m (Firm) Kyoto Sansai Stakes Open Kyoto 3.2 (1st) 10 1:37.8 Yutaka Take –0.7 (Lucky Guerlain) Turf 1600 m (Firm) Radio Tampa Hai Sansai Himba Stakes GIII Hanshin 1.6 (1st) 11 1:36.1 Yutaka Take 0.0 Tanino Target1989 – three-year-old season Turf 1600 m (Firm) Elfin Stakes Open Kyoto 1.6 (1st) 9 1:36.2 Yutaka Take –0.8 (Light Color) Turf 1600 m (Soft) Pegasus Stakes GIII Hanshin 2.2 (1st) 14 1:37.5 Yutaka Take –0.2 (Narcisse Noir) Turf 1600 m (Good) Oka Shō GI Hanshin 2.2 (1st) 18 1:37.5 Yutaka Take 0.0 (Hokuto Venus) Turf 2400 m (Good) Yushun Himba GI Tokyo 1.8 (1st) 24 2:29.0 Yutaka Take 0.0 Light Color Turf 2000 m (Good) Rose Stakes GII Kyoto 1.6 (1st) 10 2:01.5 Yutaka Take –0.2 (Shinei Lotus) Turf 2400 m (Firm) Queen Elizabeth II Cup GI Kyoto 2.2 (1st) 20 20th 2:36.4 Yutaka Take 7.6 Sand Peeress
Broodmare career Following her retirement, Shadai Kagura returned to Nojima Bokujo as a broodmare. She produced seven named foals between 1991 and 2003, though her reproductive record was poor, with several miscarriages and barren years. She was moved to Biratori Bokujo in Biratori, Hokkaido, in 2002. She died of a ruptured aneurysm on April 4, 2005, at the age of 19.
Pedigree
Shadai Kagura is inbred 5 × 4 to Nasrullah. Her half-sister Taisei Kagura (by Morning Frolic) is the granddam of Straight Girl, winner of the 2015 Victoria Mile (GI) and 2015 Sprinters Stakes (GI).
See also Thoroughbred racing in Japan Oka Shō Yutaka Take
References