Meikei Yell (, ; foaled 23 February 2018) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She competed from 2020 to 2024, recording seven wins from twenty starts, including the Tulip Sho (GII) in 2021, the Keio Hai Spring Cup (GII) in 2022, the Centaur Stakes (GII) in 2022, the Kokura Nisai Stakes (GIII) in 2020, the Fantasy Stakes (GIII) in 2020, and the Silk Road Stakes (GIII) in 2022. She never won a GI race despite ten attempts. Her name combines "Meikei," the owner's prefix, with "Yell" ().

Background Meikei Yell is a bay filly bred in Abira, Hokkaido, by Northern Farm. She was sired by Mikki Isle, a son of Deep Impact, and her dam was Shiroinger (), a white mare by Harbinger. Shiroinger is a descendant of the white horse family tracing back to Shirayukihime (); Meikei Yell's dam is white but Meikei Yell herself is bay. She is owned by Nagoya Keiba Co., Ltd., owner of the Chukyo Racecourse, and was trained by Hidenori Take at the JRA's Ritto Training Center.

Racing career

2020: two-year-old season Meikei Yell debuted on 22 August 2020 in a maiden race at Kokura Racecourse, winning by 0.8 seconds. She won the Kokura Nisai Stakes (GIII) on 6 September and the Fantasy Stakes (GIII) at Hanshin Racecourse on 7 November in a race-record time of 1:20.1. She finished fourth in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (GI) on 13 December.

2021: three-year-old season Meikei Yell won the Tulip Sho (GII) at Hanshin on 6 March in a dead heat with Elizabeth Tower. She finished last of eighteen in the Oka Shō (GI) on 11 April after failing to settle. She finished seventh in the Keeneland Cup (GIII) on 29 August and fourth in the Sprinters Stakes (GI) on 3 October.

2022: four-year-old season Meikei Yell won the Silk Road Stakes (GIII) at Chukyo Racecourse on 30 January. She finished fifth in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (GI) on 27 March. She won the Keio Hai Spring Cup (GII) at Tokyo Racecourse on 14 May. She won the Centaur Stakes (GII) at Chukyo on 11 September in a race-record time of 1:06.2. She finished fourteenth in the Sprinters Stakes (GI) on 2 October and fifth in the Hong Kong Sprint (G1) at Sha Tin Racecourse on 11 December.

2023: five-year-old season Meikei Yell finished twelfth in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (GI) on 26 March, fifteenth in the Yasuda Kinen (GI) on 4 June, and fifth in the Sprinters Stakes (GI) on 1 October. She finished ninth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park on 4 November, her first dirt start.

2024: six-year-old season Meikei Yell finished tenth in the Kyoto Himba Stakes (GIII) on 17 February. Her final race was the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (GI) on 24 March, where she finished ninth. A retirement ceremony was held after the race. She was retired on 27 March 2024 and entered stud at Northern Farm.

Statistics The following table details all 20 starts of Meikei Yell's racing career. Record current as of 24 March 2024.

Date Distance (Condition) Race Class Course Odds(Favourite) Field Finish Time Jockey Winning(Losing)Margin Winner(2nd Place) Ref2020 – two-year-old season Turf 1200 m (Good) 2-Y-O Newcomer Maiden Kokura 1.9 (1st) 17 1:09.4 Yuichi Fukunaga –0.8 (Pegasus Wing) Turf 1200 m (Heavy) Kokura Nisai Stakes GIII Kokura 6.3 (2nd) 10 1:09.6 Yutaka Take –0.2 (Mondreise) Turf 1400 m (Good) Fantasy Stakes GIII Hanshin 2.5 (1st) 12 Yutaka Take –0.1 (Opal Moon) Turf 1600 m (Good) Hanshin Juvenile Fillies GI Hanshin 4.7 (3rd) 18 4th 1:33.3 Yutaka Take 0.2 Sodashi2021 – three-year-old season Turf 1600 m (Yielding) Tulip Sho GII Hanshin 1.6 (1st) 12 1:33.8 Yutaka Take 0.0 (Elizabeth Tower) Turf 1600 m (Good) Oka Shō GI Hanshin 6.4 (3rd) 18 18th 1:34.0 Norihiro Yokoyama 2.9 Sodashi Turf 1200 m (Good) Keeneland Cup GIII Sapporo 2.8 (1st) 16 7th 1:09.4 Yutaka Take 0.3 Lei Haria Turf 1200 m (Good) Sprinters Stakes GI Nakayama 24.9 (7th) 16 4th 1:07.8 Kenichi Ikezoe 0.7 Pixie Knight2022 – four-year-old season Turf 1200 m (Good) Silk Road Stakes GIII Chukyo 4.0 (2nd) 18 1:08.1 Kenichi Ikezoe –0.1 (Shine Garnet) Turf 1200 m (Heavy) Takamatsunomiya Kinen GI Chukyo 5.2 (2nd) 18 5th 1:08.4 Kenichi Ikezoe 0.1 Naran Huleg Turf 1400 m (Good) Keio Hai Spring Cup GII Tokyo 3.1 (1st) 12 1:20.2 Kenichi Ikezoe –0.1 (Sky Groove) Turf 1200 m (Good) Centaur Stakes GII Chukyo 1.7 (1st) 13 Kenichi Ikezoe –0.4 (Fast Force) Turf 1200 m (Good) Sprinters Stakes GI Nakayama 2.5 (1st) 16 14th 1:08.7 Kenichi Ikezoe 0.9 Gendarme Turf 1200 m (Good) Hong Kong Sprint G1 Sha Tin 22.0 (6th) 14 5th 1:09.02 James McDonald 0.26 Wellington2023 – five-year-old season Turf 1200 m (Soft) Takamatsunomiya Kinen GI Chukyo 4.5 (1st) 18 12th 1:12.6 Kenichi Ikezoe 1.1 Fast Force Turf 1600 m (Good) Yasuda Kinen GI Tokyo 37.0 (12th) 18 15th 1:32.7 Kenichi Ikezoe 1.3 Songline Turf 1200 m (Good) Sprinters Stakes GI Nakayama 12.4 (5th) 16 5th 1:08.4 Kenichi Ikezoe 0.4 Mama Cocha Dirt 1400 m (Fast) Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint G1 Santa Anita 23.5 (6th) 9 9th 1:25.51 Kenichi Ikezoe 2.54 Goodnight Olive2024 – six-year-old season Turf 1400 m (Good) Kyoto Himba Stakes GIII Kyoto 7.6 (3rd) 18 10th 1:20.9 Kenichi Ikezoe 0.6 So Dazzling Turf 1200 m (Heavy) Takamatsunomiya Kinen GI Chukyo 21.9 (10th) 18 9th 1:10.0 Kenichi Ikezoe 1.1 Mad Cool

Pedigree

Meikei Yell is inbred 3 × 4 to Sunday Silence and 4 × 4 to Danehill. Her sire Mikki Isle won the 2014 NHK Mile Cup. Her dam Shiroinger is a white mare. Her grandmother Yukichan won the 2008 Kanto Oaks. Her relatives include Sodashi, Mama Cocha, and Hayayakko.

See also Thoroughbred racing in Japan

References