Sunny Brian (, Hepburn: Sanī Buraian, 23 April 1994 – 3 March 2011) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the first two legs of Japanese Classic Races, the Satsuki Shō and the Tōkyō Yūshun in 1997. He had a total earnings of ¥340,306,000 before his retirement.
Background Born on April 23, 1994, Sunny Brian was a bay horse foaled by Sunny Swift, a Japanese racemare with the same owner as his, Moriyasu Miyazaki. He was sired by Brian's Time, an American-bred racehorse who also sired notable Japanese racehorses such as Narita Brian, Mayano Top Gun, and Tanino Gimlet.
Racing Career 1996: Two-year-old season Sunny Brian debuted on October 5 at the Tokyo Racecourse. Ridden by Naohiro Onishi, he finished first by two and a half lengths. On his next three races, his performance dropped suddenly and failed to place, finishing fifth, seventh, and fifth once again.
1997: Three-year-old season His next season started when he competed in Wakatake Sho, an allowance race, placing second. At the Junior Cup, he finally secured a win once again, finishing with a time of 2:03.07 by half a length. In the Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho, he placed third with three and a half lengths behind the second place, Osumi Sunday. On the Wakaba Stakes, he placed fourth despite being the most popular horse.
At the Classics, he placed first in the Satsuki Shō, winning against Silk Lightning by a neck. However, in the Tōkyō Yūshun, he was unusually unpopular for a horse who won the Satsuki Shō, where he was only the sixth favorite. Despite this, he broke the fans' low expectations and managed to win by a length, becoming the youngest Derby winner.
Race Records The table below from netkeiba and JBIS shows his overall racing career. In his 10 starts, he won four races.
Date Track Race Grade Distance Surface(Condition) BK (PP) Entry Odds(Favored) Finish Time Margin Jockey Winner (Runner-up)1996 – two-year-old season Oct 5 Tokyo 2YO Debut 1800m Turf (Firm) 6 (8) 13 5.2 (3)1st 1:50.4 -0.4 Naohiro Onishi (Scholarship) Nov 2 Tokyo Hyakunichiso Tokubetsu ALW (1 Win) 1800m Turf (Soft) 5 (6) 12 3.5 (2) 5th 1:50.3 0.9 Naohiro Onishi Kris the Brave Nov 17 Tokyo Fuchu Sansai Stakes G3 1800m Turf (Firm) 2 (2) 13 7.4 (2) 7th 1:50.6 0.9 Naohiro Onishi Godspeed Dec 15 Nakayama Hiiragi Sho ALW (1 Win) 1600m Turf (Firm) 6 (11) 15 14.5 (3) 5th 1:37.0 0.8 Naohiro Onishi Speed World1997 – three-year-old season Jan 6 Nakayama Wakatake Sho ALW (1 Win) 2000m Turf (Soft) 4 (7) 16 5.7 (4)2nd 2:04.7 0.1 Naohiro Onishi Funnel Mark Jan 18 Nakayama Junior Cup OP 2000m Turf (Firm) 3 (3) 7 5.2 (4)1st 2:03.7 -0.1 Naohiro Onishi (Tokio Excellent) Mar 2 Nakayama Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho G2 2000m Turf (Firm) 3 (4) 14 15.5 (5)3rd 2:03.1 1.1 Naohiro Onishi Running Gale Mar 22 Nakayama Wakaba Stakes OP 2000m Turf (Soft) 1 (1) 16 3.5 (1) 4th 2:04.3 0.4 Naohiro Onishi Silk Lightning Apr 13 Nakayama Satsuki Shō G1 2000m Turf (Firm) 8 (18) 18 51.8 (11)1st 2:02.0 -0.1 Naohiro Onishi (Silk Lightning) Jun 1 Tokyo Tōkyō Yūshun G1 2400m Turf (Firm) 8 (18) 17 13.6 (6)1st 2:25.9 -0.2 Naohiro Onishi (Silk Justice)
Stud Career During his 10 years as a stallion, he sired a total of 364 horses. Although not as remarkable as his father, two of his leading progeny—Gran Rio and Kazeni Fukarete, were both G3 winners. He was later castrated before retiring.
Retirement and Death After his stud duties, he retired at the end of 2007 at the Yushun Village AERU located in Urakawa, Hokkaido. As the youngest Derby winner, he was reported to have many visitors, which were horse racing fans.
Moreover, he was often found alone in his pasture, distancing himself from other horses—Nippo Teio, Dai Yusaku, and Winning Ticket. He was described as gentle and usually very docile, though sometimes bites when groomed.
He later died of colic on March 3, 2011.
Pedigree
References