Wonder Acute (Japanese: ワンダーアキュート, Hepburn: Wandaa Akyuuto; foaled 14 March 2006) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and multiple graded stakes winner. He had an unusually long racing career compared to other horses in Japan, racing from 2009 to the end of 2015. In his final year of racing, at age 9, Wonder Acute won the Group 1 (G1) Kashiwa Kinen, becoming the oldest horse to win a Japanese G1 race.
Racing career
2009: three-year-old season Wonder Acute made his debut at Kyoto Racecourse in a 1,800-meter dirt race for 3-year-old debutants; despite being the 7th favourite, he managed to secure a victory in his very first start. In his fourth start, a 5-million-yen class race at Hanshin Racecourse, Wonder Acute claimed his second victory. After finishing 10th in the Aoba Sho, he went on to record his third victory in the Aogiri Stakes in June, despite being the 9th favourite. After finishing 5th in both the Japan Dirt Derby and the Leopard Stakes, he claimed his fourth victory in the Auckland Racing Cup Trophy in September. Wonder Acute then secured his fifth victory in the Sirius Stakes, marking his first graded stakes win. He went on to win the Musashino Stakes, bringing his total to six wins. Wonder Acute then competed in the Japan Cup Dirt, where he finished sixth despite being the third favourite.
2010: four-year-old season Wonder Acute made his comeback in his four-year-old season in the Miyako Stakes but finished sixth. He went on to claim his seventh victory in the Betelgeuse Stakes and later finished 10th in the Tokyo Daishoten.
2011: five-year-old season In his first race of 2011, Wonder Acute competed in the Aldebaran Stakes but finished second. He went on to claim his eighth victory in the following Nigawa Stakes. In the subsequent Nagoya Grand Prix, he finished second behind Espoir City. He also finished second in his next race, the Antares Stakes. He claimed his ninth career victory and third graded stakes win in the Tokai Stakes. After a break, he ran as the second favourite in the Miyako Stakes but finished fourth. He then competed in the Japan Cup Dirt; and despite stumbling badly right after the start, he finished second. In the Tokyo Daishoten, he finished second behind Smart Falcon.
2012: six-year-old season On Monday, 5 November 2012, he won the JBC Classic held at Kawasaki Racecourse, finally securing his first victory in a top-tier race. Although Wonder Acute was rated as the fifth favourite to win, he rounded the outside of three horses, Transcend, Solitary King, and Civil War before pulling off a spectacular late charge down the stretch. Jockey Ryuji Wada expressed his delight at the successful race, saying, “It went exactly according to plan; I moved him out wide and he just powered through. It’s been a while since he ran a race that truly showed his true colors.” Even after securing the victory, Wada expressed his joy at having realized his dream with Wonder Acute, saying, “I’ve always believed this horse has Grade I-level ability,” and “It was a moment when my dream came true." Trainer Masao Sato also praised Wonder Acute, describing the win as “third time’s the charm.”
2013: seven-year-old season
Wonder Acute began the 2013 season by competing in the Kawasaki Kinen, but finished second behind Hatano Vainqueur. In the subsequent February Stakes, he was defeated and finished third behind Grape Brandy. In the Teio Sho, with Yutaka Take taking over as jockey, he led from the front but finished third. In the Nippon TV Hai, he edged out Solitary King, who had led from the front by a neck to win . However, in the subsequent JBC Classic, he was unable to shake off the tenacious Hokko Tarumae and finished second; in the Japan Cup Dirt, he was defeated by Belshazzar, finishing second once again. Furthermore, in his final race of the season, the Tokyo Daishoten, he suffered a decisive defeat, finishing second behind Hokko Tarumae.
2014: eight-year-old season Wonder Acute won the Teio Sho marking his second victory at the highest grade level since the 2012 JBC Classic and his 12th career victory . Although Copano Rickey was the favourite at odds of 1.9 to 1, Wonder Acute pulled away to win by two lengths. Jockey Yutaka Take praised Wonder Acute’s dedication to racing, saying, “No matter the racetrack, the circumstances, or the track conditions, he always runs his heart out.” Trainer Sato, while concerned that Wonder Acute had already reached the age of 8, expressed his delight at the horse’s strong performance, stating, “It was a victory that seemed to wash away all the frustrations of the past.”
2015: nine-year-old season On 5 May 2015, in his 44th career start, Wonder Acute won the Kashiwa Kinen, securing his 13th victory. This marked the first time in Japanese horse racing history that a 9-year-old horse had won a G1 race. Wada, who was riding Wonder Acute for the first time in two years and three months, admitted he was sceptical about how well the horse could perform given its recent results. However, once he mounted Wonder Acute, he found the horse to be in excellent condition and said he had high hopes for victory. In the home stretch, he easily overtook Happy Sprint and Best Warrior, showing such ease that it looked like he was playing. “To be honest, I’m surprised he’s still running as well as he did in his prime. I didn’t sense any signs of his age,” said Wada, delighted that Wonder Acute’s speed had not diminished. Shinichi Fukuda of Fukuda Farm, the breeder of Wonder Acute, watched the race on his home television with the mindset that “after all, he’s a 9-year-old horse, so before the race, my hope was more for him to run safely than to win or lose.” He was surprised by the result—the first-ever victory by a 9-year-old horse in the race’s history but congratulated Wonder Acute nonetheless. He retired after finishing third in the Tokyo Daishoten that same year, and his registration as a racehorse was revoked effective on 6 January 2016.
Racing form The following racing form is based on information available on JBIS Search and netkeiba.com. DateRacecourseRaceGradeGround(Distance)OddsFin.TimeMarginJockeyWinner (Runner-Up)2009 – three-year-old seasonKyotoThree-Year-Old NewcomerMaidenD 1800m13.11:55.2 -0.1Tetsuya Kobayashi(Full Body)KyotoThree-Year-Old Pre-OPPre-OPD 1800m17.97th1:52.41.3Tetsuya KobayashiSilk DandyHanshinThree-Year-Old Pre-OPPre-OPD 1800m16.96th1:54.10.9Tetsuya KobayashiAdmire ShuttleHanshinThree-Year-Old Pre-OPPre-OPD 1800m11.41:52.60.0Futoshi Komaki(Narita Carbine)TokyoAoba ShoG2T 2400m144.210th2:27.81.6Hiroki GotoApres un ReveChukyoAogiri StakesPre-OPD 1700m32.41:45.10.0Ryuji Wada(Stade Gerland)OoiJapan Dirt DerbyJpn1D 2000m18.05th2:06.11.6Futoshi KomakiTesta MattaNiigataLeopard StakesListedD 1800m32.55th1:51.92.4Futoshi KomakiTranscendHanshinAuckland Racing Club TrophyPre-OPD 1800m7.21:51.6 -0.9Ryuji Wada(New Ichitoku)HanshinSirius StakesG3D 2000m5.72:04.5 -0.5Ryuji Wada(Dark Message)TokyoMusashino StakesG3D 1600m10.41:35.5 -0.3Katsumi Ando(Daisho Jet)HanshinJapan Cup DirtG1D 1800m8.26th1:51.11.2Ryuji WadaEspoir City2010 – four-year-old seasonKyotoMiyako StakesG3D 1800m22.16th1:50.50.7Ryuji WadaTranscendHanshinBetelgeuse StakesOPD 2000m2.82:03.3 -0.1Ryuji Wada(Machikanenihombare)OoiTokyo DaishotenJpn1D 2000m9.810th2:03.83.4Ryuji WadaSmart Falcon2011 – five-year-old seasonKyotoAldebaran StakesOPD 1900m3.41:58.00.2Ryuji WadaPiilani HighwayHanshinNigawa StakesOPD 2000m2.02:03.7 -0.3Ryuji Wada(Tagano Zingaro)NagoyaNagoya DaishotenJpn3D 1900m4.21:58.80.4Ryuji WadaEspoir CityKyotoAntares StakesG3D 1800m2.41:48.40.3Ryuji WadaGold BlitzKyotoTokai StakesG2D 1900m4.8 -0.1Ryuji Wada(Renforcer)KyotoMiyako StakesG3D 1800m6.34th1:49.20.8Ryuji WadaEspoir CityHanshinJapan Cup DirtG1D 1800m19.01:50.90.3Ryuji WadaTranscendOoiTokyo DaishotenG1D 2000m10.42:01.80.0Ryuji WadaSmart Falcon2012 – six-year-old seasonTokyoFebruary StakesG1D 1600m5.71:35.80.4Ryuji WadaTesta MattaFunabashiDiolite KinenJpn2D 2400m1.94th2:35.00.3Ryuji WadaRenforcerKyotoTokai StakesG2D 1900m3.010th1:57.30.9Ryuji WadaSolitary KingKawasakiJBC ClassicJpn1D 2100m10.52:12.5 -1.0Ryuji Wada(Civil War)HanshinJapan Cup DirtG1D 1800m6.21:49.40.6Ryuji WadaNihonpiro OursOoiTokyo DaishotenG1D 2000m1.82:06.00.1Ryuji WadaRoman Legend2013 – seven-year-old seasonKawasakiKawasaki KinenJpn1D 2100m1.32:15.50.1Ryuji WadaHatano VainqueurTokyoFebruary StakesG1D 1600m9.21:35.30.2Ryuji WadaGrape BrandyOoiTeio ShoJpn1D 2000m6.62:03.50.5Yutaka TakeHokko TarumaeFunabashiNippon TV HaiJpn2D 1800m1.31:50.30.0Yutaka Take(Solitary King)KanazawaJBC ClassicJpn1D 2100m4.12:13.00.4Yutaka TakeHokko TarumaeHanshinJapan Cup DirtG1D 1800m15.71:50.40.0Yutaka TakeBelshazzarOoiTokyo DaishotenG1D 2000m3.72:06.90.3Yutaka TakeHokko Tarumae2014 – eight-year-old seasonTokyoFebruary StakesG1D 1600m10.06th1:36.50.5Yutaka TakeCopano RickeyFunabashiKashiwa KinenJpn1D 1600m1.81:39.60.4Yutaka TakeCopano RickeyOoiTeio ShoJpn1D 2000m4.42:03.5 -0.4Yutaka Take(Copano Rickey)MoriokaJBC ClassicJpn1D 2000m3.52:01.40.6Yutaka TakeCopano RickeyChukyoChampions CupG1D 1800m10.95th1:51.50.5Yutaka TakeHokko TarumaeOoiTokyo DaishotenG1D 2000m6.67th2:04.91.9Yutaka TakeHokko Tarumae2015 – nine-year-old seasonTokyoFebruary StakesG1D 1600m46.49th1:36.80.5Fran BerryCopano RickeyFunabashiKashiwa KinenJpn1D 1600m18.41:37.4 -0.2Ryuji Wada(Best Warrior)OoiTeio ShoJpn1D 2000m6.88th2:05.02.3Ryuji WadaHokko TarumaeMoriokaMile Championship Nambu HaiJpn1D 1600m5.51:37.10.3Ryuji WadaBest WarriorChukyoChampions CupG1D 1800m117.66th1:50.90.5Ryuji WadaSambistaOoiTokyo DaishotenG1D 2000m27.22:04.51.5Ryuji WadaSound True Legend:
D = Dirt T = Turf indicated that it was a record time finish
Retirement Wonder Acute retired from racing in 2016 to become a stud stallion. He retired from stud duties in October 2024, moving to the retirement home .
Since retirement, Wonder Acute has become known for canvas painting. Versailles Resort Farm has sold some of his paintings to the public, the first of which sold for over a million yen.
In popular culture An anthropomorphized version of Wonder Acute appears a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Kanoko Sudo. She is depicted as a wise and generous girl with a grandmotherly disposition, which alludes to her real-life counterpart being the oldest racehorse to win a Japanese G1 race. However, she often struggles with modern technology, being the only character to use a flip phone instead of a smartphone and regularly asking her technologically-minded roommate Transcend for help. She has friendly rivalries with fellow dirt racers Copano Rickey, Hokko Tarumae, and Smart Falcon.
Pedigree
References