was a Japanese Thoroughbred Racehorse from 1996 to 1999. He is best known as the first Japanese horse to win a JRA G1 dirt race, the 1997 February Stakes.
Background Shinko Windy was born on 14 April 1993 in Urakawa, Hokkaido. As a foal, Shinko Windy was known to bite both other horses and people. He was purchased by Osamu Yasuda and given the crown name Shinko. He was trained for his debut race in 1993, but maintained his habit of biting others throughout his life.
Racing career 1996: Three-year-old-season Shinko Windy started out strong by winning his debut race at the Tokyo Racecourse dirt track. Despite this strong start, he was unable to win his next three races on turf tracks, though he did place second in the Kokemomo Sho. After this he moved back to dirt races to run the Asagao Sho and once again placed first. After this victory it was decided by his team to focus primarily on dirt courses. During the Tateyama Tokubetsu he placed second behind Daiwa Ocean by just a neck. The reason for this loss is because during the race, Shinko Windy lunged forward in an attempt to bite Daiwa Ocean, causing him to lose momentum. After this, he attempted his first graded race, the G3 Unicorn Stakes, which he managed to win. He next enetered the Super Dirt Derby, and during the race bit Sanlife Teio. This bite spooked the horse who accelerated forward and won the race, causing Shinko Windy to finish second. He placed third in his final race of that year, the Derby Grand Prix held at Morioka Racecourse.
1997: Four-year-old-season On 6 January, Shinko Windy won his second graded race, the G3 Heian Stakes. He was then entered into his first G1 race, the February Stakes. Previously, the February Stakes had been a G2 race, but in 1997 it was promoted to the first G1 dirt-track race in the JRA. Despite poor weather on the day of the race, he managed to place first, securing his first and only G1 win. This was also be the final victory Shinko Windy achieved in his racing career. He placed fifth in the Antares Stakes and then seventh in his next race, before taking an extended break from racing.
1999: Six-year-old-season Shinko Windy returned to racing on 13 June 1999 to attempt another G1 race, the Yasuda Kinen. However, he performed poorly, placing 13th. He moveed on to non-graded races after this, but found little success. His final race was the Nippon TV Hai, where he placed fourth.
Racing statistics The following racing form is based on information available from JBIS-Search and netkeiba.com. Date Race Class Distance Racecourse Track Finish Entry Time Jockey Winner(2nd Place)1996 – three-year-old season Jan 5 4 Year Old New Comer Debut 1200m Tokyo Dirt 15 1:13.8 Y.Okabe (Shinki Itten) Mar 3 Fukinoto Tokubetsu OP 1800m Chukyo Turf 4th 15 1:51.0 H.Kobayashi Boston Emperor Apr 27 Kokemomo Sho OP 2200m Niigata Turf 10 1:16.7 H.Hashimoto Happy Woodman Jun 9 Hosenka Sho OP 2000m Tokyo Turf 4th 15 2:01.5 H.Hashimoto Big Baillamont Jun 29 Asagao Sho OP 1800m Nakayama Dirt 10 1:53.4 Y.Okabe (Headline) Aug 31 Tateyama Tokubetsu OP 1800m Nakayama Dirt 16 1:52.2 K.Tanaka Daiwa Ocean Sep 28 Unicorn Stakes G3 1800m Nakayama Dirt 14 1:52.8 Y.Okabe (Silk Phoenix) Nov 1 Super Dirt Derby GS 2000m Ohi Dirt 14 2:06.0 Y.Okabe Sanlife Teio Nov 23 Derby Grand Prix GS 2000m Morioka Dirt 12 2:07.9 K.Tanaka Ishino Sunday1997 – four-year-old season Jan 6 Heian Stakes G3 1800m Kyoto Dirt 16 1:49.9 H.Shii (Toyo Seattle) Feb 16 February Stakes G1 1600m Tokyo Dirt 16 1:36.0 Y.Okabe (Stone Stepper) May 03 Antares Stakes G3 1800m Kyoto Dirt 5th 16 1:51.3 Y.Okabe M.I.Blanc Jun 24 Teio Sho OP 2000m Ohi Dirt 7th 12 2:07.1 Y.Okabe Concert Boy1999 – six-year-old season Jun 13 Yasuda Kinen G1 1600m Tokyo Turf 13th 14 1:36.7 H.Goto Air Jihad Jul 4 Nada Stakes OP 1800m Hanshin Dirt 5th 13 1:50.8 K.Take Magic Game Aug 14 Kanetsu Stakes OP 1700m Niigata Dirt 6th 11 1:46.1 T.Kikuzawa Gaily Magnum Sep 15 Nippon TV Hai OP 1800m Funabashi Dirt 4th 13 1:52.3 Y.Okabe Snow Endeavor GS races were labeled as Listed (L) internationally
Retirement After retiring from racing, Shinko Windy became a stud for Shinko Farm, but only managed to produce 20 foals before the farm was purchased by Darley Japan Farm. After this he became a teaser at the Darley Japan Stallion Complex. He passed away on 28 September 2023 at the age of 30.
In popular culture An anthropomorphized female version of Shinko Windy appears as a character in the Japanese media franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby developed by Cygames, voiced by Yūki Takada. She is depicted as a short, aggressive girl with a habit of biting people. Takada, being the voice actor of Shinko Windy in Umamusume, was hired to introduce the stallions of the Darley Japan Stallion Complex in their stallion exhibition in 2023, where the real horse lived at the time.
Pedigree
Inbreeding : 4 x 5 to My Babu (Milesian's sire), 5 x 5 to Nasrullah (Zonah's and Bold Ruler's sire)
References