was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Her major victory was the 1993 Queen Stakes. In the same year’s Oka Sho and Yushun Himba, she finished second behind Vega in both races. With a chestnut coat resembling that of her sire, Sakura Yutaka O, and a pure white, ribbon-like braid in her mane, she was highly popular among female fans and was described as a "beautiful girl" and a "good-looking horse."
Racing career
1992: three-year-old season On August 10, 1992, Yukino Bijin made her debut at Morioka Racecourse with Masahiko Onodera in the saddle and won his debut race."Kansai Keiba Shikiho 1994 Autumn Issue," Keiba Book, Vol. 15, No. 3, p. 1307. Although her background in regional racing would later receive significant attention, she was originally scheduled to join a central racing stable from the start. However, there happened to be no available stalls at Toshio Kubota’s stable where she was supposed to be housed and her owner, Yukikatsu Arai, expressed his intention to "run her on dirt as a 3-year-old." Consequently, she made her debut at Iwate Racecourse on the condition that she would "remain there until a stall became available at Kubota’s stable."Reiko Matsunaga, "Tohoku Girl Yukino Bijin: Out of Sync in the City," Bessatsu Takarajima Keiba Meiba Dokuhon 3, No. 223, Takarajimasha, 1995, p. 172. Writer Reiko Matsunaga described this situation as "a regional racing 'temporary star.'" She won her second and third races under jockey Isao Sugawara, making it three consecutive victories, and entered the Nambu Koma Sho; however, in that race, she finished fifth behind Ebisu Sakura who would go on to win the Kikata Sho.
1993: four-year-old season At age four, Yukino Bijin was transferred to the Central circuit. Her first race after the transfer was the Crocus Stakes, but she was rated low as the ninth favorite in a field of ten. Furthermore, the owner’s plan to have Yukio Okabe ride her after the transfer had not materialized by this point, so she was ridden by Tomio Yasuda.Reiko Matsunaga, "Tohoku Girl Yukino Bijin: Out of Sync in the City," Bessatsu Takarajima Keiba Meiba Dokuhon 3, No. 223, Takarajimasha, 1995, p. 173. In the race, she defied the odds, leading from start to finish and beating the second-place finisher, Biko Alpha, by three lengths to win her Central debut. Her next race came after a long layoff: the Oka Sho in April. Entering the race as the fifth favorite, she finished second, tied with Vega on time. In the subsequent Yushun Himba, she again raced near the front but allowed Vega to claim the Fillies’ Double Crown, finishing second for the second consecutive time. During the spring of her four-year-old season, the condition of her hip joint was not ideal; however, the fact that she was able to put up a close fight against Vega under those circumstances suggested that she had the potential for even greater success if her condition improved."Kansai Horse Racing Quarterly Report, Spring 1994," *Keiba Book*, Vol. 15, No. 1, p. 1319, Keiba Book. After the Yushun Himba, there were plans for her to run in the Radio Nikkei Sho, but she was instead sent to rest."Kansai Horse Racing Quarterly Report, Autumn 1993," *Keiba Book*, Vol. 14, No. 3, p. 1306, Keiba Book. In the fall, she resumed racing with the Queen Stakes, where she won by two lengths over Hokuto Vega, living up to her status as the favorite. In her first race under jockey Okabe, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, she finished in 10th behind Hokuto Vega, but in the Turquoise Stakes at the end of the year, she secured victory by a length and a half over Alpha Cute. After that, due in part to a fracture in the pastern of her left front leg, she never raced again,"Kansai Horse Racing Quarterly Report, Autumn 1994," *Keiba Book*, Vol. 15, No. 3, p.1308, Keiba Book. and in September 1994, she was removed from the race register and retired to become a broodmare.
Racing form The following racing form is based on information available on JBIS search and netkeiba.com. DateRacecourseRaceGradeDistanceGateOddsFav.Fin.TimeMarginJockeyWinner (Runner-Up)1992 – three-year-old seasonAug 10MoriokaThree-Year-Old NewcomerMaidenD 850m210:53.0 -1.0Masahiko Onodera(Mitaka Passer)Aug 31MoriokaThree-Year-Old ThoroughbredsD 1420m411:33.8 -1.0Isao Sugawara(Tohoku Grass)Sep 14MoriokaBeginners C1D 1100m111:09.5 -0.6Isao Sugawara(Sakamoto Rookie)Oct 10MizusawaNambu Koma ShoListedD 1600m925th1:46.50.5Toshihiko KobayashiEbisu Sakura1993 – four-year-old seasonFeb 27NakayamaCrocus StakesOPT 1600m834.391:34.9 -0.5Tomio Yasuda(Biko Alpha)Apr 11HanshinOka ShoG1T 1600m215.651:37.20.0Tomio YasudaVegaMay 23TokyoYushun HimbaG1T 2400m98.832:27.60.3Tomio YasudaVegaOct 3NakayamaQueen StakesG3T 2000m132.412:02.3 -0.3Tomio Yasuda(Hokuto Vega)Nov 14KyotoQueen Elizabeth II CupG1T 2400m94.0310th2:26.21.3Yukio OkabeHokuto VegaDec 18NakayamaTurquoise StakesOPT 1800m61.911:49.4 -0.2Yukio Okabe(Alpha Cute) Legend
D = Dirt T = Turf
Retirement
Breeding career After her racing career ended, Yukino Bijin began her breeding career at Murata Ranch, producing a total of 12 foals (9 colts and 3 fillies) over the course of 15 years. However, she never produced a winner of a graded stakes race at either the national or regional levels. Although her conception rate was good, she suffered from poor hoof health, and her legs would ache when she became pregnant; consequently, she retired from breeding in 2010 and continued to live at Murata Ranch as a horse of meritorious service.
c = colt, f = filly No.NameFoaledSexColorSireRacesWinsRemarks1stKanetsu Leaf1996cChestnutNorthern Taste402ndYukino Quasar1997Generous4433rdYukino Attack1998Forty Niner4114thYukino Charm1999fBayPilsudski141Broodmare5thYukino Aether2001cDark bayOath636thRoyal Halo2003ChestnutBlack TuxedoDid not run7thMaruhachi Doran2004Dark bayWinning Ticket3328thLaurel Wens2005BayCommander in Chief2309th(unnamed)2006Dark bayManhattan CafePedigree unregistered10thFujino Bowgun2007BayCommander in Chief8011thHaru Zion2008fChestnutTimber Country80Broodmare12thCoindol2009Dark bayLincoln194Broodmare
Death & memorial In 2016, she failed to recover even during the time of year when her coat would typically begin to shine, and she died of old age in the pasture on July 22. She was 26 years old at the time of her death. In the spring of 2018, following the accidental death of Charm Asleep, another Murata Farm-bred horse who had won the South Kanto Fillies’ Triple Crown. A memorial plaque was erected for her at Yushun Memorial Park alongside that of Charm Asleep, partly as a gesture of gratitude to the fans.
In popular culture An anthropomorphized version of Yukino Bijin appears as a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Nozomi Yamamoto. She is characterized as a sincere, hardworking girl from the rural northern countryside of the Iwate Prefecture, whose humble beginnings working on her family's farm gave her an Iwate dialect (localized as a Southern accent in the global release of the mobile game). Her motivation for racing stems from her dream of becoming an ideal cosmopolitan city girl with the guidance of her role model, Gold City.
Pedigree
References