Tokino Minoru
Tokino Minoru was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse, who was an undefeated winner of his 10 race starts, which included the Tokyo Yushun.
Breeding
He was sired by Theft, a son of Tetratema, out of Daini Tyrant's Queen, a daughter of Soldennis. He was a brother to Daring and a half-brother to Izutada, by Tokino Chikara. Theft was the sire of Bostonian who also won the Tokyo Yushun. Tokino Minoru was inbred in the third and fourth generations to The Tetrarch.Racing career
; Major racing wins- 1950 Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes, Nakayama Turf 1100m
- 1951 Satsuki Sho, Nakayama Turf 2000m
- 1951 Tokyo Yushun, Tokyo Turf 2400m
Honours
The Kyodo Tsushin Hai, a three-year-old stakes race held at the Tokyo Racecourse, was given the subtitle "Tokino Minoru Kinen " in his honour in 1969. Tokino Minoru was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 1984.In popular culture
The owner of Tokino Minoru, Masaichi Nagata, who was the President of Daiei Film, commissioned a movie based on his life, titled The Phantom Horse, which was released in 1955.Legacy and memorials
At the time of Tokino Minoru's debut, national horse racing was struggling financially, overshadowed by the boom in local horse racing. Because of this, it was uncertain if it was possible to continue running the Japanese Derby. Tokino Minoru, who attracted widespread public attention, was seen as a 'saviour' for national horse racing. Among the more over 70,000 spectators who came on Derby day, Kuniharu Hashimoto said that 'many fans just wanted to see Tokino Minoru race, even if only for a moment'. The writer Takashi Iwakawa described it as 'not merely gambling. Even those who had previously been indifferent to horse racing began to visit the racetrack to witness the earnest and selfless sprint of this one horse, a gift from Heaven.' Iwakawa referred to Tokino Minoru as 'the founder of the Derby's revival' and 'the protagonist of the first horse racing boom.'Keijiro Okawa, a horse racing commentator, regarding the Derby, recalled "When Tokino Minoru surged at the third corner, the crowd erupted. I thought, everyone is cheering for Tokino Minoru," and after the finish, he reflected, "Ah, finally horse racing has become something for everyone." He also reminisced about the memorable commemorative photo surrounded by fans, stating, "I felt that postwar horse racing had become racing for the fans." Okawa further remarked, "In Japanese horse racing history, whenever the fan base expanded and attention grew, there would always appear a significant star horse at the key moments." He identified Tokino Minoru as the first example of this, with future examples being Shinzan, Takeshiba O, Haiseiko, and Oguri Cap. Hidetaka Takamizu commented, "He was one of the pivotal figures in the era when horse racing solidified its position as a gambling sport."