Yamanin Zephyr
Yamanin Zephyr was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Tennō Shō (Autumn) in 1993 and the Yasuda Kinen in 1992 and 1993. He had multiple awards and accumulated a total of ¥596,209,600 after his racing career.
Background
Yamanin Zephyr was a bay horse with a white star born on May 27, 1988 at the Nishikioka Farm, foaled by Yamanin Policy. He was sired by Nihon Pillow Winner, who was also a multiple G1 winner. His grandsire, Steel Heart, is an Irish-bred racehorse.After his victory in the Yasuda Kinen in 1992, he and his father became the second generation of father and son to win it.
Racing career
1991: Four-year-old season
Yamanin Zephyr made his debut race on March 9 at the Nakayama Racecourse. With an odds of 69.1, he finished first by two lengths over Never Song. He also won his next race by a nose with a finishing time of 1:12.0. At his next race, the now-defunct Crystal Cup, he only placed in third. He later returned to a dirt race but ultimately finished in seventh despite being the third favorite. In December, he achieved victory once again where he barely won by a nose against Onward Wood. At the Sprinters Stakes, he failed to advance further, placing seventh.1992: Five-year-old season
He returned on January 6 where he placed second in the Sunrise Stakes. Afterwards, he won his next dirt race but only finished third in the Keio Hai Spring Cup. On the Yasuda Kinen, he won by three-quarter lengths, marking it as his first G1 victory. He then finished in second at the Centaur Stakes and fifth at the Mile Championship. He ran again in this year's Sprinters Stakes and finished second.1993: Six-year-old season
In his six-year-old season, he finished in second at the Yomiuri Milers Cup, while he placed in fifth at the Nakayama Kinen. Later on, he won both the Keio Hai Spring Cup and the Yasuda Kinen for the second time. After placing sixth in the Mainichi Ōkan, he won his third and G1 race at the Autumn Tennō Shō. After finishing in second at the Spring Stakes, he was retired.Racing record
At the start of his career, Yamanin Zephyr mostly competed in dirt races, until he completely transitioned to turf in mid-1992. After the change, he also had a different jockey, Katsuharu Tanaka. He was ridden by seven different jockeys throughout his career.Stud career
He became a stud in Rex Stud and has sired a total of 554 foals. Some of his descendants are listed below.Legend:c: coltf: filly
| Foaled | Name | Sex | Major wins |
| 1995 | Sanford City | c | Musashino Stakes |
| 1996 | Hizen Hokusho | c | Tokyo Autumn Jump |
| 2000 | Passion Carry | c | New Year's Cup |
He retired in his stud duties at the age of 21 and was castrated before being moved to Nishikioka Farm.
Retirement and death
During his retirement, Yamanin Zephyr had a calm temperament and a good appetite. A farm staff member and Yamanin Zephyr's caretaker said, "When he was a stud, there were stories that he would glare at other horses, so he could be a bit noisy when he first came back to this ranch. However, once he started living a more relaxed life, he has developed a gentler personality. He follows a rhythm of letting out to graze every morning after 5am, collecting at 3-4pm, feeding, and grooming. He is in a daze when he is being groomed".The staff also added, "Zephyr is a small horse, but when I think about how hard he ran and achieved such results, I realize what an incredible horse he is. I hope he will take it easy from now on and live a long, healthy life. Lots of fans will come to see him in the summer, so I hope they will see him in good health".
Yamanin Zephyr later passed away on May 16, 2017 at the age of 29 as a result of complications from old age.