Cesario (horse)

Cesario (Japanese: シーザリオ, March 31, 2002 – February 27, 2021) was a champion Japanese thoroughbred racehorse who won the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and American Oaks in 2005.^[3]

Cesario's sire Special Week was a champion horse who won the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in 1998, as well as the Tenno Sho (Spring), Tenno Sho (Autumn) and Japan Cup in 1999.^[4] Her dam, Kirov Premiere, a horse bred in Britain and trained in Ireland, also had good performance on turf who won the Group 3 race Rutgers Handicap in 1993.^[5][6]

The horse is named after the alias used by the main character of the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night.^[3]

Cesario's racing career started, with Yuichi Fukunaga in saddle, in a maiden race over 1600 meters held at Hanshin Racecourse on December 25.^[7]

Cesario began her second season with the 2000 meter race Kanchiku Sho, defeating Admire Fuji by a neck.^[8] Two months later she moved up in class and set her sights on a graded race debut with the Grade III Flower Cup, an 1800 meter race at Nakayama Racecourse.^[9] She won by two and half lengths, breaking the race's record in the process.

After becoming a graded race winner, her next race was the Oka Sho, the first race of Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown (Triple Tiara). As Fukunaga announced he would ride Rhein Kraft in the same race, Cesario's jockey was changed to Minoru Yoshida.^[10] The race was close, with Rhein Kraft defeating Cesario by a head.^[11][12]

Later, she raced in the second leg of Triple Tiara, which was the Grade I race Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) held at Tokyo Racecourse. As her main rival Rhein Kraft chose to join the NHK Mile Cup, Cesario could once again be ridden by Fukunaga in the race.^[13] She finished the last three furlongs in 33.3 seconds, winning her first Grade I crown by a neck.^[14][15]

Cesario's trainer Katsuhiko Sumii announced their plan to join the American Oaks. After a one-month break, she arrived at Hollywood Park on 20 June to compete with several strong rivals such as unbeaten horse Melhor Ainda, Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1,000 Guineas) winner Silver Cup and Oaks d'Italia runner up Hallowed Dream.^[16][17] Cesario won by four lengths and broke the record with a time of 1:59.03, becoming the first Japanese trained three-year-old horse to win an overseas Grade 1 race.^[18] Because of her great performance in this race, Cesario was described as a "Japanese Super Star" by a local race commenter.^[19]

After returning to Japan, Cesario originally planned to come back to America and participate in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf held at Belmont Park in November.^[20] However, she showed symptoms of Suspensory Desmitis, causing the plans to be scrapped.^[21]

For her efforts in winning two Oaks titles, Cesario was given the JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Filly and JRA Award for Best Horse By Home-bred Sire.^[22]

In the beginning of 2006, as Cesario showed a good recovery, Sumii planned to let her race in the inaugural Grade I race Victoria Mile.^[23] However, Cesario developed symptoms of Suspensory Desmitis again. As a result, Carrot Club decided to retire her to become a broodmare in order to avoid any future risk.^[24]

Cesario was retired to become a broodmare at Northern Farm.^[24] As of 2024, she had produced twelve named foals and ten winners including three Group 1 race champions:^[25]

• Twelfth Night, a dark bay colt, foaled in 2007, sired by King Kamehameha. Won one race.^[26]
• Viola, brown filly, 2008, by King Kamehameha. Did not perform in any race.^[27]
• Epiphaneia, bay colt, 2010, by Symboli Kris S. Won six races including Group 1 Kikuka Sho and Japan Cup. Later sired the first undefeated Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown horse Daring Tact and three-time Group 1 winner Efforia.^[28]
• Rosalind, dark bay filly, 2011, by Symboli Kris S. Failed to win in six races. Later produced Grade 2 Aoba Sho and Copa Republica Argentina winner Authority.^[29]
• Claudio, bay colt, later gelded, 2012, by Harbinger. Won one race.^[30]
• Leontes, dark bay colt, 2013, by King Kamehameha. Won two races including Group 1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. Sire of T O Royal and Satsuki Shō winner Museum Mile.^[31]
• Globe Theatre, dark bay colt, 2014, by King Kamehameha. Won seven races.^[32]
• Celia, brown filly, 2015 by King Kamehameha. Won two races.^[33]
• Saturnalia, dark bay colt, 2016, by Lord Kanaloa. Won six races including Group 1 Hopeful Stakes and Satsuki Sho.^[34]
• First Folio, chestnut filly, 2017, by King Kamehameha. Won four races.^[35]
• Lupercalia, bay colt, 2018, by Maurice. Won two races. Active.^[36]
• Tempest, dark bay colt, 2020, by Lord Kanaloa. Won one race. Active.^[37]

• Epiphaneia (2010)
• Leontes (2013)
• Saturnalia (2015)

Below data is based on data available on JBIS Search,^[1] netkeiba.com,^[38] and Equibase.^[39]

Legend:
  Turf

An anthropomorphized version of Cesario appears in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Haruka Sato.^[40]

On 27 February 2021, Cesario died of hemorrhagic shock caused by arterial rupture in uterus during pregnancy.^[43][44][45]

• List of racehorses