Sakura Bakushin O

Sakura Bakushin O (Japanese: サクラバクシンオー; 14 April 1989 – 30 April 2011) was a Japanese thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He is regarded as one of the greatest short-distance race horses in Japanese horse-racing history, winning 11 of his 12 starts in races 1400 meters or shorter, including consecutive victories in the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes and earning the JRA Award for Best Sprinter or Miler in 1994.^[2] However, he never won a race longer than 1400 meters despite nine attempts at them. As a sire, Sakura Bakushin O was also successful, producing numerous graded stakes winners. As a damsire, Sakura Bakushin O has continued to see success, most notably through Kitasan Black.

Sakura Bakushin O was foaled 14 April 1989 at the Shadai Farm in Abira, Hokkaido. His sire was Sakura Yutaka O, who was the winner of the 1986 Autumn Tenno Sho. His dam, Sakura Hagoromo, was a daughter of Northern Taste and was a full-sister of 1981 Arima Kinen and 1983 Spring Tenno Sho winner Amber Shadai.^[3]

In the fall of 1991, when Sakura Bakushin O was two years old, he was transferred to the Miho Horse Training Center in Ibaraki Prefecture.^[4] His trainer Katsutaro Sakai noted that he showed excellent speed, but like his sire Sakura Yutaka O, appeared to have a weak constitution and some leg problems.^[4] However, with Sakura Bakushin O being related to Amber Shadai, there was hope that Sakura Bakushin O would eventually be able to do well with longer distance races and was not considered yet to be a sprinter.^[4]

Sakura Bakushin O made his racing debut in January 1992 in a newcomers race at Nakayama Racecourse's dirt track. Bakushin was the second favorite, but in the race took the lead early and extended to win by five lengths.^[5] Two weeks later, he was entered in to the Kurochiku Sho, a 1600 meter open race also at Nakayama. He entered as the favorite, but was beaten in the final straight by Meiner Coat.^[6] His third race, a 1200 meter race again at Nakayama, was a victory for Sakura Bakushin O, winning by four lengths and running a time faster than four-year-old horses achieved on the same day.^[7] After this success, Sakura Bakushin O's trainer decided it best to focus on shorter-distance sprint races, but agreed with the horse's owner to enter him in to a medium-distance race one more time for a last evaluation.^[8] As such, Sakura Bakushin O was entered in to the Spring Stakes at the end of March, a trial race often used in preparation for the Satsuki Shō. Sakura Bakushin O was the third favorite, but his run in the race was poor, finishing only 12th in the 14 horse field, several seconds behind race winner Mihono Bourbon.^[9]

After the poor showing at the Spring Stakes, Sakura Bakushin O's trainer abandoned plans to enter him in to the classics races. In mid-April, he was instead entered in to the Grade 3 Crystal Stakes in a return to shorter races. He won by 3+1⁄2 lengths for his first graded stakes win.^[10] His next race, the open Shobu Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse, was also a win, but June, he was entered in to the New Zealand Trophy, a 1600 meter race. Sakura Bakushin O was only able to finish seventh, with the result blamed on a combination of race distance and poor training.^[11]

Sakura Bakushin O was rested for the summer. He returned in autumn with a pair of 1600 meter races - the Grade 3 Keisei Hai Autumn Handicap in mid-September and the open Tamagawa Stakes in late October. Sakura Bakushin O did not win either, finishing third and seventh, respectively.^[12] In November, he was entered in to the 1400 meter Capital Stakes, where he returned to victory. At the end of December, he was entered in to his first Grade 1 event, the Sprinters Stakes. He entered as the second favorite behind Daitaku Helios.^[13] In the race, neither would win, and instead Nishino Flower charged forward from the back and took victory, while Sakura Bakushin O slipped backwards and finished sixth. It would be the only time that Sakura Bakushin O would lose a 1400 meter race.^[13]

Sakura Bakushin O suffered leg injuries at the start of 1993, and as a result did not race in the spring or summer.^[14] He returned in October with the Autumn Sprint Stakes at Nakayama. He was the second favorite, in part due to not racing in so long, but took victory.^[14] At the end of October he was entered in to another 1600 meter race, but finshed only fourth. He was then entered in to the Capital Stakes for the second year in a row. He won the race again, setting a similar time as what he had done the previous year.^[15]

Sakura Bakushin O was once again entered in to the Sprinters Stakes. He entered the race as the second favorite behind Yamanin Zephyr, who had already won both the Yasuda Kinen and Autumn Tenno Sho in 1993 and had been the second place finished in the 1992 Sprinters Stakes.^[16] In the race, both Sakura Bakushin O and Yamanin Zephyr settled in the mid-pack in the early race, but in the final stretch Sakura Bakushin O broke out to the front and took victory by 2 lengths. It was Sakura Bakushin O's first grade 1 race victory.^[17]

At the end of the year, Sakura Bakushin O finished second in voting for the JRA Award for Best Sprinter or Miler, behind Yamanin Zephyr.

For 1994, Sakura Bakushin O's trainer aimed to run him in the spring at the Yasuda Kinen, a Grade I event of 1600 meters, despite the horse having not won at that distance yet.^[18] In preparation, Sakura Bakushin O was initially entered in to the Tokyo Shimbun Hai, a race of similar distance, but due to the handicap that would be assigned to him in this race, he was withdrawn and instead entered in to the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy, a 1200 meter race. Sakura Bakushin O won again, pulling out to such a large lead that his jockey was able to pull up before the finish line.^[18] In May, Sakura Bakushin O was entered in the Yasuda Kinen as planned. In 1994, the Yasuda Kinen had reached international Grade 1 status, as so attracted entry from multiple horses from overseas, including the American horses Zieten and Ski Paradise, the British horse Sayyedati, and the French horse Dolphin Street.^[19] Sakura Bakushin O was third favorite entering the race, with Dolphin Street the favorite. During the race, Sakura Bakushin O was toward the front for most of the race and led entering the final straight, but was unable to keep up in the final straight and fell to fourth, while the horse North Flight took victory.^[20]

Sakura Bakushin O was rested for the summer before returning in autumn, with his trainer aiming for a potential run in the autumn Tenno Sho.^[21] In early October, he was entered in to the Grade 2 Mainichi Ōkan in preparation for this attempt, marking the first time since 1992 that he ran a race of 1800 meters. He entered the race as the fourth favorite. Sakura Bakushin O led for some of the race, but slipped to fourth, with the eventual Tenno Sho winner Nehai Caesar taking victory.^[21] With this loss, his trainer decided to abandon running the Tenno Sho and return to shorter distance races again.

In late October, Sakura Bakushin O was entered in to the grade 2 Swan Stakes. He would win this race by 1⁄4 length over North Flight. His winning time was 1:19.9, marking the first time that a horse went faster than 1:20 in a 1400 meter race in Japan.^[22] The time would also stand as a record for that distance at Hanshin Racecourse until 2017.^[23] In November, he was then entered in to the Grade 1 Mile Championship, his final attempt to race at 1600 meters. He was the second favorite behind North Flight. The fight for the win was between himself and North Flight, with North Flight taking victory by 1⁄2 length.^[24]

In December, Sakura Bakushin O was entered in to the Sprinters Stakes for the third year in a row. Prior to the race, his trainer announced that this would be his final race before being retired, regardless of the result.^[25] For 1994, the Sprinters Stakes became an international grade 1 event, and like the Yasuda Kinen attracted foreign horses. Zieten, who had run in the Yasuda Kinen, returned for the Sprinters Stakes, along with Soviet Problem, who had finished second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint in America two months earlier.^[26] Despite the foreign presence, Sakura Bakushin O was the favorite entering the Sprinters Stakes. In the race, he ran just behind the leaders until the final turn, when he broke free and pulled ahead, taking his second victory in a row in the Sprinter Stakes by four lengths over Biko Pegasus. The American horse Soviet Problem finished seventh and did not place.^[25] Sakura Bakushin O's winning time was 1:07.1, a new record for fastest 1200 meters in Japan.^[26] This record would stand as a national record until 1997, and a course record for Nakayama until 2001.

Sakura Bakushin O was retired from racing as planned after the Sprinters Stakes, and a retirement ceremony was held at Nakayama Racecourse on 15 January 1995.^[27] During the JRA awards at the end of 1994, he was selected as the best sprinter or miler for the year, finishing ahead of North Flight in the voting.^[28]

Sakura Bakushin O ran in 21 total races in his career. He won 11 of these races, all at distances of 1400 meters or shorter.^[29]

Sakura Bakushin O was retired to stud at the Shadai Stallion Station in Abira, Hokkaido. He became a leading sire in Japan, producing numerous graded stakes winners and consistently ranking within the top 10 sires in the country through the 2000s.^[30] In 2000, he was second in Japan's sire rankings, only behind Sunday Silence.^[30] His offspring, like himself, tended to excel at shorter distance races of 1600 meters or shorter. Some of his most notable offspring include Shonan Kampf, who won the 2002 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, Grand Prix Boss, who won the 2010 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes and 2011 NHK Mile Cup, and Big Arthur, who won the 2016 Takamatsunomiya Kinen.^[31] Overall, Sakura Bakushin O's offspring won over 1,380 races, ranking fifth out of any Japanese sire.^[32] Horses foaled by Sakura Bakushin O were present in Japanese horse racing through 2022, when Daishin Balkan, the last of his foals still racing, was retired.^[33]

Sakura Bakushin O has also had success as a broodmare sire. Most notably, he is the damsire of Kitasan Black, a JRA Hall of Fame horse with seven Grade I wins who has also become a major sire in Japan. Sakura Bakushin O is also notably the damsire of 2023 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner First Force, 2025 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Satono Reve, and 2025 Yushun Himba winner Kamunyak.^[34]

Sakura Bakushin O died on 30 April 2011 after suffering heart failure at age 22.^[35]

c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding

bold = grade 1 stakes^[31]

• Blandices
• Grand Prix Boss
• Big Arthur

An anthropomorphized version of Sakura Bakushin O appears in the Japanese media franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Sachika Misawa.^[36][37]