Schnell Meister

Schnell Meister (シュネルマイスター, foaled 23 March 2018) is a German-bred Japanese-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promise as a two-year-old in 2020 when he won both of his races. In the following spring he finished second in the Yayoi Sho before winning the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup.

Background
Schnell Meister is a bay colt with a small white star bred in Germany by the Japanese breeding company Northern Farm. He entered the ownership of the Northern Farm associate Sunday Racing and was sent into training with Takahisa Tezuka.

He was from the third crop of foals sired by Kingman who was named Cartier Horse of the Year in 2014 when he won the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Prix Jacques Le Marois. Schnell Meister was the first foal of his dam Serienholde, a top class racemare who won the Preis der Diana as a three-year-old in 2016. She was a descendant of the German broodmare Suleika (foaled 1954) who was the ancestor of numerous major winners including Slip Anchor, Manhattan Cafe and Buena Vista.

2020: two-year-old season
Schnell Meister made a successful racecourse debut at Sapporo Racecourse on 9 September when he won an event for previously unraced juveniles over 1500 metres on firm ground. Ridden by Takeshi Yokoyama he started the 1.1/1 favourite and took the lead in the straight before prevailing by three quarters of a length from Ten War Cry. After a break of three months the colt returned to the track in Nakayama Racecourse in December when he was partnered by Christophe Lemaire and went off favourite for the 1600 metre Hiiragi Sho. He raced in mid-division before going to the front in the straight and came home three lengths clear of Wazamono with Arabian Night in third.

2021: three-year-old season
For his three-year-old debut Schnell Meister was stepped up in class for the Grade 2 Yayoi Sho (a trial race for the Satsuki Sho) over 2000 metres at Nakayama on 7 March. With Lemaire in the saddle, and starting 3.9/1 second choice in the ten-runner field he raced in second place behind Titleholder, and although he was unable to challenge the front-running winner he held on to finish runner-up, a neck ahead of the favourite Danon The Kid. The fact that the colt had been unable to close on the winner in the closing stages of the race led Takahisa Tezuka to abandon plans to run him in the Satsuki Sho and bring him back in distance.

On 9 May Schnell Meister was partnered with Lemaire when he was one of eighteen three-year-olds to contest the 26th edition of the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup over 1600 metres at Tokyo Racecourse. He went off the 2.7/1 second favourite behind Grenadier Guards in a field which also included Bathrat Leon (winner of the New Zealand Trophy), Ho O Amazon (Arlington Cup), Rooks Nest (Falcon Stakes), Pixie Knight (Shinzan Kinen) and Shock Action (Niigata Nisai Stakes). Schnell Meister settled in mid-division as Pixie Knight set the pace from Ho O Amazon and Grenadier Guards and turned into the straight in ninth place. In the closing stages he produced a sustained run on the outside and caught the filly Songline on the line to win by a nose. Grenadier Guards was two and a half lengths back in third to complete a 1-2-3 for Sunday Racing. Lemaire, who had just marked his 37th Grade 1 race win in Japan, commented; "He took some time to get into gear but eventually got into a good rhythm and responded strongly in the critical stages... There is still a lot of greenness in Schnell Meister and a lot of room for improvement but once he's established himself physically, he should be able to handle the best." Schnell Meister was then sent to the Yasuda Kinen, where he finished a close third behind Danon Kingly and Gran Alegria.

After a summer break, Schnell Meister was entered in to the Mainichi Okan, where he beat Danon Kingly by a head, earning him his second grade race win. The horse was then sent to the Mile Championship but lost to Gran Alegria by 3/4 of a length.

2022-23: four and five-year old seasons
Schnell Meister's first race for the 2022 season was the Dubai Turf, of which he was the most favored to win. Despite this, he finished 8th. The horse then went on to race in the Yasuda Kinen once again this time losing to Songline by a neck. After this race, however, he couldn't make an impressive showing for the remainder of the year. It was not until the Yomiuri Milers Cup of 2023 that Schnell Meister would be able to win any race. This win, which marked his 3rd graded race victory, allowed for the horse to enter the Yasuda Kinen for a third year in row. However, he finished third to Songline in that race in spite of covering the last three furlongs the fastest.

After a summer break, he was entered in to the Mainichi Okan, where he came in third behind and Songline, and the following month he ran the Mile Championship, where he finished at 7th place. This would become his last race, as Sunday Racing announced several days after the race that both he and Songline would retire at the same time.