Shinzan

Shinzan (シンザン; 2 April 1961 – 13 July 1996) was a thoroughbred racehorse that won the Japanese Triple Crown.

Background
Shinzan was a bay horse bred by Yoshimatsu Matsuhashi. He was sired by Irish Derby winner Hindostan. His dam, Hayanobori was a great-granddaughter of the Irish mare Beautiful Dreamer who was imported to Japan in the 1930s and became extremely influential: her other descendants included the Japanese classic winners Kazuyoshi, Jitsu Homare, Hakuryo and Meiji Hikari. Shinzan was foaled on April 2, 1961, in the Hokkaidō Prefecture.

Racing career
Shinzan was generally considered to be the best Japanese racehorse of the post-war era and became the first horse to win all 5 big titles of Japan including the Japanese Triple Crown.

He became the second horse to win the Japanese Triple Crown and was named Japanese Horse of the Year in 1964. Shinzan won the Arima Kinen, Takarazuka Kinen and Tenno Sho (Autumn) as a four-year-old, defending his Horse of the Year title.

Stud record
Shinzan was a successful sire in Japan. His most successful offspring was Miho Shinzan (ミホシンザン) who won the Japanese 2,000 Guineas, Japanese St. Leger, and the Tenno Sho (Spring).

Pensioned form stud duties in 1987, Shinzan spent the rest of life at Tanikawa Stud. He lost the sight in his right eye in his later years and also lost all of his teeth. Eventually, he could not stand by himself at times, and his physical weakening became more prominent after February, 1994. He died of old age at about 2:00 a.m. on July 13, 1996. He was 35 years, three months and 11 days old. He is (to date) the longest-lived thoroughbred horse ever recorded in Japan.

A funeral service was held posthumously. Shinzan's grave is located in the Tanikawa Stud of Urakawacho, Urakawa-gun, Hokkaido, and a bronze statue of Shinzan was built in this stud.

Principal Race Wins

 * 1964 Fuji TV Sho Spring Stakes, Tokyo Turf 1800m
 * 1964 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas), Tokyo Turf 2000m
 * 1964 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Tokyo Turf 2400m
 * 1964 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), Kyoto Turf 3000m
 * 1965 Takarazuka Kinen, Hanshin Turf 2000m
 * 1965 Meguro Kinen (Autumn), Tokyo Turf 2500m
 * 1965 Tenno Sho (Autumn), Tokyo Turf 3200m
 * 1965 Arima Kinen (Grand Prix), Nakayama Turf 2600m

Satsuki Sho, Tokyo Yushun, Kikuka Sho, Tenno Sho (Autumn), Arima Kinen was 5 of the 8 major races in Japan (the other 3 are Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, and Tenno Sho (Spring)), before the introduction of Grade in 1984 which categorized all as GI in 1984. Also, before 1981, a horse can only win Tenno Sho once in their career.

Awards
(Keishu Award is current JRA Award.)
 * 1964 Horse of the Year and Best Three-year-old Colt (Keishu Award)
 * 1965 Horse of the Year and Best Older Colt or Horse (Keishu Award)
 * 1984 JRA Hall of Fame horse