Uberleben

Uberleben, (ユーバーレーベン, foaled 27 January 2018) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed promise as a juvenile in 2020 when she won on her racecourse debut and went on to finish second in the Sapporo Nisai Stakes and third in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. In the following year she ran third in both the Flower Cup and the Flora Stakes before taking the Yushun Himba.

Background
Uberleben is a brown filly bred in Japan by Big Red Farm. She entered the ownership of K.Thoroughbred Club Ruffian and was sent into training with Takahisa Tezuka. She usually races in a hood.

She was from the second crop of foals sired by Gold Ship, an outstanding Japanese racehorse whose wins included the Satsuki Sho, Kikuka Sho, Tenno Sho, Arima Kinen and Takarazuka Kinen. Uberleben's dam Meine Theresia showed modest racing ability, winning one minor contest from three starts as a two-year-old in 2009. She was a daughter of the Flower Cup winner Meine Nouvelle and a female-line descendant of the British broodmare Inquisitive Rose, the grand-dam of Drum Taps.

2020: two-year-old season
Uberleben began her racing career in a contest for previously unraced juveniles over 1800 metres on soft ground at Tokyo Racecourse on 14 June when she was ridden by Keita Tosaki. Starting the 9.2/1 fourth choice in the betting she came from fourth place on the final turn to win by a nose from the colt Guadeloupe. The filly was again partnered by Tosaki when she was moved up in class for the Grade 3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes over the same distance Sapporo Racecourse on 5 September and went off at odds of 9.6/1 in a fourteen-runner field. After being restrained in the early stages she stayed on well in the straight to take second place, beaten a neck by the white filly Sodashi. She was ridden by Daichi Shibata in the Grade 3 Artemis Stakes at Tokyo on 31 October when she came home ninth behind Sodashi after racing at the rear of the fourteen-runner field for most of the way. For her final run of the year Uberleben was stepped up Grade 1 level for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies over 1600 metres Hanshin Racecourse on 13 December and started a 30/1 outsider. She raced towards the rear of the field as usual before producing a strong late run on the outside and finishing third, beaten a nose and a neck by Sodashi and Satono Reinas.

In the official Japanese rankings Uberleben was rated the third best two-year-old filly of 2020, two pound behind Sodashi and one pound behind Satono Reinas.

2021: three-year-old season
On her three-year-old debut 20 March at Nakayama Racecourse Uberleben was ridden by Yuji Tannai when she started favourite for the Grade 3 Flower Cup. She produced her customary late run from the rear of the field but was unable to catch the leaders and came home third behind Ho O Ixelles and Enthusiasm, beaten one and a quarter lengths by the winner. Takahisa Tezuka later explained that the filly had been suffering from colic early in the year and was unsuited by the tight turns of the Nakayama track. The filly was partnered by Demuro when she was stepped up in class and distance for the Flora Stakes (a trial race for the Yushun Himba) over 2000 metres at Tokyo on 25 April. Starting the 2.5/1 second favourite she settled in mid-division before staying on strongly to take third place behind Cool Cat and Slyly.

In the 82nd running of the Yushun Himba over 2400 metres at Tokyo on 23 May Uberleben was ridden by Demuro and went off the 7.9/1 third choice in the betting behind Sodashi and Akaitorino Musume (winner of the Daily Hai Queen Cup) in an eighteen-runner field which also included Fine Rouge (Fairy Stakes), Cool Cat, Enthusiasm and Slyly. She settled in mid-division on the outside as Cool Cat set the pace and turned into the straight in eighth place before making rapid progress down the centre of track. She gained the advantage approaching the last 200 metres and kept on well to win by a length and a nose from Akaitorino Musume and the 214/1 outsider Hagino Pilina. Demuro commented "She responded well when the pace accelerated from the third corner and showed her tenacity in steadily advancing in the straight. She was strong pulling away and holding off the others. The added distance wasn’t a problem for her at all."

After the Yushun Himba, Uberleben ran the Shuka Sho with Mirco Demuro as her jockey but came in at 13th place. Uberleben also then ran the Japan Cup but came in 6th place behind Contrail and Shahryar. Following the Japan Cup, it was announced that Uberleben's next race would be the Kyoto Kinen the following year.

2022: four-year-old season
Uberleben started the 2022 season by running the Kyoto Kinen, as announced previously, and came in 5th place despite being a 3.1/1 favorite. Uberleben then went on to compete in the 2022 Dubai Sheema Classic, of which she also came in 5th place behind Shahryar. Uberleben would have little success for the rest of the year, with her finishing the Autumn Tenno Sho at 8th place being the highest for the remaining half of 2022.