No Reason (horse)

No Reason
ノーリーズン
No Reason on 11th of September, 2004 at the paddock during Asahi Challenge Cup
BreedThoroughbred
SireBrian's Time[1]
GrandsireRoberto[1]
DamAmbrosine[1]
DamsireMr. Prospector[1]
SexStallion[1]
Foaled(1999-06-04)4 June 1999[1]
Died7 May 2024(2024-05-07) (aged 25)[2]
CountryJapan[1]
ColorBay[1]
BreederNorth Hills Co Ltd[1]
OwnerShinji Maeda[1]
Racing colors
TrainerYasuo Ikee[1]
JockeyYutaka Take
Brett Doyle[3]
Record12: 3-1-0[3]
Earnings¥186,017,000[1]
Major wins
Japanese Classic Race wins:
Satsuki Sho (2002)
Last updated on 2 June 2026

No Reason (Japanese: ノーリーズン, Hepburn: Nō Rīzun; 4 June, 1999 - 7 May 2024)[1] was a Japanese racehorse by Brian's Time, out of Ambrosine. He was famously known for his upset victory at the 2002 Satsuki Sho despite the unlucky draw entrance, ridden by unfamiliar jockey (Brett Doyle) and as the fifteenth favourite for the race.[4][5]

Background

No Reason was sire by Brian's Time, who was a successful sire in Japan as he was also the sire of the 1994 triple crown winner, Narita Brian; 1995 Kikuka Sho and Arima Kinen winner, Mayano Top Gun; 1997 Satsuki Sho and Tokyo Yushun winner, Sunny Brian and also a fellow rival who eventually would win the 2002 Tokyo Yushun, Tanino Gimlet.[6] Her dam, Ambrosine was sired by Mr. Prospector, who was one of the leading sires in America.[7]

Racing career

2002: three-year-old season

On 5th of January, he made a debut at the Kyoto Racecourse with Yutaka Take on his saddle and won by two lengths over Agnes Planet.[8][9] Take stayed as his jockey at the second race in Kobushi Sho where he positioned at the middle to front group before bolted up field and got his second win by three-quarters-of-a-length over Matikanemenimomiyo.[10] With two wins, he joined one of the Satsuki Sho trial which was the Wakaba Stakes. With Yuichi Fukunaga at the jockey this time, No Reason ran well and stayed at third place before losing out at the final straight and finished in seventh.[11] Due to this result, his participation in the classic had to be decided by the lottery. Thankfully, he was selected even though with a low chance of 2/7.[5] At the race day, he would start from the stall number two and ridden by a short-term license foreign jockey, Brett Doyle. In the first half of the race, he was slow to get going and trailed in about 10th position. As the race progressed, The pace picked up and the horses started to make move into position aggressively. However, at the fourth turn, lots of favoured horses including Tanino Gimlet were forced wide and the gap between them and the leading group stabilized. Meanwhile, No Reason stayed firm on the inside track, made a good turn around the corner and drew level with the leading group at the start of the straight. He took the lead halfway down the straight and then extended his finishing kick even further. At the final 200 metres, Tiger Cafe and Tanino Gimlet started to chase back but No Reason held on to win the race by one and three-quarters-of-a-length over Tiger Cafe in second place.[4][12] In this race, No Reason broke the speed record of the competition by 0.5 seconds quicker than previous record setter, Narita Brian in 1994.[5] At the Tokyo Yushun one month later, He ran in the race as the second favorite but an accident occurred after the race when a fracture was discovered as he finished in eighth place.[13] He recovered from said injury and ran well on the Kikuka Sho trial, the Kobe Shimbun Hai. In this race, Take who returned as his jockey rode him at the back of the pack in early phase before charged forward after two-thirds of the race, only coming in second place behind Symboli Kris S who was on similar strategy as him.[14][15] Due to Symboli Kris S opting for the Tenno Sho (Autumn), No Reason became the favourite for the Kikuka Sho for this season. Unfortunately, he reared up, fell and threw Take off the saddle at the start and did not finish the race.[16] The race turned up to be another major upset of the season as it was won by Hishi Miracle (10th favourite) with Fast Tateyama (16th favourite) finished in second place.[17] He finished the year with an eighth-place finished at the Japan Cup and sixth-place finished at the Arima Kinen.[3]

2003–2004: Later seasons

At the start of the 2003 season, he finished well in his first two races with a fifth-place finished at the Kyoto Kinen and a fourth-place finished at the Hanshin Daishoten which would be the preparatory races for the Tenno Sho (Spring).[3][8] Sadly, he developed a superficial digital flexor tendonitis in his left foreleg and took a break for the rest of the season.[18] He returned at the Asahi Challenge Cup in autumn 2004 but finished poorly at the last place (11th).[19] He was retired from racing and moved to stud duty soon after this race at the North Hills Management Farm at Niikappu, Hokkaido.[20]

Racing form

No Reason won three races out of 12 starts. This data is available based on JBIS and netkeiba.[8][3]

Date Racecourse Race Grade Distance
(Condition)		 Entry HN Odds

(Favored)

 Finish Time Margins Jockey Winner

(Runner-up)

2002 – three-year-old season
5 Jan Kyoto 3yo Debut 1,800 m (Firm) 16 1 6.7 (2) 1st 1:50.2 –0.3 Yutaka Take (Agnes Planet)
9 Feb Kyoto Kobushi Sho ALW (1W) 1,600 m (Firm) 15 12 3.6 (2) 1st 1:35.5 –0.1 Yutaka Take (Matikanemenimomiyo)
16 Mar Hanshin Wakaba Stakes OP 2,000 m (Firm) 11 7 5.3 (2) 7th 2:02.4 0.9 Yuichi Fukunaga Shigeru God Hand
14 Apr Nakayama Satsuki Sho 1 2,000 m (Firm) 18 2 115.9 (15) 1st R1:58.5 –0.3 Brett Doyle (Tiger Cafe)
26 May Tokyo Tokyo Yushun 1 2,400 m (Firm) 18 2 5.0 (2) 8th 2:26.9 0.7 Masayoshi Ebina Tanino Gimlet
22 Sep Hanshin Kobe Shimbun Hai 2 2,000 m (Firm) 16 15 5.7 (2) 2nd 1:59.5 0.4 Yutaka Take Symboli Kris S
20 Oct Kyoto Kikuka Sho 1 3,000 m (Firm) 18 6 2.5 (1) DNF – – Yutaka Take Hishi Miracle
24 Nov Nakayama Japan Cup 1 2,200 m (Firm) 16 9 13.2 (4) 8th 2:13.0 0.8 Masayoshi Ebina Falbrav
22 Dec Nakayama Arima Kinen 1 2,500 m (Good) 14 6 20.8 (6) 6th 2:33.7 1.1 Masayoshi Ebina Symboli Kris S
2003 – four-year-old season
22 Feb Kyoto Kyoto Kinen 2 2,200 m (Good) 16 6 3.7 (2) 5th 2:16.8 0.3 Yutaka Take My Sole Sound
23 Mar Hanshin Hanshin Daishoten 2 3,000 m (Firm) 15 3 9.0 (3) 4th 3:06.6 0.7 Futoshi Komaki Daitaku Bertram
2004 – five-year-old season
11 Sep Hanshin Asahi Challenge Cup 3 2,000 m (Firm) 11 10 14.4 (4) 11th 2:02.2 0.6 Katsumi Ando Suzuka Mambo

Legend:
  Turf

  • R indicated that it was record time finish

Stud career, retirement and death

North Hills Management moved him to Yushun Stallion Station in 2005 for his first stud duty.[21] He was not good as a sire, in which the best progeny he ever had was Kiss Me Prince who placed third at the 2008 Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun.[22] For his total career as a stud; he covered 110 mares, produced 79 foals, registered 75 foals as racehorses, earned ¥286,462,500 in progeny winnings with AEI of 0.32.[23]

He was then retired as a stud and moved to Matsuura Riding Center in Minamisoma City, Fukushima and proposed to live out his remaining live there.[16][24] During the Tohoku Earthquake in 2011, he was among the horses that being evacuated to Utsunomiya University.[25] He moved back to Matsuura Riding Center not long after that.[16]

Then, he was moved to Shikagashira Stable which was located on the same town in 2014.[16] During his time there, he participated in a Shinto ritual event called Soma Nomaoi which is a traditional event in Soma, Fukushima, in the "Sacred Flag Scramble" and "Procession" until 2023.[16][26]

No Reason died on 7th of May, 2024 at the age of 25.[27]

An anthropomorphic personification of No Reason appears in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Hiyori Kono.

Pedigree

Pedigree of No Reason[28]
Sire
Brian's Time (USA)
1985		 Roberto (USA)
1969		 Hail to Reason Turn-to
Nothirdchance
Bramalea Nashua
Rarelea
Kelley's Day (USA)
1977		 Graustark Ribot
Flower Bowl
Golden Trail Hasty Road
Sunny Vale
Dam
Ambrosine (USA)
1988		 Mr. Prospector (USA)
1970		 Raise a Native Native Dancer
Raise You
Gold Digger Nashua
Sequence
Barada (USA)
1982		 Damascus Sword Dancer
Kerala
Courtly Dee Never Bend
Tulle

No Reason's family number is FA-4, and has an inbreeding of Nashua (S4xM4) and Nasrullah (S5xM5xM5).[29]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "No Reason (JPN)". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "ノーリーズンの死亡について" [Regarding No Reason's death]. meiba.jp (in Japanese). 7 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "No Reason Race Record and Form". netkeiba. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (G1) Full Result | R11". netkeiba. 14 April 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "単勝11590円の皐月賞史上最高配当 02年ノーリーズンの激走" [The 2002 No Reason's spectacular run resulted in the highest payout in the history of the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) with a win bet of 11,590 yen.]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 13 April 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Record | Stallion Reports | Brian's Time (USA)". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Ambrosine (USA)". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 "Race Records | No Reason (JPN)". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "3yo Debut Full Result | R5". netkeiba. 5 January 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Kobushi Sho Full Result | R10". netkeiba. 9 February 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Wakaba Stakes (OP) Full Result | R11". netkeiba. 16 March 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Kawai, Chikara (12 April 2026). "『ウマ娘』では群雄割拠のレース界で天下統一を目指す"歴女" ノーリーズンが起こした歴史的な大波乱" [In "Uma Musume," No Reason, a "history buff" aiming for unification of the fiercely competitive racing world, causes a major historical upset.]. 集英社 スポルティーバ 公式サイト web Sportiva (in Japanese). pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "ノーリーズン" [No Reason]. uma-furusato.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2) Full Result | R11". netkeiba. 22 September 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Yushun (in Japanese). November 2002. p. 125.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "ノーリーズン「野馬追でも活躍した衝撃の皐月賞馬」【もうひとつの引退馬伝説】｜テレ東スポーツ：テレ東" [No Reason: "The sensational Satsuki Sho winner who also performed well in the Soma Nomaoi festival" [Another legend of retired racehorses]]. テレ東 (in Japanese). 19 April 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "【毎日ベスト３】ヒシミラクルで大波乱！菊花賞のびっくり配当ベスト３ - 毎日ベスト3 - 競馬コラム : 日刊スポーツ" [[Daily Top 3] A huge upset with Hishi Miracle! The top 3 surprising payouts of the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger)]. nikkansports.com (in Japanese). 16 October 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "皐月賞馬ノーリーズン引退" [Satsuki Sho winner No Reason retires.]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 16 September 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Asahi Challenge Cup (G3) Full Result | R11". netkeiba. 11 September 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "０２年皐月賞馬ノーリーズンが引退" [No Reason, winner of the 2002 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), has retired.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 16 September 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "ノーリーズン、優駿SSで種牡馬生活" [No Reason to begin his stud career at Yushun SS.]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 12 November 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Record | Stallion Reports | No Reason (JPN)". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "Statistics | Stallion Reports | No Reason (JPN)". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "功労馬 | ノーリーズン" [Horse of Merit | No Reason]. www.meiba.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "被災地の功労馬等の情報と見学について" [Information and tours of horses that have served in the disaster-stricken areas.]. uma-furusato.com. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "２００２年の皐月賞馬ノーリーズン、今週末の神事「相馬野馬追」で３年ぶり雄姿 ２３歳でも元気いっぱい" [No Reason, winner of the 2002 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), will make his first appearance in three years at this weekend's Soma Nomaoi (Soma Wild Horse Chase) festival, still full of energy at 23 years old.]. UMATOKU | 馬トク - スポーツ報知' (in Japanese). 20 July 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  27. ↑ "02年皐月賞V　ノーリーズン死す　25歳　「ウマ娘」でも人気　鹿頭ステーブル代表悲痛「大変残念」" [No Reason, winner of the 2002 Satsuki Sho, dies at age 25. Popular in the "Uma Musume" anime series. Representative of Shikagashira Stable expresses deep sorrow: "It's a great pity."]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 8 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "Five-generation Pedigree Table | Pedigree | No Reason (JPN)". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  29. ↑ "No Reason Pedigree". netkeiba. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
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