Tokino Minoru

Tokino Minoru
トキノミノル
Tokino Minoru at the 1951 Satsuki Sho.
SireTheft (IRE)
GrandsireTetratema
DamDaini Tyrant's Queen (JPN)
DamsireSoldennis (IRE)
SexColt
Foaled1948
CountryJapan
ColourBay
BreederHonkiri spread Co., Ltd.
OwnerMasaichi Nagata
Racing colours
TrainerKazuichiro Tanaka
Record10: 10-0-0
Earnings4,257,150 yen
Major wins
Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (1950)
Japanese Classic Race wins:
Satsuki Sho (1951)
Tokyo Yushun (1951)
Honours
Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame (1984)

Tokino Minoru (Japanese: トキノミノル, Hepburn: Tokino Minoru; May 2, 1948 – June 20, 1951) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse, who was an undefeated winner of his 10 race starts, which included the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).

Breeding

He was sired by Theft (GB), a son of Tetratema (IRE), out of Daini Tyrant's Queen, a daughter of Soldennis. He was a brother to Daring and a half-brother to Izutada, by Tokino Chikara. Theft was the sire of Bostonian who also won the Tokyo Yushun (Derby).[1] Tokino Minoru was inbred in the third and fourth generations (3m x 4f) to The Tetrarch.

Racing career

Major racing wins

He died in 1951 from tetanus-related sepsis,[2] just 17 days after winning the Derby.

Racing record

The following racing form is based on information available on JBIS search[3] and netkeiba.com.[4]

Date Racecourse Race Grade Distance Gate Odds Fav. Fin. Time Margin Jockey Winner (Runner-Up)
1950 – three-year-old season
1950/07/23 Hakodate Newcomer Race Maiden Turf 800m 1 2 1st 48.1 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Matterhorn)
1950/08/23 Sapporo Three-Year-Old Open OP Dirt 1000m 5 1 1st 1:02.0 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Fumiwaka)
1950/09/03 Sapporo Sapporo Stakes OP Dirt 1200m 2 1st 1:13.1 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Track O)
1950/10/01 Nakayama Three-Year-Old Open OP Turf 1000m 2 1 1st 1:01.2 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Shadai Blues)
1950/10/15 Nakayama Three-Year-Olds Winners Race Turf 1100m 3 1 1st 1:05.4 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Happy Unebi)
1950/12/10 Nakayama Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes OP Turf 1100m 1 1st 1:06.3 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Issei)
1951 – four-year-old season
1951/04/01 Nakayama Four-Year-Olds Selection Handicap Turf 1800m 4 1 1st 1:52.1 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Issei)
1951/04/28 Tokyo Four-Year-Old Open OP Turf 1800m 3 1 1st 1:52.4 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Issei)
1951/05/13 Nakayama Satsuki Sho OP Turf 2000m 8 1 1st 2:03.0 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Issei)
1951/06/03 Tokyo Tokyo Yushun OP Turf 2400m 9 1 1st 2:31.1 Mitsumasa Iwashita (Issei)

Honours

The Kyodo Tsushin Hai, a three-year-old stakes race held at the Tokyo Racecourse, was given the subtitle "Tokino Minoru Kinen (Memorial)" in his honour in 1969.[2][5] Tokino Minoru was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 1984.

The owner of Tokino Minoru, Masaichi Nagata, who was the President of Daiei Film, commissioned a movie based on his life, titled The Phantom Horse, which was released in 1955.[6]

Legacy and memorials

At the time of Tokino Minoru's debut, national horse racing was struggling financially, overshadowed by the boom in local horse racing. Because of this, it was uncertain if it was possible to continue running the Japanese Derby.[7] Tokino Minoru, who attracted widespread public attention, was seen as a 'saviour' for national horse racing.[7] Among the more over 70,000 spectators who came on Derby day, Kuniharu Hashimoto said that 'many fans just wanted to see Tokino Minoru race, even if only for a moment'.[8] The writer Takashi Iwakawa described it as 'not merely gambling. Even those who had previously been indifferent to horse racing began to visit the racetrack to witness the earnest and selfless sprint of this one horse, a gift from Heaven.'[7] Iwakawa referred to Tokino Minoru as 'the founder of the Derby's revival' and 'the protagonist of the first horse racing boom.'[7]

Keijiro Okawa, a horse racing commentator, regarding the Derby, recalled "When Tokino Minoru surged at the third corner, the crowd erupted. I thought, everyone is cheering for Tokino Minoru,"[9] and after the finish, he reflected, "Ah, finally horse racing has become something for everyone."[10] He also reminisced about the memorable commemorative photo surrounded by fans, stating, "I felt that postwar horse racing had become racing for the fans."[9] Okawa further remarked, "In Japanese horse racing history, whenever the fan base expanded and attention grew, there would always appear a significant star horse at the key moments." He identified Tokino Minoru as the first example of this, with future examples being Shinzan, Takeshiba O, Haiseiko, and Oguri Cap.[10] Hidetaka Takamizu commented, "He was one of the pivotal figures in the era when horse racing solidified its position as a gambling sport."[11]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Tokino Minoru bay stallion 1948
Sire
Theft (IRE)
1932		 Tetratema The Tetrarch* Roi Herode
Vahren
Scotch Gift Symington
Maund
Voleuse Volta Valens
Agnes Velasquez
Sun Worship Sundridge
Doctrine
Dam
Daini Tyrant's Queen (JPN)
1934		 Soldennis(IRE) Tredennis Kendal
St.Marguerite
Soligena Soliman
St.Guntheirn
Tyrant's Queen (GB) Phalaris Polymelus
Bromus
Silver Queen The Tetrarch*
Princess Sterling (14)

* Tokino Minoru is inbred 3S x 4D to the stallion The Tetrarch, meaning that he appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Australian Stud Book: Theft (IRE) Retrieved 2010-12-10
  2. 1 2 Ahnert, Rainer L. (editor in chief), “Thoroughbred Breeding of the World”, Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970
  3. ↑ "年度別累計成績／主な成績｜競走成績｜トキノミノル｜JBISサーチ（JBIS-Search）". www.jbis.or.jp. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
  4. ↑ "トキノミノルの競走成績 | 競走馬データ". netkeiba (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-07-03.
  5. ↑ "歴史・コース：共同通信杯　今週の注目レース". Japan Racing Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ↑ "幻の馬". Kadokawa Pictures. Archived from the original on 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Iwakawa, Takashi (1994). 『広く天下の優駿を求む』 ["Seeking the Excellence of the World Widely,"] (in Japanese). Japan: President Co., Ltd. ISBN 4833415364.
  8. ↑ Shirai, Toru (1971). 『日本の名馬』 ["Japan's Famous Horses,"] (in Japanese). Japan: Japan Thoroughbred Center.
  9. 1 2 Okawa, Keijiro (1997). 『大川慶次郎 殿堂馬を語る』 ["Keijiro Okawa Talking about Hall of Fame Horses"] (in Japanese). Japan: Zest. ISBN 4916090527.
  10. 1 2 Okawa, Keijiro (1998). 『大川慶次郎回想録 まっすぐ競馬道 杉綾の人生』 ["Memoirs of Keijiro Okawa: Straight Horse Racing Road: The Life of Aya Sugi,"] (in Japanese). Japan: Radio Nikkei. ISBN 4931367291.
  11. ↑ Takamiwaza, Hide (1992). 「ダービー無敗伝説 - Sports Graphic Number」 ["The Legend of Undefeated in the Derby. Sports Graphic Number,"] (in Japanese). Japan: Bungei Shunju.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Tokino Minoru at Wikimedia Commons


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