Black Hawk (Japanese racehorse)

1997: three-year-old season

Black Hawk started his debut on 1997 in a mile race at Nakayama Racecourse in which he ran at the front, took the lead at the second bend and held the lead until the end to win by one-and-a-quarter-length over Great Clear.^[4][5] He was scratched in his third race, got his second win at his fifth race at the Yaezakura Sho and ending his debut season with a second place finish at the Komakusa Sho.^[6]

1998: four-year-old season

In this season, Black Hawk gained his third career win in his second start of year at the Shunko Sho on February.^[7] From that point, he etched a three-winning-streak in a row including his first graded race win at the Lord Derby Challenge Trophy, where he stayed at the middle group before bursted forward for the lead and overtook the front running Keiwan Viking to win by one-and-three-quarters-of-a-length.^[8] On the next race, he placed in third at the Keio Hai Spring Cup before finished disappointingly at 11th-place in the Yasuda Kinen afterward.^[5] He then took a full year break after those two starts.

1999: five-year-old season

This year would became his best season so far as he finished in podiums in all five starts and also won his first G1 race. First, he finished in second place at the Sekiya Kinen in August.^[9] Then, he placed third at the Keisei Hai Autumn Handicap before winning the Swan Stakes in October by two lengths over Broad Appeal.^[10][11] He then finished third at the Mile Championship next in which his normal jockey, Norihiro Yokoyama declared that "This horse is a sprinter".^[12] Because of this remark, Yokoyama for this point on became his only jockey and entered the Sprinters Stakes in December. Yokoyama rode him on the middle before surged forward at the final straight, passed Agnes World who was jockeyed by Yutaka Take to take the win by a neck at the line.^[13]

2000: six-year-old season

He started strong in this year in his first start when he settled into a good third position and pulled away early in the straight to claim victory at the Hankyu Hai.^[14] This win turned out to be the highest point for the rest of the season as he would finished second in three races (Centaur Stakes, Keio Hai Spring Cup and CBC Sho) and only managed third place in the Sprinters Stakes behind Daitaku Yamato and Agnes World.^[5][15] He also finished unplaced in both mile races he participated in, the Yasuda Kinen and the Mile Championships.^[6]

2001: seven-year-old season

In the first two starts of the year, Black Hawk ran well and placed in second at the Hankyu Hai and notably, Takamatsunomiya Kinen in which he lost only by half-a-length behind Trot Star.^[16] After a third place at the Keio Hai Spring Cup, Black Hawk entered the Yasuda Kinen for the second time. In this occasion, he waited at the back of the field for most of the race per instruction of his owner, Makoto Kaneko himself.^[12] Then, Yokoyama urged Black Hawk to make a late surge from the outside in the straight, overtaking every single horse and winning his second G1 race by one length over Breaktime in second place.^[17] There was a plan to sent him for Hong Kong expedition but it was halted as Black Hawk developed leg problems that was severe enough and forced him to be retired from racing afterward.^[18]

Notable progeny

c = colt, f = filly

On 22 July 2015, Black Hawk died due to heart attack at Honda Tsuchihisa Farm. He was 21 years old.^[23]