Delta Blues (horse)
Japanese-bred Thoroughbred racehorse (2001–2024)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Delta Blues (デルタブルース, 3 May 2001 – 8 October 2024) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2006 Melbourne Cup.[3] He was the first Japanese horse to win the Cup. In doing so he defeated Pop Rock, another Japanese horse who shared Delta Blues' trainer, Katsuhiko Sumii. Delta Blues was more known as a stayer, where each of his graded stakes wins came in the over 3000 metres distance races.[4]
| Delta Blues | |
|---|---|
Delta Blues | |
| Sire | Dance in the Dark (JPN) |
| Grandsire | Sunday Silence (USA) |
| Dam | Dixie Splash (USA) |
| Damsire | Dixieland Band |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 3 May 2001 |
| Died | 8 October 2024 (aged 23) |
| Country | Japan |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Owner | Sunday Racing Co Ltd |
| Trainer | Katsuhiko Sumii |
| Jockey | Yasunari Iwata |
| Record | 32: 6-2-3[1] |
| Earnings | 401,562,000 yen +A$3,300,000 = US$8,492,037.[2] |
| Major wins | |
| Kikuka Sho (2004) Stayers Stakes (2005) Melbourne Cup (2006) | |
| Awards | |
| JRA Best Horse by Home-Bred Sire (2004) Australian Champion Stayer (2006/07) | |
| Last updated on 1 August 2011 | |
Racing career
Early career until the 2004 Kikuka Sho
Delta Blues was virtually unknown until his victory in the 2004 Kikuka Sho.[5] Before that race, he only managed to get three wins in ten starts.[1] When the gates open, he made an early sprints and tracked the leaders in a good position throughout the race. At the fourth corner, he proceed to advance and surpassed Cosmo Bulk, and held on to the lead from the late surging Hookipa Wave to win by one-and-a-quarters length.[6] From the field, he also defeated Heart's Cry, Company and Suzuka Mambo.[7] Delta Blues continued his good form by placing third in the Japan Cup in November 2004, three lengths behind the eventual Autumn Triple Crown winner, Zenno Rob Roy.[8][9] He closed the year with a run in the Arima Kinen, where he finished fifth in a race where Zenno Rob Roy broke the speed record which still stands today.[10] At the end of the year, Delta Blues won the Best Horse by Home-Bred Sire JRA award.[11]
Inconsistent form in 2005 and Stayers Stakes title
In this season, Delta Blues placed fifth at the Copa Republica Argentina and eleventh in the Arima Kinen.[1] In between those races, he ran in the Grade Two Stayers Stakes in 3 December. In the race, he lurked around the fourth place for most of times before surged forward on the inside track on the homestretch and caught Er Nova to win the race by a nose margin.[12]
Australian triumph in 2006
At the start of the year, Delta Blues had a rough start. He finished third in the Grade Two Hanshin Daishoten on 19 March where Deep Impact comfortably won four lengths in front of him,[13] and 10th in the Grade One Tenno Sho (Spring) on 30 April.[14][8] Then, the owner decided to tried him for the overseas campaign in Australia. He started positively in which he finished third in the 2006 Caulfield Cup after racing wide throughout the race.[15] In the 2006 Melbourne Cup, Delta Blues was ridden by Japanese jockey Yasunari Iwata who was the winner of the 2005 19th World Super Jockey Series.[16][17] Delta Blues won the Melbourne Cup by a nose ahead of Pop Rock, with Maybe Better finishing in third place.[18][19] Prior to the race, stable spokesman Keita Tanaka characterised Delta Blues as a "lazy horse", and trainer Sumii characterised him as "tough".[8] He finished the season with a sixth-place finish in the Arima Kinen back in Japan.[20]
Winless, hiatus and retirement in 3 years (2007–2009)
For the rest for his career, Delta Blues failed to perform well in the subsequent campaign in which his best finishes was only a fourth-place in the 2007 Hanshin Daishoten.[1] There was an attempt for a title defence in Australia alongside Pop Rock but it was never fulfilled due to Equine Influenza outbreak.[21] In October 2008, he was supposed to start at the Kyoto Daishoten after a prolonged rest on the first half of the campaign but a pitted hole was discovered in his right foreleg, forcing him to withdraw.[22] After a 16th-place finished at the 2009 Meguro Kinen, Delta Blues was being retired and assigned as a riding horse at the Northern Horse Park in Tomakomai, Hokkaido.[23]
Racing form
Delta Blues won six races and placed five times more out of 32 starts. This data is available on JBIS, netkeiba and Racing Australia.[4][1][24][25]
| Date | Racecourse | Race | Grade | Distance (Condition) |
Entry | HN | Odds
(Favored) |
Finish | Time | Margins | Jockey | Winner
(Runner-up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 – two-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Nov 29 | Kyoto | 2yo Newcomer | 1,600 m (Soft) | 14 | 13 | 6.9 (3) | 7th | 1:40.3 | 0.4 | Koshiro Take | Black Helios | |
| Dec 6 | Hanshin | 2yo Maiden | 2,000 m (Firm) | 11 | 3 | 9.1 (4) | 2nd | 2:03.0 | 0.1 | Christophe Soumillon | Piena Only One | |
| 2004 – three-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Jan 17 | Kokura | 3yo Maiden | 2,000 m (Good) | 18 | 1 | 1.4 (1) | 2nd | 2:02.8 | 0.2 | Yutaka Take | Meiner Digno | |
| Jan 25 | Kokura | 3yo Maiden | 2,000 m (Firm) | 16 | 11 | 2.8 (1) | 4th | 2:04.9 | 1.4 | Koshiro Take | Meiner Dresden | |
| Feb 8 | Kyoto | Baika Sho | ALW (1W) | 2,400 m (Firm) | 12 | 6 | 8.6 (2) | 4th | 2:29.8 | 0.5 | Yasunari Iwata | Meiner Dresden |
| Apr 17 | Fukushima | 3yo Maiden | 2,000 m (Firm) | 16 | 11 | 2.7 (1) | 1st | 2:00.6 | –0.1 | Koshiro Take | (Grass Hunter) | |
| May 1 | Tokyo | Aoba Sho | 2 | 2,400 m (Firm) | 17 | 15 | 152.3 (13) | 13th | 2:26.8 | 2.7 | Hiroki Goto | Higher Game |
| May 23 | Tokyo | 3yo Allowance | 1W | 2,400 m (Good) | 7 | 5 | 1.4 (1) | 1st | 2:29.8 | 0.0 | Katsumi Ando | (Meiner Gust) |
| Sep 20 | Hanshin | Hyogo Tokubetsu | ALW (2W) | 2,500 m (Firm) | 8 | 1 | 7.7 (4) | 5th | 2:33.0 | 0.8 | Hiroki Goto | Bullet Lane |
| Oct 2 | Nakayama | Kujukuri Tokubetsu | ALW (2W) | 2,500 m (Firm) | 9 | 2 | 1.8 (1) | 1st | 2:34.7 | –0.2 | Yukio Okabe | (Yuwa Kingston) |
| Oct 24 | Kyoto | Kikuka Sho | 1 | 3,000 m (Firm) | 18 | 18 | 45.1 (8) | 1st | 3:05.7 | –0.2 | Yasunari Iwata | (Hookipa Wave) |
| Nov 28 | Tokyo | Japan Cup | 1 | 2,400 m (Firm) | 16 | 7 | 13.4 (7) | 3rd | 2:24.8 | 0.6 | Katsumi Ando | Zenno Rob Roy |
| Dec 26 | Nakayama | Arima Kinen | 1 | 2,500 m (Firm) | 15 | 10 | 8.9 (4) | 5th | 2:30.0 | 0.5 | Davy Bonilla | Zenno Rob Roy |
| 2005 – four-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Nov 6 | Tokyo | Copa Republica Argentina | 2 | 2,500 m (Firm) | 18 | 11 | 4.2 (1) | 5th | 2:33.1 | 0.7 | Olivier Peslier | Sakura Century |
| Dec 3 | Nakayama | Stayers Stakes | 2 | 3,600 m (Firm) | 11 | 6 | 1.8 (1) | 1st | 3:47.7 | 0.0 | Olivier Peslier | (Er Nova) |
| Dec 25 | Nakayama | Arima Kinen | 1 | 2,500 m (Firm) | 16 | 15 | 11.5 (3) | 11th | 2:33.0 | 1.1 | Olivier Peslier | Heart's Cry |
| 2006 – five-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Feb 18 | Kyoto | Kyoto Kinen | 2 | 2,200 m (Firm) | 10 | 3 | 6.3 (3) | 5th | 2:13.9 | 0.4 | Olivier Peslier | Six Sense |
| Mar 19 | Hanshin | Hanshin Daishoten | 2 | 3,000 m (Good) | 9 | 8 | 7.4 (2) | 3rd | 3:10.1 | 1.3 | Yasunari Iwata | Deep Impact |
| Apr 30 | Kyoto | Tenno Sho (Spring) | 1 | 3,200 m (Firm) | 17 | 9 | 24.5 (4) | 10th | 3:15.7 | 2.3 | Yasunari Iwata | Deep Impact |
| Oct 21 | Caulfield | Caulfield Cup | 1 | 2,400 m (Good) | 18 | 14 | 80/1 (15) | 3rd | 2:27.8 | 0.1 | Nash Rawiller | Tawqeet |
| Nov 7 | Flemington | Melbourne Cup | 1 | 3,200 m (Good) | 23 | 10 | 17/1 (6) | 1st | 3:21.5 | 0.0 | Yasunari Iwata | (Pop Rock) |
| Dec 24 | Nakayama | Arima Kinen | 1 | 2,500 m (Firm) | 14 | 2 | 39.0 (9) | 6th | 2:32.7 | 0.8 | Yasunari Iwata | Deep Impact |
| 2007 – six-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Mar 18 | Hanshin | Hanshin Daishoten | 2 | 3,000 m (Firm) | 11 | 1 | 8.2 (4) | 4th | 3:08.4 | 0.1 | Yasunari Iwata | Eye Popper |
| Apr 29 | Kyoto | Tenno Sho (Spring) | 1 | 3,200 m (Firm) | 16 | 15 | 4.6 (3) | 12th | 3:15.2 | 1.1 | Yasunari Iwata | Meisho Samson |
| Oct 7 | Kyoto | Kyoto Daishoten | 2 | 2,400 m (Firm) | 10 | 2 | 13.3 (5) | 5th | 2:25.1 | 0.3 | Yuga Kawada | Inti Raimi |
| Oct 28 | Tokyo | Tenno Sho (Autumn) | 1 | 2,000 m (Good) | 16 | 4 | 48.0 (12) | 12th | 1:59.7 | 1.3 | Yuga Kawada | Meisho Samson |
| Nov 25 | Tokyo | Japan Cup | 1 | 2,400 m (Firm) | 18 | 18 | 147.2 (14) | 5th | 2:25.1 | 0.4 | Yuga Kawada | Admire Moon |
| Dec 23 | Nakayama | Arima Kinen | 1 | 2,500 m (Good) | 15 | 13 | 59.6 (10) | 12th | 2:35.7 | 2.1 | Yuga Kawada | Matsurida Gogh |
| Dec 29 | Ohi | Tokyo Daishoten | JPN1 | 2,000 m (Muddy) | 15 | 6 | 16.2 (5) | 12th | 2:07.3 | 4.1 | Yasunari Iwata | Vermilion |
| 2009 – eight-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Mar 22 | Hanshin | Hanshin Daishoten | 2 | 3,000 m (Soft) | 12 | 5 | 36.5 (10) | 6th | 3:14.4 | 1.2 | Yuga Kawada | Asakusa Kings |
| May 3 | Kyoto | Tenno Sho (Spring) | 1 | 3,200 m (Firm) | 18 | 13 | 47.6 (13) | 10th | 3:16.2 | 1.8 | Yasunari Iwata | Meiner Kitz |
| May 31 | Tokyo | Meguro Kinen | 2 | 2,500 m (Heavy) | 18 | 10 | 53.0 (14) | 16th | 2:43.9 | 4.9 | Yasunari Iwata | Miyabi Ranveli |
Legend:
Turf
Dirt
- All JPN graded race was labeled as "Listed" internationally
Awards
- Winner of the 2004 Best Horse by Home-Bred Sire JRA award.[11]
- Winner of the 2006–2007 Australian Champion Stayer
Breeding
Delta Blues was sired by Dance in the Dark with the dam Dixie Splash (sire Dixieland Band). The breeder was Northern Farm.[5]
Dance in the Dark won the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), and was the son of "magnificent US-bred Sunday Silence, the ill-fated sire who has been unmatched in Japanese breeding history".[26]
| Sire Dance in the Dark (JPN) B. 1993 |
Sunday Silence (USA) | Halo (USA) | Hail to Reason (USA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmah (USA) | |||
| Wishing Well (USA) | Understanding(USA) | ||
| Mountain Flower (USA) | |||
| Dancing Key (USA) | Nijinsky (CAN) | Northern Dancer (CAN) | |
| Flaming Page (CAN) | |||
| Key Partner (USA) | Key to the Mint (USA) | ||
| Native Partner (USA) | |||
| Dam Dixie Splash (USA) |
Dixieland Band (USA) | Northern Dancer (CAN) | Nearctic (CAN) |
| Natalma (USA) | |||
| Mississippi Mud (USA) | Delta Judge (USA) | ||
| Sand Buggy (USA) | |||
| Ocean Jewel (USA) | Alleged (USA) | Hoist The Flag (USA) | |
| Princess Pout (USA) | |||
| Lady Offshore (USA) | Sir Ivor (USA) | ||
| Bonnie Google (USA) |
Retirement and death
Namesake
Australian rail operator CFCL Australia named locomotive CF4401 after the horse.[29]
