Sakae Kunieda
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 Kunieda at his retirement ceremony (2026, Nakayama Racecourse) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 国枝栄 |
| Born | April 14, 1955 Kitagata, Gifu, Japan |
| Occupation | Horse trainer |
| Horse racing career | |
| Sport | Horse racing |
| Career wins | 1123 (JRA) |
| Significant horses | |
| Almond Eye, Akaitorino Musume, Apapane, Black Hawk, Circle of Life, Danon Platina, Matsurida Gogh, Meiner Kitz, Pink Cameo, Stellenbosch | |
Sakae Kunieda (国枝栄; born 14 April 1955, in Kitagata, Gifu) is a retired Japanese horse trainer. Dubbed "the Kunieda of fillies", he is most known for winning 12 Grade I races for fillies and mares, as well as training two Triple Tiara winners; Apapane in 2010 and Almond Eye in 2018.[1][2][3]
Kunieda grew interest in horse racing when during middle school, having a friend who was also in to the sport. During high school, he grew to desire wanting to take up a job related to horses, choosing to enroll in the Cooperative Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, where he would join the university's equestrian club.[4]
Kunieda would join Akiyoshi Yamazaki's stable in 1978 as an assistant trainer after he was introduced to the trainer by Yu Takahashi, who he had known from his equestrain activities.[4][5] He would earn his trainer license in 1989 and open his stable at Miho Training Center the following year.[4]
Kunieda would have his first graded race win with Black Hawk, when they won the 1998 Lord Derby Challenge Trophy.[6] The two would also have their first Grade I race victory when they won the 1999 Sprinters Stakes.[6]
In 2010, Kunieda won the Triple Tiara (Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, and Shūka Sho) with Apapane.[7]
In 2018, Kunieda became the first trainer in Japan to win either the Triple Crown or Tiara multiple times when he won the Triple Tiara with Almond Eye.[8]
On 2 July 2022, Kunieda became the 15th trainer in JRA history, and the only active JRA horse trainer, to win his 1,000th race.[9][10]
On 13 April 2025, Kunieda became the 10th trainer in JRA history to win his 1,100th race. The horse that he won the race with, Bird Watcher, was foaled by Apapane.[11]
Kunieda retired on 3 March 2026, as he would reach the retirement age of 70 that year.[12]
