Verxina
Japanese-bred Thoroughbred racehorse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Verxina (born on March 5, 2009) is a Japanese retired race horse sired by Deep Impact, and out of Halwa Sweet.[2][3] She is owned by a former professional baseball player, Kazuhiro Sasaki.[4]
| Verxina | |
|---|---|
 Verxina at the 39th Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup | |
| Breed | Thoroughbred |
| Sire | Deep Impact |
| Grandsire | Sunday Silence |
| Dam | Halwa Sweet |
| Damsire | Machiavellian |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | March 5, 2009 |
| Country | Japan |
| Color | Black |
| Breeder | Northern Farm |
| Owner | Kazuhiro Sasaki |
| Trainer | Yasuo Tomomichi |
| Record | 21: 5-5-2 |
| Earnings | ¥460,795,000 |
| Major wins | |
| Queen Cup (2012) Victoria Mile (2013, 2014)[1] | |
Early life
Verxina, a black mare with a diamond-shaped star and strip, was foaled on March 5, 2009, by Deep Impact out of Halwa Sweet. She was bred by Northern Farm in Abira, Hokkaido, Japan. Verxina's dam, Halwa Sweet, who was famous for being born without a tail, went on to give birth to two other successful racehorses, Cheval Grand and Vivlos, both of which are also owned by Sasaki.[5] Her sire, Deep Impact, was a champion racehorse known for winning the Japanese Triple Crown and earning a title in the Japanese Racing Association Hall of Fame.
Racing career
She began her racing career as a 2-year-old, but debuted as a 3-year-old at the Queen Cup. Her major wins were at the Queen Cup, and twice at the Victoria Mile. During her time as a racer, Verxina represented the stables she resided in, Yasuo Tomomichi, twice.[6]
Verxina was ridden by Hiroyuki Uchida for most of her races.[7]
2012: three-year-old season
At age 3, Verxina won the Queen Cup in Japan. She placed second at the Yushun Himba, Oka Sho and the Shuka Sho, all to her paternal half-sister Gentildonna. She also came in second in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, and Kansai Telecasting Corporation Sho Rose Stakes.[3]
2013: four-year old season
At age 4, Verxina started off by placing 6th at the Sankei Osaka Hai, losing out to Orfevre. She then won the Victoria Mile while being the favourite to win the race.[7]
Following her win at the Victoria Mile, she raced in the Yasuda Kinen, Kyoto Daishoten, Queen Elizabeth 2 Cup and the Japan Cup.
She was the favourite at the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, but was unable to convert that into a win, finishing 10th.
2014-2015: five-year old season and retirement
As a 5 year old, Verxina raced in the Tokyo Shimbun Hai and the Hanshin Himba Stakes, in which she suffered major defeats by finishing 11th in both races.
She then entered the Victoria Mile to defend her title, and with her poor form at the previous two races, she was the 11th favourite to win the race. Verxina had an explosive start in the race to take the lead and managed to keep it all the way to the end, sealing a historic back to back win at the Victoria Mile. She was the first back to back winner since the inauguration of the race in 2006.
After the Victoria Mile, she went to Takarazuka Kinen. She was the 8th favourite in this race, with the favourite to win being Gold Ship. With Yuichi Fukunaga at the helm for this race, she started the race in her usual style, keeping the lead until the final straight. Entering the final straight, she started losing steam and eventually around 100m before the finish line, she was overtaken by Gold Ship and Curren Mirotic, finishing 3rd.
In autumn, Verxina went to the Queen Elizabeth II Cup for the 3rd time as well as the Arima Kinen, but lost both races.[4]
On 5th January 2015, Verxina retired at age 5 to become a breeding mare at the Northern Farm in Abira, Hokkaido.[4]
Racing form
Verxina won five races and placed in another seven out of 21 starts. This data available on JBIS and netkeiba.[8][9]
| Date | Track | Race | Grade | Distance (Condition) |
Entry | HN | Odds (Favored) |
Finish | Time | Margins | Jockey | Winner (Runner-up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 – two-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Aug 28 | Sapporo | 2yo Newcomer | 1,800 m (Firm) | 11 | 5 | 2.6 (1) | 1st | 1:55.2 | –0.2 | Yuichi Fukunaga | (Golden Crow) | |
| Nov 13 | Kyoto | Kigiku Sho | ALW (1W) | 1,800 m (Firm) | 10 | 6 | 2.8 (1) | 3rd | 1:47.6 | 0.1 | Yuichi Fukunaga | Brightline |
| Dec 11 | Hanshin | Erica Sho | ALW (1W) | 2,000 m (Firm) | 10 | 2 | 4.7 (3) | 1st | 2:04.1 | 0.0 | Ioritz Mendizabal | (Tagano Rayonner) |
| 2012 – three-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Feb 11 | Tokyo | Queen Cup | 3 | 1,600 m (Firm) | 16 | 9 | 4.7 (2) | 1st | 1:36.6 | –0.2 | Yasunari Iwata | (Ichiokuno Hoshi) |
| Apr 8 | Hanshin | Oka Sho | 1 | 1,600 m (Firm) | 18 | 15 | 10.2 (4) | 2nd | 1:34.7 | 0.1 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Gentildonna |
| May 20 | Tokyo | Yushun Himba | 1 | 2,400 m (Firm) | 18 | 9 | 3.6 (2) | 2nd | 2:24.4 | 0.8 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Gentildonna |
| Sep 16 | Hanshin | Rose Stakes | 2 | 1,800 m (Firm) | 10 | 7 | 3.8 (2) | 2nd | 1:47.0 | 0.2 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Gentildonna |
| Oct 14 | Kyoto | Shuka Sho | 1 | 2,000 m (Firm) | 18 | 1 | 6.1 (2) | 2nd | 2:00.4 | 0.0 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Gentildonna |
| Nov 11 | Kyoto | Queen Elizabeth II Cup | 1 | 2,200 m (Soft) | 16 | 12 | 1.9 (1) | 2nd | 2:16.3 | 0.0 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Rainbow Dahlia |
| 2013 – four-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Mar 31 | Hanshin | Sankei Osaka Hai | 2 | 2,000 m (Firm) | 14 | 14 | 10.6 (4) | 6th | 1:59.8 | 0.8 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Orfevre |
| May 12 | Tokyo | Victoria Mile | 1 | 1,600 m (Firm) | 18 | 11 | 3.1 (1) | 1st | 1:32.4 | 0.0 | Hiroyuki Uchida | (Whale Capture) |
| Jun 2 | Tokyo | Yasuda Kinen | 1 | 1,600 m (Firm) | 18 | 15 | 20.0 (7) | 8th | 1:32.0 | 0.5 | Craig Williams | Lord Kanaloa |
| Oct 6 | Kyoto | Kyoto Daishoten | 2 | 2,400 m (Firm) | 13 | 8 | 21.7 (3) | 8th | 2:23.5 | 0.6 | Yasunari Iwata | Hit the Target |
| Nov 10 | Kyoto | Queen Elizabeth II Cup | 1 | 2,200 m (Soft) | 18 | 9 | 3.3 (1) | 10th | 2:17.2 | 0.6 | Yasunari Iwata | Meisho Mambo |
| Nov 24 | Tokyo | Japan Cup | 1 | 2,400 m (Firm) | 17 | 1 | 49.3 (9) | 7th | 2:26.3 | 0.2 | Yasunari Iwata | Gentildonna |
| 2014 – five-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Feb 17 | Tokyo | Tokyo Shimbun Hai | 3 | 1,600 m (Soft) | 14 | 15 | 20.6 (9) | 11th | 1:34.4 | 0.2 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Whale Capture |
| Apr 12 | Hanshin | Hanshin Himba Stakes | 2 | 1,400 m (Firm) | 13 | 7 | 12.2 (5) | 11th | 1:20.8 | 0.5 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Smart Layer |
| May 18 | Tokyo | Victoria Mile | 1 | 1,600 m (Firm) | 18 | 14 | 28.3 (11) | 1st | 1:32.3 | –0.1 | Hiroyuki Uchida | (Meisho Mambo) |
| Jun 29 | Hanshin | Takarazuka Kinen | 1 | 2,200 m (Firm) | 12 | 3 | 35.6 (8) | 3rd | 2:14.6 | 0.7 | Yuichi Fukunaga | Gold Ship |
| Nov 16 | Kyoto | Queen Elizabeth II Cup | 1 | 2,200 m (Firm) | 18 | 10 | 18.3 (7) | 11th | 2:13.2 | 0.9 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Lachesis |
| Dec 28 | Nakayama | Arima Kinen | 1 | 2,500 m (Firm) | 16 | 2 | 77.7 (12) | 14th | 2:36.1 | 0.8 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Gentildonna |
Legend:
Turf
Breeding career
As of 2025, Verxina has foaled 5 offsprings.[10] Of these, her most successful progeny is Bravas, by King Kamehameha, who won the Niigata Kinen in 2020,[11] and Divina, by Maurice, who won the 2023 Fuchu Himba Stakes.[12]
In popular culture
An anthropomorphized character based on the horse appears in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Kaya Okuno.[13][14]
Pedigree
| Sire Deep Impact (JPN) 2002 |
Sunday Silence (USA) 1986 |
Halo | Hail to Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmah | |||
| Wishing Well | Understanding | ||
| Mountain Flower | |||
| Wind in Her Hair (IRE) 1991 |
Alzao (USA) | Lyphard | |
| Lady Rebecca (GB) | |||
| Burghclere (GB) | Busted | ||
| Highclere | |||
| Dam Halwa Sweet (JPN) 2001 |
Machiavellian (USA) 1987 |
Mr. Prospector | Raise a Native |
| Gold Digger | |||
| Coup de Folie | Halo | ||
| Raise The Standard (CAN) | |||
| Halwa Song (USA) 1996 |
Nureyev | Northern Dancer (CAN) | |
| Special | |||
| Morn of Song | Blushing Groom (FR) | ||
| Glorious Song (CAN) |