T M Opera O (Japanese: テイエムオペラオー, March 13, 1996 – May 2018) was a champion Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, and was the world's all-time leading money earner at the time of his retirement in 2001. In 1999, he was the champion three-year-old colt in Japan after winning the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas). At age four, he was the Japanese Horse of the Year and champion older horse after an undefeated season that included wins in the Tenno Sho (both spring and autumn) and Japan Cup. T M Opera O was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 2004.
| T M Opera O | |
|---|---|
 T M Opera O at age three | |
| Sire | Opera House |
| Grandsire | Sadler's Wells |
| Dam | Once Wed |
| Damsire | Blushing Groom |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | March 13, 1996 |
| Country | Japan |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Kineusu Bokoju |
| Owner | Masatsugu Takezono |
| Trainer | Ichizo Iwamoto |
| Jockey | Ryuji Wada |
| Record | 26: 14-6-3 |
| Earnings | 1,835,189,000 yen[1] |
| Major wins | |
| Satsuki Sho (1999) Tenno Sho (spring) (2000, 2001) Takarazuka Kinen (2000) Kyōto Daishōten (2000, 2001) Tenno Sho (autumn) (2000) Japan Cup (2000) Arima Kinen (2000) | |
| Awards | |
| JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt (1999) Japanese Horse of the Year (2000) JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse (2000) | |
| Honours | |
| Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame (2004) | |
| Last updated on February 2, 2010 | |
Background
editT M Opera O was a chestnut horse who was bred in Japan by Kineusu Bokujo.[2] He was sired by Opera House, an outstanding British middle-distance runner who was exported to stud in Japan.[3] T M Opera O was out of the American-bred mare Once Wed, an unraced daughter of Blushing Groom.[4][5]
T M Opera O was sold as a yearling in the 1997 Hokkaido October Sale for 10,500,000(JPY) to Masatsugu Takezono.[1] He was trained by Ichizo Iwamoto and regularly ridden by Ryuji Wada.[6]
Racing career
editT M Opera O finished second in his only start at age two, after which he injured his left hind leg and was unable to race again for several months.[7]
At age three, he made ten starts, amassing a record of four wins, two seconds and three thirds. Early in the year he broke his maiden, then won the Yukiyanagi Sho at Hanshin over a distance of 2000m for his first stakes win. He followed this up by winning the Grade III Mainichi Hai on March 28, 1999. Despite his three race winning streak, he was largely dismissed at odds of 11–1 in the Grade I Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) on April 18. He raced near the back of the field during the early running then circled wide in deep stretch and prevailed by a neck in the final strides.[1][7]
Later that year, he finished second in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) and third in both the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and Arima Kinen.[1] He received the JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt.[2]
2000: Four-year old season
editAs a four-year-old in 2000, T M Opera O was undefeated in 8 starts, including four domestic Grade I wins and one international Grade I win.[1]
He started the season on March 19 with a win in the Hanshin Daishoten at a distance of 3000m. He then won the Tenno Sho (spring) at a distance of 3200m (roughly 2 miles) before shortening up to a distance of 2200m to win the Takarazuka Kinen.[8]
After a brief layoff, T M Opera won the Kyoto Daishoten on October 8. On October 29, he started in the 2000m Tenno Sho (autumn) from the outside post position 13. Jockey Ryuji Wada rode him strongly from the gate and moved aggressively towards the rail to save ground around the first turn. T M Opera O settled in third place then swung wide as they turned into the final stretch. He battled with Meisho Doto before hitting the lead with 200m remaining, then drew away to win by 2+1⁄2 lengths. He became just the third horse to win both the spring and autumn versions of the Tenno Sho in the same year. "He has no faults", said Wada. "And mentally he's so tough I wish he’d share some of it with me."[9]
T M Opera O earned the seventh straight win of his four-year old campaign in the Japan Cup. He was made the heavy favorite by a crowd of 110,000 in a field that included eight horses from Japan and seven foreign entries. Stay Gold went to the early lead and set a slow pace, while T M Opera O settled into sixth place. T M Opera O started his move on the final turn and took the lead with 200m remaining. Under heavy urging, he withstood a late charge by Meisho Doto to win by a neck, with Fantastic Light a further nose behind in third.[10] The win moved T M Opera O past Cigar as the leading money earner of all-time with winnings of 1.26 billion yen or $11.6 million.[11]
On December 24, T M Opera O made his final start of the year in the Arima Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse. He raced near the back of the field down the backstretch, then slowly made up ground on the final turn. Entering the final stretch, he was still well behind and faced a wall of horses in front of him. Wada decided to wait for an opening rather than lose ground by attempting to swing wide. With just 200m remaining, he finally found a narrow gap and urged T M Opera to squeeze through. The horse responded with a burst and closed rapidly to prevail over Meisho Doto by a nose. "I'm relieved", said Wada. "It was a tough race. I couldn't get the position I wanted at the start and I thought I'd blown it."[12]
T M Opera O was the unanimous selection as the Japanese Horse of the Year and Best Older Horse.[13]
2001: Five-year-old season
edit
In 2001, T M Opera O won two of seven starts with three second-place finishes. The highlight of this year was a repeat win in the Tenno Sho (spring), in which he defeated Meisho Doto by a nose.[1][14]
On June 25, T M Opera O attempted to repeat in the Takarazuka Kinen but was upset by Meisho Doto. T M Opera O had experienced severe traffic problems before swinging wide and mounting a "spectacular" closing drive that fell short by 1+1⁄4 lengths. It was Meisho Doto's first win against T M Opera O in six attempts, all in Grade 1 events.[15]
After a brief layoff, T M Opera O returned on October 1 to win the Kyoto Daishoten. On October 28, he finished second in the Tenno Sho (autumn) to Agnes Digital, with Meisho Doto in third.[16] In his next start on November 25, he finished second in the Japan Cup, just a neck short of Japanese Derby winner Jungle Pocket.[17] He made his final start in the Arima Kinen, finishing fifth.[14]
T M Opera O retired at the end of 2001 as the world's all-time leading money-earner. He won 1,835,189,000yen (US$16,200,337)[a] during his career.[2]
Racing summary
edit| Date | Race | Class | Distance | Track | Finish | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 1998 | Newcomer | 1600m | Kyoto | 2 | 12 | |
| Jan 16, 1999 | Maiden | 1400m | Kyoto | 4 | 16 | |
| Feb 6, 1999 | Maiden | 1800m | Kyoto | 1 | 10 | |
| Feb 27, 1999 | Yukiyanagi Sho | 2000m | Hanshin | 1 | 14 | |
| Mar 28, 1999 | Mainichi Hai | GIII* | 2000m | Hanshin | 1 | 14 |
| Apr 18, 1999 | Satsuki Sho | GI* | 2000m | Nakayama | 1 | 17 |
| Jun 6, 1999 | Tokyo Yushun | GI* | 2400m | Tokyo | 3 | 18 |
| Oct 10, 1999 | Kyoto Daishoten | GII* | 2400m | Kyoto | 3 | 10 |
| Nov 7, 1999 | Kikuka Sho | GI* | 3000m | Kyoto | 2 | 15 |
| Dec 4, 1999 | Stayers Stakes | GII* | 3600m | Nakayama | 2 | 14 |
| Dec 26, 1999 | Arima Kinen | GI* | 2500m | Nakayama | 3 | 14 |
| Feb 20, 2000 | Kyoto Kinen | GII* | 2200m | Kyoto | 1 | 11 |
| Mar 19, 2000 | Hanshin Daishoten | GII* | 3000m | Hansin | 1 | 9 |
| Apr 30, 2000 | Tenno Sho (Spring) | GI* | 3200m | Kyoto | 1 | 12 |
| Jun 25, 2000 | Takarazuka Kinen | GI* | 2200m | Hanshin | 1 | 11 |
| Oct 8, 2000 | Kyoto Daishoten | GII* | 2400m | Kyoto | 1 | 12 |
| Oct 29, 2000 | Tenno Sho (Autumn) | GI* | 2000m | Tokyo | 1 | 16 |
| Nov 26, 2000 | Japan Cup | GI | 2400m | Tokyo | 1 | 16 |
| Dec 24, 2000 | Arima Kinen | GI* | 2500m | Nakayama | 1 | 16 |
| Apr 1, 2001 | Sankei Osaka Hai | GII* | 2000m | Hanshin | 4 | 14 |
| Apr 29, 2001 | Tenno Sho (Spring) | GI* | 3200m | Kyoto | 1 | 12 |
| Jun 24, 2001 | Takarazuka Kinen | GI | 2200m | Hanshin | 2 | 12 |
| Oct 7, 2001 | Kyoto Daishoten | GII* | 2400m | Kyoto | 1 | 7 |
| Oct 28, 2001 | Tenno Sho (Autumn) | GI* | 2000m | Tokyo | 2 | 13 |
| Nov 25, 2001 | Japan Cup | GI | 2400m | Tokyo | 2 | 15 |
| Dec 23, 2001 | Arima Kinen | GI* | 2500m | Nakayama | 5 | 13 |
* At the time, most Japanese races were restricted to domestic-bred horses and the internal grading was not internationally recognized. The Japan Cup and 2001 Takarazuka Kinen however were open to foreign bred horses.
Source: JBIS Race Records[8]
Stud career
editT M Opera O was retired to stud in 2002, during which he covered 98 mares. He was not considered a success and interest in him steadily declined. His most successful offspring on the flat was T M Yokado, winner of the Queen Sho.[5] T M Toppazure became his leading money earner after a successful second career as a jumper.[18] T M Opera O died suddenly after suffering a heart attack at the Hakuba Bokujo Farm, Hokkaido, in May 2018.[19]
Pedigree
edit| Sire Opera House (GB) |
Sadler's Wells | Northern Dancer | Nearctic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natalma | |||
| Fairy Bridge | Bold Reason | ||
| Special | |||
| =Colorspin | =High Top (IRE) | Derring-Do (GB) | |
| Camenae (GB) | |||
| =Reprocolor (GB) | Jimmy Reppin (GB) | ||
| Blue Queen (GB) | |||
| Dam Once Wed |
Blushing Groom (FR) | Red God | *Nasrullah |
| Spring Run | |||
| Runaway Bride (GB) | =Wild Risk (FR) | ||
| =Aimee (GB) | |||
| Noura | Key to the Kingdom | Bold Ruler | |
| Key Bridge | |||
| River Guide | Drone | ||
| Blue Canoe |
In the pedigree, symbols before a horse's name mean the horse was foaled in one country but subsequently stood at stud in another
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f "T.M. Opera O(JPN)". Japanese Bloodhorse Breeders' Association.
- ^ a b c "World's Leading Money Earner, T.M. Opera O, Retired". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "Opera House | Details". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Pedigree of T M Opera O". Equineline. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Opera House, the Most Successful Representative of Sadler's Wells's Blood in Japan". Blacktype-pedigree.com. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ^ "Japanese star T.M. Opera O returns Sunday". www.espn.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Japanese Stakes Results (pg. 2)" (PDF). Thoroughbred Daily News. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Race Records:Lifetime Starts | T.M. Opera O(JPN) | JBIS-Search". www.jbis.jp. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Bayer, Barbara (30 October 2000). "T.M. Opera O wins Emperor's Cup". The Japan Times Online. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ Bayer, Barbara (27 November 2000). "T.M. Opera O wins Japan Cup". The Japan Times Online. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "Opera lands big pot". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ^ Bayer, Barbara (25 December 2000). "T.M. Opera caps record year with Arima victory". The Japan Times Online. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "Japan Cup Winner Unanimous as Country's Best Horse". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ a b "T M Opera O | Race Record & Form". Racing Post.
- ^ Bayer, Barbara (25 June 2001). "Meisho Doto claims Takarazuka". The Japan Times Online. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "American-Bred Agnes Digital Wins Japanese Grade I". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ "Home Team Wins in Japan". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ "T.M. OPERA O (JPN) : Stallion Details Statistics and Information". www.racingandsports.com.au. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ^ "Former Horse of the Year T M Opera O dies aged 22". Racing Post. 20 May 2018.
- ^ The conversion to USD was made during T M Opera O's racing career and does not reflect current conversion rates