// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did African Gold say? I'm rich in culture.
| |
|---|---|
 African Gold at the 2022 Kyoto Kinen | |
| Breed | Thoroughbred |
| Sire | Stay Gold |
| Grandsire | Sunday Silence |
| Dam | Blixen |
| Damsire | Gone West |
| Sex | Colt ->Gelding |
| Foaled | 26 March 2015 |
| Country | Japan |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Darley Japan Farm |
| Owner | Godolphin |
| Racing colours |  |
| Trainer | Masato Nishizono |
| Jockey | |
| Record | 40: 5-3-1 |
| Earnings | ¥186,648,000 |
| Major wins | |
| Kyoto Kinen (2022) | |
African Gold (Japanese: アフリカンゴールド, Afurikan Gōrudo; foaled 26 March 2015) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He recorded five wins from forty starts between 2017 and 2024, including the Kyoto Kinen (GII) in 2022.[1][2]
Background
[edit]African Gold is a chestnut gelding bred in Hidaka, Hokkaido, by Darley Japan Farm.[2] He was sired by Stay Gold, and his dam was Blixen (USA), a mare by Gone West.[3] His older half-brother African Story (by Pivotal) won the Dubai World Cup.[3] He was owned by Godolphin and trained by Masato Nishizono at the JRA's Ritto Training Center.[2]
Racing career
[edit]2017: two-year-old season
[edit]African Gold debuted on 23 December 2017 in a 2-year-old newcomer race over 2000 metres on turf at Hanshin Racecourse, finishing ninth.[4]
2018: three-year-old season
[edit]He ran twice in maiden races in early 2018 without winning, then won his third maiden attempt on 29 April at Kyoto Racecourse by a nose.[4] After a second-place finish in the Melbourne Trophy, he won the Atsumi Tokubetsu on 22 July and the Hyogo Tokubetsu on 2 October.[4] On 21 October, he made his graded stakes and Grade 1 debut in the Kikuka Shō at Kyoto, finishing 12th behind Fierement.[4]
2019: four-year-old season
[edit]He began the year on 13 January in the Nikkei Shinshun Hai (GII) at Kyoto, finishing 15th.[4] After a fourth in the Midosuji Stakes and a second in the Karasuma Stakes, he was gelded due to his difficult temperament.[5] He then finished fourth in the Malaysia Cup before winning the Rokusha Stakes at Tokyo on 6 October, his first win in a year.[4] On 3 November, he finished third in the Copa Republica Argentina (GII) behind Muito Obrigado.[4]
2020: five-year-old season
[edit]He started the year on 19 January in the Nikkei Shinshun Hai, finishing 11th.[4] He then finished tenth in the Metropolitan Stakes, 11th in the Meguro Kinen, and 18th in the Takarazuka Kinen (GI).[4] He did not race again that year.
2021: six-year-old season
[edit]He returned on 30 January in the Shirofuji Stakes (Listed) at Tokyo, finishing fourth.[4] After unplaced runs in the Osakajo Stakes, Toohata Stakes, Naruo Kinen and Cepheus Stakes, he ran in the Chunichi Shimbun Hai (GIII) on 11 December. Starting 17th favourite of 18 runners, he finished second behind Shonan Bardi; the trifecta payout of 2,368,380 yen reflected the upset.[4]
2022: seven-year-old season
[edit]He began the year on 16 January with a fifth in the Nikkei Shinshun Hai.[4] On 13 February, he contested the Kyoto Kinen (GII), run that year at Hanshin. Starting 12th favourite, he led from the start and held on to win by 0.2 seconds, recording his first graded stakes victory and giving jockey Kyosuke Kokubun his first graded win since 2018.[1] He then finished seventh in the Osaka Hai (GI), 16th in the Takarazuka Kinen, 12th in the Kyoto Daishoten, and tenth in the Copa Republica Argentina.[4]
2023: eight-year-old season
[edit]He finished ninth in both the Nikkei Shinshun Hai and the Kyoto Kinen.[4] On 19 March, he led in the Hanshin Daishoten (GII) and stuck on for fourth.[6] On 30 April, he contested the Tennō Shō (Spring) (GI) at Kyoto. He took the early lead but suffered atrial fibrillation on the second backstretch and was pulled up.[7] He returned on 20 August in the Sapporo Kinen, finishing 12th, then ran fifth in the Kyoto Daishoten, eighth in the Copa Republica Argentina, and 11th in the Stayers Stakes.[4]
2024: nine-year-old season
[edit]He began the year on 11 February in the Kyoto Kinen, finishing tenth.[8] His retirement was announced by trainer Masato Nishizono on 24 February, and his JRA registration was cancelled on 29 February 2024.[9][10] He was donated to the JRA and became a riding horse at Hanshin Racecourse, later serving as a lead pony at the same course.[11][12]
Race record
[edit]The following table details all 40 starts of African Gold's racing career based on official JBIS and netkeiba records. Record current as of his final start on 11 February 2024.[13][4]
| Date | Distance (Condition) | Race | Class | Course | Odds (Favourite) |
Field | Finish | Time | Jockey | Winning (Losing) Margin |
Winner (2nd Place) |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 – two-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Dec 23 | Turf 2000 m (Good) | 2-Y-O Newcomer | Maiden | Hanshin | 27.0 (7th) | 12 | 9th | 2:07.1 | Manabu Sakai | 1.0 | Kitano Commandeur | [4] |
| 2018 – three-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Jan 20 | Turf 2000 m (Yielding) | 3-Y-O Maiden | Maiden | Kyoto | 116.0 (11th) | 15 | 4th | 2:04.0 | Fuma Matsuwaka | 0.3 | Jack Rose | [4] |
| Feb 18 | Turf 2000 m (Good) | 3-Y-O Maiden | Maiden | Kyoto | 16.4 (5th) | 13 | 6th | 2:03.2 | Manabu Sakai | 1.7 | Neptunite | [4] |
| Apr 29 | Turf 2400 m (Good) | 3-Y-O Maiden | Maiden | Kyoto | 10.5 (5th) | 11 | 1st | 2:27.1 | Fuma Matsuwaka | –0.0 | (Meikei Gold) | [4] |
| May 19 | Turf 2200 m (Good) | Melbourne Trophy | 1-win | Kyoto | 7.1 (5th) | 10 | 2nd | 2:14.9 | Fuma Matsuwaka | 0.2 | Drake | [4] |
| Jul 22 | Turf 2200 m (Good) | Atsumi Tokubetsu | 1-win | Chukyo | 6.5 (4th) | 14 | 1st | 2:11.9 | Fuma Matsuwaka | –0.4 | (Shadow Brillante) | [4] |
| Oct 2 | Turf 2400 m (Good) | Hyogo Tokubetsu | 2-win | Hanshin | 1.7 (1st) | 8 | 1st | 2:26.8 | Fuma Matsuwaka | –0.7 | (Aroma Dulce) | [4] |
| Oct 21 | Turf 3000 m (Good) | Kikuka Shō | GI | Kyoto | 24.5 (9th) | 18 | 12th | 3:07.8 | Fuma Matsuwaka | 1.7 | Fierement | [4] |
| 2019 – four-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Jan 13 | Turf 2400 m (Good) | Nikkei Shinshun Hai | GII | Kyoto | 7.5 (4th) | 16 | 15th | 2:29.3 | Filip Minařík | 3.1 | Glory Vase | [4] |
| Mar 31 | Turf 2400 m (Good) | Midosuji Stakes | 3-win | Hanshin | 4.1 (3rd) | 9 | 4th | 2:26.2 | Fuma Matsuwaka | 0.1 | Shirvanshah | [4] |
| Apr 29 | Turf 2400 m (Good) | Karasuma Stakes | 3-win | Kyoto | 3.2 (1st) | 12 | 2nd | 2:25.4 | Fuma Matsuwaka | 0.1 | Renovar | [4] |
| Jul 13 | Turf 2000 m (Yielding) | Malaysia Cup | 3-win | Chukyo | 3.6 (2nd) | 10 | 4th | 2:00.9 | Yuga Kawada | 0.1 | Kaval | [4] |
| Oct 6 | Turf 2400 m (Good) | Rokusha Stakes | 3-win | Tokyo | 3.9 (2nd) | 15 | 1st | 2:25.8 | Yuichi Fukunaga | –0.2 | (Trust Kenshin) | [4] |
| Nov 3 | Turf 2500 m (Good) | Copa Republica Argentina | GII | Tokyo | 2.8 (1st) | 13 | 3rd | 2:31.7 | Christophe Lemaire | 0.2 | Muito Obrigado | [4] |
| 2020 – five-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Jan 19 | Turf 2400 m (Good) | Nikkei Shinshun Hai | GII | Kyoto | 5.4 (3rd) | 14 | 11th | 2:28.1 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 1.2 | Mozu Bello | [4] |
| May 9 | Turf 2400 m (Good) | Metropolitan Stakes | Listed | Tokyo | 6.1 (4th) | 11 | 10th | 2:26.6 | Yasunari Tanabe | 0.8 | Uranus Charm | [4] |
| May 31 | Turf 2500 m (Good) | Meguro Kinen | GII | Tokyo | 28.6 (11th) | 18 | 11th | 2:30.3 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 0.7 | King of Koji | [4] |
| Jun 28 | Turf 2200 m (Yielding) | Takarazuka Kinen | GI | Hanshin | 413.5 (17th) | 18 | 18th | 2:21.8 | Kanichiro Fujii | 8.3 | Chrono Genesis | [4] |
| 2021 – six-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Jan 30 | Turf 2000 m (Good) | Shirofuji Stakes | Listed | Tokyo | 63.3 (10th) | 13 | 4th | 1:59.2 | Yasunari Tanabe | 0.2 | Potager | [4] |
| Mar 7 | Turf 1800 m (Good) | Osakajo Stakes | Listed | Hanshin | 25.1 (10th) | 16 | 10th | 1:46.9 | Kanichiro Fujii | 0.8 | Hindu Times | [4] |
| May 15 | Turf 2000 m (Good) | Toohata Stakes | Listed | Chukyo | 7.5 (4th) | 11 | 7th | 2:00.0 | Kota Fujioka | 0.5 | Mount Gold | [4] |
| Jun 5 | Turf 2000 m (Good) | Naruo Kinen | GIII | Chukyo | 88.0 (11th) | 13 | 10th | 2:01.9 | Kota Fujioka | 1.2 | Unicorn Lion | [4] |
| Sep 18 | Turf 2000 m (Heavy) | Cepheus Stakes | Open | Chukyo | 50.4 (12th) | 13 | 9th | 2:01.9 | Kota Fujioka | 0.7 | Arata | [4] |
| Oct 17 | Turf 2000 m (Yielding) | October Stakes | Listed | Tokyo | 73.9 (16th) | 18 | 8th | 2:00.9 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 0.9 | Panthalassa | [4] |
| Dec 11 | Turf 2000 m (Good) | Chunichi Shimbun Hai | GIII | Chukyo | 154.0 (17th) | 18 | 2nd | 1:59.9 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 0.1 | Shonan Bardi | [4] |
| 2022 – seven-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Jan 16 | Turf 2200 m (Good) | Nikkei Shinshun Hai | GII | Chukyo | 87.9 (12th) | 16 | 5th | 2:12.6 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 0.9 | Yoho Lake | [4] |
| Feb 13 | Turf 2200 m (Yielding) | Kyoto Kinen | GII | Hanshin | 51.5 (12th) | 13 | 1st | 2:11.9 | Kyosuke Kokubun | –0.2 | (Tagano Diamante) | [1] |
| Apr 3 | Turf 2000 m (Good) | Osaka Hai | GI | Hanshin | 92.9 (11th) | 16 | 7th | 1:59.0 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 0.6 | Potager | [4] |
| Jun 26 | Turf 2200 m (Good) | Takarazuka Kinen | GI | Hanshin | 122.0 (12th) | 17 | 16th | 2:12.4 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 2.7 | Titleholder | [4] |
| Oct 10 | Turf 2400 m (Yielding) | Kyoto Daishoten | GII | Hanshin | 25.6 (12th) | 14 | 12th | 2:26.1 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 1.8 | Vela Azul | [4] |
| Nov 6 | Turf 2500 m (Good) | Copa Republica Argentina | GII | Tokyo | 46.8 (14th) | 18 | 10th | 2:31.9 | Tom Marquand | 0.8 | Breakup | [4] |
| 2023 – eight-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Jan 15 | Turf 2200 m (Yielding) | Nikkei Shinshun Hai | GII | Chukyo | 70.8 (12th) | 14 | 9th | 2:15.0 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 0.8 | Weltreisende | [4] |
| Feb 12 | Turf 2200 m (Good) | Kyoto Kinen | GII | Hanshin | 111.2 (10th) | 13 | 9th | 2:12.3 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 1.4 | Do Deuce | [4] |
| Mar 19 | Turf 3000 m (Good) | Hanshin Daishoten | GII | Hanshin | 114.0 (10th) | 14 | 4th | 3:06.5 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 0.4 | Justin Palace | [6] |
| Apr 30 | Turf 3200 m (Yielding) | Tennō Shō (Spring) | GI | Kyoto | 213.8 (13th) | 17 | DNF | – | Kyosuke Kokubun | – | Justin Palace | [7] |
| Aug 20 | Turf 2000 m (Yielding) | Sapporo Kinen | GII | Sapporo | 204.9 (13th) | 15 | 12th | 2:05.1 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 3.6 | Prognosis | [4] |
| Oct 9 | Turf 2400 m (Heavy) | Kyoto Daishoten | GII | Kyoto | 58.3 (10th) | 14 | 5th | 2:25.5 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 0.2 | Pradaria | [4] |
| Nov 5 | Turf 2500 m (Good) | Copa Republica Argentina | GII | Tokyo | 48.8 (12th) | 18 | 8th | 2:30.3 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 0.4 | Zeffiro | [4] |
| Dec 2 | Turf 3600 m (Good) | Stayers Stakes | GII | Nakayama | 16.3 (6th) | 16 | 11th | 3:47.7 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 2.3 | Iron Barows | [4] |
| 2024 – nine-year-old season | ||||||||||||
| Feb 11 | Turf 2200 m (Good) | Kyoto Kinen | GII | Kyoto | 46.0 (7th) | 12 | 10th | 2:13.2 | Kyosuke Kokubun | 1.1 | Pradaria | [8] |
In popular culture
[edit]In October 2018, a Twitter account was opened in the horse's own name, posting reports on his gelding, his next races and polls on his running style; he became known as "the horse that tweets".[5] In the 2023 Idol Horse Audition run by the JRA's PR Center, he received 30,545 votes, placing first in the active horse division, and a plushie of him was produced.[14][15]
Pedigree
[edit]| Sire Stay Gold (JPN) 1994 |
Sunday Silence (USA) 1986 |
Halo | Hail to Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmah | |||
| Wishing Well | Understanding | ||
| Mountain Flower | |||
| Golden Sash (JPN) 1988 |
Dictus | Sanctus | |
| Doronic | |||
| Dyna Sash | Northern Taste | ||
| Royal Sash | |||
| Dam Blixen (USA) 1998 |
Gone West (USA) 1984 |
Mr. Prospector | Raise a Native |
| Gold Digger | |||
| Secrettame | Secretariat | ||
| Tamerett | |||
| Danish (USA) 1991 |
Danehill | Danzig | |
| Razyana | |||
| Tea House | Sassafras | ||
| House Tie |
- African Gold is inbred 5 × 5 to Northern Dancer.[3]
- His older half-brother African Story won the Dubai World Cup.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "【京都記念結果】ブービー人気アフリカンゴールドが逃げて2年4か月ぶりのV！上位人気総崩れの波乱". netkeiba.com (in Japanese). 13 February 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "アフリカンゴールド". JBIS Search (in Japanese). Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "アフリカンゴールド 血統情報：5代血統表". JBIS Search (in Japanese). Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 "アフリカンゴールドの競走成績". netkeiba (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 "【マレーシアC】アフリカンゴールド去勢効果あり！西園助手「おとなしくなっています」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 13 July 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 "【阪神大賞典】アフリカンゴールドは逃げ粘るも4着 国分恭介騎手「長丁場の方が良さそうですね」". Sanspo (in Japanese). 19 March 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 "【天皇賞・春】逃げて競走中止のアフリカンゴールドは心房細動「仕方ない」と西園正師". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 30 April 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 "【京都記念】2年前の覇者アフリカンゴールドは10着 国分恭介騎手「オーバーペースでしたね」". netkeiba.com (in Japanese). 11 February 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "アフリカンゴールドが現役引退、乗馬に 西園正師「ファンに支えられた馬でした」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 24 February 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "アフリカンゴールドの競走馬登録抹消". JRA (in Japanese). 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "【引退馬】アフリカンゴールドの現在…アイドルホース1位、ステイゴールド産駒の人気馬の誘導馬生活とは？". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 2 September 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "誘導馬紹介：阪神競馬場". JRA (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "アフリカンゴールド 競走成績". JBIS Search (in Japanese). Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "「アイドルホースオーディション2023」最終結果が発表！ 14万9244票の行方は…". netkeiba.com (in Japanese). 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "アフリカンゴールドぬいぐるみ化に西園正師「早速100個注文」アイドルホースオーディション". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 21 September 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2026.