Espoir City Explained

Espoir City
Sire:Gold Allure
Grandsire:Sunday Silence
Dam:Eminent City
Damsire:Brian's Time
Foaled:22 April 2005
Country:Japan
Breeder:Ikuchise Bokujo[1]
Owner:Yushun Horse
Trainer:Akio Adachi
Jockey:Hiroki Goto[2]
Record:40:17-10-3
Earnings:1,023,197,000 JPY
Wins:Champions Cup (2009)
February Stakes (2010)
Kashiwa Kinen (2009, 2010, 2012)
Mile Championship Nambu Hai (2009, 2012, 2013)
JBC Sprint (2013)
Awards:JRA Award for Best Dirt Horse (2009 & 2010)
Color:Chestnut

Espoir City (Japanese: エスポワールシチー, foaled April 22, 2005) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 2010 February Stakes.

Career

Espoir City debuted on March 9, 2008, at Hanshin, where he came in 3rd.[3] He got his first win after six races on July 29, 2008, when he won at Kokura. He then picked up another win at Kokura on August 10, 2008. This sparked a 4 race winstreak.

2009 was a very successful year for Espoir City. He went on a 6 race winstreak. He picked up his first graded win on March 29, 2009, when he won the March Stakes. He then won his first Grade-1 race by winning the May 5th, 2009 Kashiwa Kinen.

He won the Mile Championship Nambu Hai on October 12, 2009, and his Grade-1 win, the 2009 Champions Cup in December.

He started off 2010 with another Grade-1 win, this time at the February 21st, 2010 February Stakes. He then successfully defended his Kashiwa Kinen title on May 5, 2010, to cap off his win streak.

His next win came on March 21, 2011, when he won the Nagoya Taishoten. He tried to defend his Kashiwa Kinen title for a 2nd time in May, but came in 3rd place. He was only able to win one more race in 2011, when he captured the November 2011 Miyako Stakes.

He returned to the Kashiwa Kinen on May 2, 2012, and won the race for the 3rd and final time. Later in October, he also re-captured the Mile Championship Nambu Hai.

2013 was Espoir City's final year in racing. He came in 2nd at the 2013 February Stakes and at the 2013 Kashiwa Kinen. He then won the Mile Championship Nambu Hai for the 3rd and final time in October. His last win was the November 4th, 2013 Japan Breeding farms' Cup Sprint. He finished his career with a 3rd-place finish at the Champions Cup on December 1, 2013.

Stud career

Espoir City's descendants include:[3]

c = colt, f = filly

FoaledNameSexMajor Wins
2015Yamano Fightc
2015Eternal MallfJungfrau Sho
2015Cornus FloridacHyogo Derby, Sonoda Junior Cup
2018IgnitercJapan Breeding farms' Cup Sprint
2019Peisha EscNagoya Grand Prix, Elm Stakes

In popular culture

An anthromorphized version of the horse appears as a character in Uma Musume Pretty Derby.[4] [5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Espoir City. en.
  2. Web site: Espoir City. 21 November 2019. en.
  3. Web site: Espoir City. 21 November 2019. en.
  4. Web site: 2024-02-22 . ダート界からフリオーソ、トランセンド、エスポワールシチーも新ウマ娘に決定! . 2024-03-18 . . ja.
  5. Web site: 2024-02-23 . 新ウマ娘・エスポワールシチー発表 元主戦騎手の佐藤哲三氏がコメント . 2024-03-18 . Nikkan Sports . ja.