Kitasan Black was one of Japan’s standout racehorses of the 2010s: a bay stallion foaled on 10 March 2012, bred by Yanagawa Bokujo in Hokkaido, raced in the colours of Ono Shoji, and trained throughout his career by Hisashi Shimizu at Ritto. He retired with a remarkable record of 20 starts for 12 wins, 2 seconds and 4 thirds, along with JRA earnings of ¥1,876.84 million, placing him among the era’s great earners.
His pedigree combined notable Japanese influences. He was by Black Tide and out of Sugar Heart, a daughter of Sakura Bakushin O. That background also produced other useful runners from the family, including Shonan Bach and Everyone Black, while a later sibling, Sugar Kun, would go on to win the 2024 TV Tokyo Hai Aoba Sho (G2). Kitasan Black’s own rise, however, took the family to a much higher level.
On the track, his career built steadily before flowering into championship class. As a three-year-old he captured the Spring Stakes, St. Lite Kinen, and the Kikuka Sho in 2015, establishing himself as a major staying talent. He then expanded that résumé in 2016 with victories in the Tenno Sho (Spring), Kyoto Daishoten, and the Japan Cup, the last of those standing as one of his signature top-level successes.
He was just as formidable in 2017, when he added the Osaka Hai, a second Tenno Sho (Spring), the Tenno Sho (Autumn), and the Arima Kinen. Those wins confirmed not just durability but sustained excellence across multiple elite seasons. His body of work earned him Japanese Horse of the Year honours, and his overall record reflects an unusual blend of consistency and top-class achievement.
Kitasan Black’s historical significance rests on both performance and presence: a homebred star from a strong but not initially fashionable branch of the Japanese stud book, developed patiently by the same owner-trainer team and rewarded with one of the most lucrative careers in JRA history. After retirement he entered stud, extending his influence as a stallion and securing a legacy beyond the racecourse.
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