The year is 1985, and the battlefield, like usual, is the Autumn Tenno Sho.
Symboli Rudolf had been on a tear since 1984, becoming the fourth horse in Japanese racehorsing to win the triple crown, and the first one to win it undefeated (as in, no losses in between races). In fact, aside from a third place against Katsuragi Ace in 1984’s Japan Cup, Rudolf hadn’t been defeated.
Even then, he got a victory back from Katsuragi Ace in the following Takarazuka Kinen. So come the 1985 Autumn Tenno Sho, Rudolf was the most popular followed by Windsor Knot.
And then Gallop Dyna, the 13th most popular horse of the race won by 0.1 seconds.
In fact, let me illustrate how close that was.
Gallop Dyna, 13th most popular, 1st place.
Symboli Rudolf, 1st most popular, 2nd place by 0.1 seconds.
Windsor Knot, 2nd most popular, 3rd place by 0.1 seconds.
Nihon Pillow Winner, 3rd most popular, 3rd place tied to Windsor Knot.
And this story’s focus is actually that last name I hadn’t mentioned until now.
Nihon Pillow Winner was a short distance runner that was making a name for himself beforehand, the 1985 Autumn Tenno Sho was the pinnacle of its efforts into running longer races. After a devastating 20th place in the 1983 Satsuki Sho, no attempts at longer races were made until 1984’s Challenge Cup (known back then as the Asahi Challege Cup).
This Tenno Sho was Nihon Pillow Winner’s Rocky moment, he might’ve ended third, but he ended third by 0.1 seconds, behind Symboli Rudolf, who only lost from a slow start and Gallop Dyna pulling a miracle.
Then, as it’s often the case, they retire and have offsprings.
In fact, as luck would have it, both of them had sons born on the same year of 1988. Rudolf had Toukai Teio with a mare called Toukai Natural, and Nihon Pillow Winner had Yamanin Zephyr with a mare called Yamanin Policy.
And as even more luck would have it, both were following in their fathers’ steps. Toukai Teio was aiming for a triple Crown like Rudolf’s, and Yamanin Zephyr was becoming a powerhouse in a generation of strong Sprinters. But like his father before, as the end of his career neared its end, Yamanin Zephyr was attempting longer and longer races.
It would all come to a head in 1993, in the Autumn Tenno Sho again. Now the sons would have the fated rematch, carrying the legacy of their fathers into the race, now Yamanin Zephyr was gonna make up for that 0.1 seconds loss to-…
…oh right, Teio injured himself AGAIN in January and didn’t run until that year’s Arima Kinen.
Ah well, so much for that. At least Zephyr won the Tenno Sho!
Not gonna go into deep detail about it because this isn’t the Zephyr (again) post or the Teio post, but I do remember wondering why Zephyr and Teio were friends out of all the possible choices. Not that girls needs deep reasons to be friends in-game, but there’s often some connection you can draw.
And that combination was so curious to me. Teio and Zephyr, Teio always wanting to run against Zephyr but Zephyr being… Zephyr, it just never happened.
…or did it? That’s a question for another day.
In the pantheon of relationships in the game, this is probably amongst the more unique though, being entirely focused on a sort of real life hype that surrounded the horses from what their sires did. But Nihon Pillow Winner wasn’t sung in the same tones as Katsuragi Ace or Mr CB when it comes to Rudolf contemporaries, not to mention that Teio and Zephyr don’t share parentage or even any career similarities unless you wanna go six degrees of Kevin Bacon and point out that Teio lost to Mejiro Palmer who ran with Daitaku Helios who ran against Zephyr.
Oh right, speaking of missed opportunities, Twin Turbo was also in the 1993 Autumn Tenno Sho with Zephyr.
Twin Turbo ended last, but that’s a story for another day.