Wajima (horse)
Encyclopedia
Wajima was an American Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. He was bred by Bull Hancock's
renowned Claiborne Farm
of Paris, Kentucky
. He was out of the French
mare
Iskra, a daughter of Le Haar, the Leading sire in France
in 1963. Wajima was a son of one of America's greatest sires, Bold Ruler
. Sold as a yearling for a then-record $600,000, he was purchased by a four-man syndicate comprising Dr. James Welch of Alexandria, Louisiana
, James A. Scully of Lexington, Kentucky
, Harold I. Snyder of Dover, Ohio
, and leading Japan
ese breeder Zenya Yoshida. The partners named the colt after Japanese sumo
wrestler
Wajima Hiroshi
. They raced him under their nom de course, East-West Stable.
Conditioned for racing by trainer
Stephen A. DiMauro
, Wajima made four starts at age two in 1974, winning twice. His best result in an important stakes race was a second to L'Enjoleur
in track record time in the November 3rd running of the Grade 1
Laurel Futurity
. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10C10F738551B778DDDAA0894D9415B848BF1D3
As a three-year-old in 1975, Wajima suffered leg problems at the beginning of the year and did not run in the U.S. Triple Crown
series. He made his first start in June, finishing second in both the Saranac Stakes and the Dwyer Handicap
. He then got his first stakes race
win on July 19, 1975, doing it in dramatic fashion by setting a new track record for a mile and an eighth in winning the Marylander Handicap at Bowie Race Track
. Wajima then won four more important stakes races in a row, next taking the Monmouth Handicap
and the Travers Stakes
. He then defeated that year's Kentucky Derby
winner, Foolish Pleasure
plus the 1974 American Horse of the Year, Forego
, and future Hall of Fame inductee Ancient Title
to win the Governor Stakes
at Belmont Park
. In the most important race of his career, on September 13 Wajima defeated Forego again in winning the 1¼ mile Marlboro Cup
at Belmont Park, which prompted a New York Times article titled Wajima Now Rated A $600,000 Bargain. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0E10FC3D54177A93C6A81782D85F418785F9
In late September of 1975, Wajima was syndicated for a world record price of $7.2 million. Organized by Leslie Combs II, the syndicate was made up of 36 shares of $200,000 each with the four members of the East-West Stables retaining 21 of the 36 shares. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10C11FE345C127A93C7A9178BD95F418785F9 Other share purchasers in the syndicate included prominent American and international breeders such as Cardiff Stud Farm, John C. Mabee
, Aaron U. Jones, George R. Gardiner
, Robert Sangster
, and Bertram & Diana Firestone. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Yb4RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ce0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2699,2893910&dq=wajima+francis
After finishing second in the September 27, 1975 Woodward Stakes
and in the October 25 Jockey Club Gold Cup
, in early November Wajima's owners announced his retirement from racing. At year's end, Wajima was voted the Eclipse Award
as the 1975 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.
Wajima was sent to stand at stud
at Leslie Combs II's Spendthrift Farm
in Lexington, Kentucky
. As a stallion, Wajima's progeny met with modest racing success. From his seventeen crops, he sired twenty-six stakes winners, including four graded winners, the best of which was Key to the Moon
, a winner of the Queen's Plate
in Canada and stakes races in the United States, who was voted the 1984 Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse
.
In 1987, Wajima was moved to Stone Farm
in Paris, Kentucky
, where he was pensioned in 1992. He died on August 27, 2001 of old age and was buried at Stone Farm.
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. He was bred by Bull Hancock's
Arthur B. Hancock, Jr.
Arthur B. "Bull" Hancock, Jr. was a breeder and owner of thoroughbred racehorses at Claiborne farm in Kentucky. He acquired European horses to breed in the United States, in particular Nasrullah and Princequillo, and gained great standing in the racing world as a result.-Early life:Hancock was...
renowned Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
of Paris, Kentucky
Paris, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
. He was out of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
Iskra, a daughter of Le Haar, the Leading sire in France
Leading sire in France
The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of racehorses in France for each year since 1887. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the season .-----References:* -See also:*...
in 1963. Wajima was a son of one of America's greatest sires, Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
. Sold as a yearling for a then-record $600,000, he was purchased by a four-man syndicate comprising Dr. James Welch of Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, James A. Scully of Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, Harold I. Snyder of Dover, Ohio
Dover, Ohio
Dover is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,210 at the 2000 census.-History and features:Dover was originally part of a grant to Col. James Morrison of Kentucky, who had received it from the federal government for Revolutionary War services...
, and leading Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese breeder Zenya Yoshida. The partners named the colt after Japanese sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
Wajima Hiroshi
Wajima Hiroshi
is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th Yokozuna. He won a total of 14 tournament championships or yusho during his career and retired in March 1981....
. They raced him under their nom de course, East-West Stable.
Conditioned for racing by trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Stephen A. DiMauro
Stephen A. DiMauro
Stephen A. "Steve" DiMauro is a retired jockey, Champion trainer and successful breeder and owner in American Thoroughbred horse racing....
, Wajima made four starts at age two in 1974, winning twice. His best result in an important stakes race was a second to L'Enjoleur
L'Enjoleur
L'Enjoleur was a Canadian Thoroughbred race horse. Bred and owned by prominent Montreal businessman Jean-Louis Lévesque, L'Enjoleur was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Buckpasser, a son of another Hall of Famer, Tom Fool...
in track record time in the November 3rd running of the Grade 1
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
Laurel Futurity
Laurel Futurity
The Laurel Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on turf, at one time it was a Grade I stakes race on dirt, and one of the richest and most important races for two-year-old...
. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10C10F738551B778DDDAA0894D9415B848BF1D3
As a three-year-old in 1975, Wajima suffered leg problems at the beginning of the year and did not run in the U.S. Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
series. He made his first start in June, finishing second in both the Saranac Stakes and the Dwyer Handicap
Dwyer Stakes
The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade II stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a distance of 1 1/16-miles on dirt...
. He then got his first stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
win on July 19, 1975, doing it in dramatic fashion by setting a new track record for a mile and an eighth in winning the Marylander Handicap at Bowie Race Track
Bowie Race Track
The Bowie Race Track was a horse racing track located just outside the city limits of Bowie, Maryland. Opened October 1, 1914 by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Society, the racetrack was a major attraction in the area, serving the now defunct WB&A Railroad that drew passengers from New York,...
. Wajima then won four more important stakes races in a row, next taking the Monmouth Handicap
Haskell Invitational Handicap
The Resorts Casino & Hotel Haskell Invitational is an American Grade I race for thoroughbred horses. In 1968, the Board of Directors of Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey honored its former President and Chairman Amory L. Haskell with the Amory L. Haskell Handicap, a race for older...
and the Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
. He then defeated that year's Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
winner, Foolish Pleasure
Foolish Pleasure
Foolish Pleasure is an American bay thoroughbred race horse who was born in Williston, Florida. He was one of the top three three-year-old colts of his time....
plus the 1974 American Horse of the Year, Forego
Forego
Forego was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won eight Eclipse Awards including Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Sprinter....
, and future Hall of Fame inductee Ancient Title
Ancient Title
Ancient Title was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. Foaled in California, he was bred by William and Ethel Kirkland and raced under Ethel Kirkland's name following her husband's death in 1972...
to win the Governor Stakes
Governor Stakes
The Governor Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annulally on Labor Day at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. At one time a Grade 1 race, it was discontinued after the 1975 edition....
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
. In the most important race of his career, on September 13 Wajima defeated Forego again in winning the 1¼ mile Marlboro Cup
Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap
The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on a dirt track....
at Belmont Park, which prompted a New York Times article titled Wajima Now Rated A $600,000 Bargain. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0E10FC3D54177A93C6A81782D85F418785F9
In late September of 1975, Wajima was syndicated for a world record price of $7.2 million. Organized by Leslie Combs II, the syndicate was made up of 36 shares of $200,000 each with the four members of the East-West Stables retaining 21 of the 36 shares. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10C11FE345C127A93C7A9178BD95F418785F9 Other share purchasers in the syndicate included prominent American and international breeders such as Cardiff Stud Farm, John C. Mabee
John C. Mabee
John C. Mabee was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder whom the New York Times Company's subsidiary About.com called "a California racing icon."...
, Aaron U. Jones, George R. Gardiner
George R. Gardiner
George Ryerson Gardiner, was a Toronto businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of the Gardiner Museum, the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to ceramic art.-Biography:...
, Robert Sangster
Robert Sangster
Robert Edmund Sangster was a British businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was British flat racing Champion Owner five times and his horses won many major races, including two Epsom Derbys, four Irish Derbys, two French Derbys, three Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes and a Melbourne...
, and Bertram & Diana Firestone. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Yb4RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ce0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2699,2893910&dq=wajima+francis
After finishing second in the September 27, 1975 Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
and in the October 25 Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
, in early November Wajima's owners announced his retirement from racing. At year's end, Wajima was voted the Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
as the 1975 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.
Wajima was sent to stand at stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
at Leslie Combs II's Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. As a stallion, Wajima's progeny met with modest racing success. From his seventeen crops, he sired twenty-six stakes winners, including four graded winners, the best of which was Key to the Moon
Key to the Moon
Key to the Moon was a Canadian Thoroughbred Champion racehorse.-Background:Bred and raced by Bahnam K. Yousif, he was sired by Wajima, the 1975 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse...
, a winner of the Queen's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
in Canada and stakes races in the United States, who was voted the 1984 Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse
Sovereign Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse
The Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada, it is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to the top 3-Year-Old male Thoroughbred horse competing in Canada.Past winners:...
.
In 1987, Wajima was moved to Stone Farm
Stone Farm
Stone Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Paris, Kentucky. It was founded in 1970 by Arthur B. Hancock III, part of the prominent Hancock family of Claiborne Farm fame....
in Paris, Kentucky
Paris, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
, where he was pensioned in 1992. He died on August 27, 2001 of old age and was buried at Stone Farm.