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LEGENDSOF JAPANESE RACING
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Almond Eye racing in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) at Tokyo

REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)

LEGEND · 2010s

Almond Eye

アーモンドアイ

2015–THOROUGHBRED

The fifth filly to win the Japanese Triple Tiara (2018), and a two-time Japan Cup winner.

Almond Eye — Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), Tokyo Racecourse, 2018 — Photo: Nadaraikon / CC BY-SA 3.0

02

Horse profile

Fields that could not be verified are omitted.
Sex
Filly / Mare
Coat
Bay
Foaled
10 Mar 2015
Sire
Lord Kanaloa
Dam
Fusaichi Pandora
Damsire
Sunday Silence
Breeder
Northern Farm
Owner
Silk Racing Co. Ltd.
Trainer
Sakae Kunieda
Career
15 starts, 11 wins — 14 starts and 10 wins in Japan; 1 win from 1 start abroad

03

Career overview

15
Starts
11
Wins
9
G1 wins
14
Top-three finishes

Racing career 2017–2020

04

Major victories

Grades as printed for each year’s running.

  1. 01 · 08 Apr 2018

    Oka Sho

    桜花賞

    GI · Hanshin · Turf 1600m · Christophe Lemaire · 1:33.1

  2. 02 · 20 May 2018

    Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks)

    優駿牝馬

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire · 2:23.8

  3. 03 · 14 Oct 2018

    Shuka Sho

    秋華賞

    GI · Kyoto · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire · 1:58.5

  4. 04 · 25 Nov 2018

    Japan Cup

    ジャパンC

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire · 2:20.6

  5. 05 · 30 Mar 2019

    Dubai Turf

    ドバイターフ

    G1 · Meydan · Turf 1800m · Christophe Lemaire · 1:46.7

  6. 06 · 27 Oct 2019

    Tenno Sho (Autumn)

    天皇賞（秋）

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire · 1:56.2

  7. 07 · 17 May 2020

    Victoria Mile

    ヴィクトリアM

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 1600m · Christophe Lemaire · 1:30.6

  8. 08 · 01 Nov 2020

    Tenno Sho (Autumn)

    天皇賞（秋）

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire · 1:57.8

  9. 09 · 29 Nov 2020

    Japan Cup

    ジャパンC

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire · 2:23.0

FILM

On film

Films published by the JRA official YouTube channel, shown through YouTube’s embedded player.
Almond Eye walking in the Japan Cup paddock
Almond Eye in the Japan Cup paddock, 25 November 2018Photo: nakashi from Chofu, Tokyo, JAPAN · CC BY-SA 2.0

06

The story

She won the Oka Sho, Yushun Himba and Shuka Sho to complete the 2018 Triple Tiara, then took that year’s Japan Cup.

In 2019 she won the Dubai Turf, and in the 2020 Japan Cup she beat two unbeaten Triple Crown winners. She was Japanese Horse of the Year in 2018 and 2020, and entered the JRA Hall of Fame in 2023.

07

Career timeline

Race records are taken from the “Racing record” tables of each horse’s Japanese Wikipedia article (which cite netkeiba.com and JBIS-Search) and cross-checked against the career start count. Grades are shown as printed for that year’s running — current grades are never applied retroactively. “R” marks a record time at the time.

2017

  1. 06 AugNewcomer raceNiigata · Turf 1400m · Christophe Lemaire2nd1:24.0
  2. 08 OctMaiden raceTokyo · Turf 1600m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:35.1

2018

  1. 08 JanShinzan KinenGIIIKyoto · Turf 1600m · Keita Tosaki1st1:37.1
  2. 08 AprOka ShoGIHanshin · Turf 1600m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:33.1 R
  3. 20 MayYushun Himba (Japanese Oaks)GITokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire1st2:23.8
  4. 14 OctShuka ShoGIKyoto · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:58.5
  5. 25 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire1st2:20.6 R

2019

  1. 30 MarDubai TurfG1Meydan · Turf 1800m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:46.7
  2. 02 JunYasuda KinenGITokyo · Turf 1600m · Christophe Lemaire3rd1:30.9
  3. 27 OctTenno Sho (Autumn)GITokyo · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:56.2
  4. 22 DecArima KinenGINakayama · Turf 2500m · Christophe Lemaire9th2:32.3

2020

  1. 17 MayVictoria MileGITokyo · Turf 1600m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:30.6
  2. 07 JunYasuda KinenGITokyo · Turf 1600m · Christophe Lemaire2nd1:32.0
  3. 01 NovTenno Sho (Autumn)GITokyo · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:57.8
  4. 29 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire1st2:23.0

08

Pedigree

Source: the pedigree table in Japanese Wikipedia, which cites JBIS-Search.

Horse

Parents

Grandparents

Great-grandparents

Lord Kanaloaロードカナロア2008
Fusaichi Pandoraフサイチパンドラ2003
King Kamehamehaキングカメハメハ2001
レディブラッサム1996
Sunday Silenceサンデーサイレンス1986
Lotta Laceロッタレース1992
Kingmambo
Manfath
Storm Cat
Saratoga Dew
Halo
Wishing Well
Nureyev
Sex Appeal

Sire lineDam lineIn this archive (linked)Family Best in Show系

09 — MAJOR RACES

Great races contested

10 — JOCKEYS

Riders

11 — RIVALS

Grade 1 opponents

  • ラッキーライラックOka Sho 2018
  • リリーノーブルYushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) 2018
  • ミッキーチャームShuka Sho 2018
  • キセキJapan Cup 2018
  • VivlosDubai Turf 2019
  • インディチャンプYasuda Kinen 2019

Recorded as the winner (in defeat) or runner-up (in victory). Names as recorded in Japanese.

12

Gallery

13

Legacy

  1. 2018Japanese Triple Tiara
  2. 2018, 2020Japanese Horse of the Year
  3. 2023JRA Hall of Fame

14 — CULTURAL CROSS REFERENCE

From racing history
to popular culture

Where the record meets the culture it inspired.

  1. REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)

    Almond Eye

    アーモンドアイ

    2015– · 9 G1 wins

    A real racehorse. The records, pedigree and honours on this page are documented facts with sources.

  2. FICTION / POP CULTURE REFERENCE(a reference to a work of fiction)

    UMA MUSUME: PRETTY DERBY — A GAME

    アーモンドアイ

    The game “Umamusume: Pretty Derby” features a character who bears the name of this racehorse. The character is fictional; details of the game’s story are not part of the horse’s documented history.

    Official character list ↗

This site is not affiliated with the game’s rights holders. Character artwork is not shown because permission has not been confirmed. Sources: Wikipedia / Cygames

SOURCES & REFERENCES

Sources & References

Race records are taken from the “Racing record” tables of each horse’s Japanese Wikipedia article (which cite netkeiba.com and JBIS-Search) and cross-checked against the career start count. Grades are shown as printed for that year’s running — current grades are never applied retroactively.

  1. 01
    アーモンドアイ — Wikipedia（日本語版）

    Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

  2. 02
    Almond Eye — Wikipedia (English)

    Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

  3. 03
    アーモンドアイ｜JBISサーチ

    公益社団法人 日本軽種馬協会（JBIS-Search） · Racing record · Accessed 2026-09-26

  4. 04
    アーモンドアイ：名馬の殿堂（顕彰馬）｜JRA

    日本中央競馬会（JRA） · Official · Accessed 2026-09-26

  5. 05
    ウマ娘 プリティーダービーの登場キャラクター — Wikipedia（日本語版, revision 111119000）

    Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

  6. 06
    CHARACTER｜ウマ娘 プリティーダービー 公式ポータルサイト

    Cygames · Official · Accessed 2026-09-26

IMAGE CREDITS

Image credits

Each photograph was checked on its individual Wikimedia Commons file page for author and licence.