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LEGENDSOF JAPANESE RACING
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Equinox in the straight of the 2023 Japan Cup

REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)

LEGEND · 2020s

Equinox

イクイノックス

2019–THOROUGHBRED

A son of Kitasan Black whose six straight Grade 1 wins made him the World’s Best Racehorse of 2023.

Equinox — Japan Cup, Tokyo Racecourse, 26 November 2023 — Photo: nakashi / CC BY-SA 2.0

02

Horse profile

Fields that could not be verified are omitted.
Sex
Colt / Horse
Coat
Brown
Foaled
23 Mar 2019
Sire
Kitasan Black
Dam
Chateau Blanche
Damsire
King Halo
Breeder
Northern Farm
Owner
Silk Racing
Trainer
Tetsuya Kimura
Career
10 starts, 8 wins — 9 starts and 7 wins in Japan; 1 win from 1 start abroad

03

Career overview

10
Starts
8
Wins
6
G1 wins
10
Top-three finishes

Racing career 2021–2023

04

Major victories

Grades as printed for each year’s running.

  1. 01 · 30 Oct 2022

    Tenno Sho (Autumn)

    天皇賞（秋）

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire · 1:57.5

  2. 02 · 25 Dec 2022

    Arima Kinen

    有馬記念

    GI · Nakayama · Turf 2500m · Christophe Lemaire · 2:32.4

  3. 03 · 25 Mar 2023

    Dubai Sheema Classic

    ドバイSC

    G1 · Meydan · Turf 2410m · Christophe Lemaire · 2:25.6

  4. 04 · 25 Jun 2023

    Takarazuka Kinen

    宝塚記念

    GI · Hanshin · Turf 2200m · Christophe Lemaire · 2:11.2

  5. 05 · 29 Oct 2023

    Tenno Sho (Autumn)

    天皇賞（秋）

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire · 1:55.2

  6. 06 · 26 Nov 2023

    Japan Cup

    ジャパンC

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire · 2:21.8

FILM

On film

Films published by the JRA official YouTube channel, shown through YouTube’s embedded player.
Equinox at Tokyo Racecourse on Tenno Sho (Autumn) day
Equinox — Tenno Sho (Autumn), Tokyo Racecourse, 30 October 2022Public domain · CC0

06

The story

He won the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes at two, then finished second in both the Satsuki Sho and the Tokyo Yushun before taking the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Arima Kinen that autumn.

In 2023 he was unbeaten: the Dubai Sheema Classic, the Takarazuka Kinen, a second Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Japan Cup. He was Horse of the Year in 2022 and 2023 and entered the JRA Hall of Fame in 2025.

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.

2021

  1. 28 AugNewcomer raceNiigata · Turf 1800m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:47.4
  2. 20 NovTokyo Sports Hai Nisai StakesGIITokyo · Turf 1800m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:46.2

2022

  1. 17 AprSatsuki ShoGINakayama · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire2nd1:59.8
  2. 29 MayTokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)GITokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire2nd2:21.9
  3. 30 OctTenno Sho (Autumn)GITokyo · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:57.5
  4. 25 DecArima KinenGINakayama · Turf 2500m · Christophe Lemaire1st2:32.4

2023

  1. 25 MarDubai Sheema ClassicG1Meydan · Turf 2410m · Christophe Lemaire1st2:25.6 R
  2. 25 JunTakarazuka KinenGIHanshin · Turf 2200m · Christophe Lemaire1st2:11.2
  3. 29 OctTenno Sho (Autumn)GITokyo · Turf 2000m · Christophe Lemaire1st1:55.2 R
  4. 26 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Christophe Lemaire1st2:21.8

08

Pedigree

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

Horse

Parents

Grandparents

Great-grandparents

Chateau Blancheシャトーブランシュ2010
Black Tideブラックタイド2001
シュガーハート2005
King Haloキングヘイロー1995
ブランシェリー1998
サンデーサイレンス
ウインドインハーヘア
サクラバクシンオー
オトメゴコロ
ダンシングブレーヴ
グッバイヘイロー
トニービン
メゾンブランシュ

Sire lineDam lineIn this archive (linked)Family ブランシユレイン(FR)系

09 — MAJOR RACES

Great races contested

10 — JOCKEYS

Riders

11 — RIVALS

Grade 1 opponents

  • ジオグリフSatsuki Sho 2022
  • ドウデュースTokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) 2022
  • パンサラッサTenno Sho (Autumn) 2022
  • ボルドグフーシュArima Kinen 2022
  • WestoverDubai Sheema Classic 2023
  • スルーセブンシーズTakarazuka Kinen 2023

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

12

Gallery

13

Legacy

  1. 2023World’s Best Racehorse
  2. 2022, 2023Japanese Horse of the Year
  3. 2025JRA Hall of Fame

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
    イクイノックス — Wikipedia（日本語版）

    Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

  2. 02
    Equinox (horse) — Wikipedia (English)

    Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

  3. 03
    イクイノックス｜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

IMAGE CREDITS

Image credits

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