REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)
LEGEND · 1990s
Mejiro McQueen
メジロマックイーン
Completed a three-generation Tenno Sho sequence, and was the first horse in Japan to earn ¥1 billion in prize money.
02
Horse profile
- Sex
- Colt / Horse
- Coat
- Grey
- Foaled
- 3 Apr 1987
- Died
- 3 Apr 2006
- Sire
- Mejiro Titan
- Dam
- Mejiro Aurora
- Damsire
- Remand
- Owner
- Mejiro Shouji Co., Ltd.
- Trainer
- Yasuo Ikee
- Career
- 21 starts, 12 wins
03
Career overview
- 21
- Starts
- 12
- Wins
- 4
- G1 wins
- 19
- Top-three finishes
Racing career 1990–1993
04
Major victories
01 · 04 Nov 1990
菊花賞
GI · Kyoto · Turf 3000m · Koichi Uchida · 3:06.2
02 · 28 Apr 1991
天皇賞（春）
GI · Kyoto · Turf 3200m · Yutaka Take · 3:18.8
03 · 26 Apr 1992
天皇賞（春）
GI · Kyoto · Turf 3200m · Yutaka Take · 3:20.0
04 · 13 Jun 1993
宝塚記念
GI · Hanshin · Turf 2200m · Yutaka Take · 2:17.7
FILM
On film
「1991年 天皇賞（春）（GⅠ） | メジロマックイーン | JRA公式」
Record: 28 Apr 1991 · Kyoto · 3200m · 1st · Yutaka Take
Source: YouTube / JRA公式チャンネル(official)Watch on YouTube ↗Mejiro McQueen
「【GI History】メジロマックイーンが制した「天皇賞（春）」｜JRA公式」
Source: YouTube / JRA公式チャンネル(official)Watch on YouTube ↗Mejiro McQueen
06
The story
A late developer, he won his first Grade 1 in the Kikuka Sho in the autumn of his three-year-old season, then the Tenno Sho (Spring) twice and the Takarazuka Kinen — a true stayer.
Following his grandsire Mejiro Asama and sire Mejiro Titan, he completed three consecutive generations of Tenno Sho winners, and became the first horse in Japan to reach ¥1 billion in earnings. Hall of Fame, 1994.
07
Career timeline
1990
- 03 FebNewcomer raceHanshin · Dirt 1700m · Yoshiyuki MuramotoHanshinDirt 1700mYoshiyuki Muramoto1st1:47.7
- 25 FebYukiyanagi ShoHanshin · Turf 2000m · Yoshiyuki MuramotoHanshinTurf 2000mYoshiyuki Muramoto2nd2:04.6
- 12 MayAyame ShoKyoto · Turf 2200m · Yoshiyuki MuramotoKyotoTurf 2200mYoshiyuki Muramoto3rd2:17.5
- 02 SepOshima TokubetsuHakodate · Dirt 1700m · Koichi UchidaHakodateDirt 1700mKoichi Uchida2nd1:46.6
- 16 SepKikonai TokubetsuHakodate · Dirt 1700m · Koichi UchidaHakodateDirt 1700mKoichi Uchida1st1:47.3
- 23 SepOnuma StakesHakodate · Turf 2000m · Koichi UchidaHakodateTurf 2000mKoichi Uchida1st2:04.5
- 13 OctArashiyama StakesKyoto · Turf 3000m · Koichi UchidaKyotoTurf 3000mKoichi Uchida2nd3:06.6
- 04 NovKikuka ShoGIKyoto · Turf 3000m · Koichi UchidaKyotoTurf 3000mKoichi Uchida1st3:06.2
1991
- 10 MarHanshin DaishotenGIIChukyo · Turf 3000m · Yutaka TakeChukyoTurf 3000mYutaka Take1st3:07.3 R
- 28 AprTenno Sho (Spring)GIKyoto · Turf 3200m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 3200mYutaka Take1st3:18.8
- 09 JunTakarazuka KinenGIKyoto · Turf 2200m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 2200mYutaka Take2nd2:13.8
- 06 OctKyoto DaishotenGIIKyoto · Turf 2400m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 2400mYutaka Take1st2:26.5
- 27 OctTenno Sho (Autumn)GITokyo · Turf 2000m · TokyoTurf 2000mScratched
- 24 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Yutaka TakeTokyoTurf 2400mYutaka Take4th2:25.3
- 22 DecArima KinenGINakayama · Turf 2500m · Yutaka TakeNakayamaTurf 2500mYutaka Take2nd2:30.8
1992
- 15 MarHanshin DaishotenGIIHanshin · Turf 3000m · Yutaka TakeHanshinTurf 3000mYutaka Take1st3:13.5
- 26 AprTenno Sho (Spring)GIKyoto · Turf 3200m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 3200mYutaka Take1st3:20.0
1993
- 04 AprSankei Osaka HaiGIIHanshin · Turf 2000m · Yutaka TakeHanshinTurf 2000mYutaka Take1st2:03.3 R
- 25 AprTenno Sho (Spring)GIKyoto · Turf 3200m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 3200mYutaka Take2nd3:17.5
- 13 JunTakarazuka KinenGIHanshin · Turf 2200m · Yutaka TakeHanshinTurf 2200mYutaka Take1st2:17.7
- 10 OctKyoto DaishotenGIIKyoto · Turf 2400m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 2400mYutaka Take1st2:22.7 R
08
Pedigree
09 — MAJOR RACES
Great races contested
- Arima Kinen1991(2)
- Tenno Sho (Spring)1991(1) 1992(1) 1993(2)
- Tenno Sho (Autumn)1991
- Japan Cup1991(4)
- Takarazuka Kinen1991(2) 1993(1)
- Kikuka Sho1990(1)
10 — JOCKEYS
Riders
- Yutaka Take12 rides · 8 wins · G1 3
- Koichi Uchida5 rides · 3 wins · G1 1
- Yoshiyuki Muramoto3 rides · 1 wins
11 — RIVALS
Grade 1 opponents
- ホワイトストーンKikuka Sho 1990
- ミスターアダムスTenno Sho (Spring) 1991
- メジロライアンTakarazuka Kinen 1991
- ゴールデンフェザントJapan Cup 1991
- カミノクレッセTenno Sho (Spring) 1992
- ライスシャワーTenno Sho (Spring) 1993
Recorded as the winner (in defeat) or runner-up (in victory). Names as recorded in Japanese.
12
Gallery
13
Legacy
- 1991JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse
- 1994JRA Hall of Fame
14 — CULTURAL CROSS REFERENCE
From racing history
to popular culture
Where the record meets the culture it inspired.
REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)
Mejiro McQueen
メジロマックイーン
1987–2006 · 4 G1 wins
A real racehorse. The records, pedigree and honours on this page are documented facts with sources.
FICTION / POP CULTURE REFERENCE(a reference to a work of fiction)
UMA MUSUME: PRETTY DERBY — A GAME
メジロマックイーン
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.
- 01メジロマックイーン — Wikipedia（日本語版）
Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26
- 02Mejiro McQueen — Wikipedia (English)
Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26
- 03メジロマックイーン｜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
- 04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
- 05CHARACTER｜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.
Mejiro McQueen, August 1996
Public domain / CC0 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mejiro McQueen at Shadai Stallion Station, 2002
Public domain / CC0 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons