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LEGENDSOF JAPANESE RACING
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REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)

LEGEND · 1990s

Narita Brian

ナリタブライアン

1991–1998THOROUGHBRED“The Shadow-Roll Monster”

The fifth Japanese Triple Crown winner (1994), famous for the shadow roll he raced in.

Narita Brian at Hanshin Racecourse
Narita Brian at Hanshin Racecourse, 9 March 1996
Photo: Goki · CC BY-SA 3.0

02

Horse profile

Fields that could not be verified are omitted.
Sex
Colt / Horse
Coat
Dark bay
Foaled
3 May 1991
Died
27 Sep 1998
Sire
Brian's Time
Dam
Pacificus
Damsire
Northern Dancer
Breeder
Hayata Farm
Owner
Hidenori Yamaji
Trainer
Masaaki Ookubo
Career
21 starts, 12 wins

03

Career overview

21
Starts
12
Wins
5
G1 wins
16
Top-three finishes

Racing career 1993–1996

04

Major victories

Grades as printed for each year’s running.

  1. 01 · 12 Dec 1993

    Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes

    朝日杯3歳S

    GI · Nakayama · Turf 1600m · Katsumi Minai · 1:34.4

  2. 02 · 17 Apr 1994

    Satsuki Sho

    皐月賞

    GI · Nakayama · Turf 2000m · Katsumi Minai · 1:59.0

  3. 03 · 29 May 1994

    Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)

    東京優駿

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Katsumi Minai · 2:25.7

  4. 04 · 06 Nov 1994

    Kikuka Sho

    菊花賞

    GI · Kyoto · Turf 3000m · Katsumi Minai · 3:04.6

  5. 05 · 25 Dec 1994

    Arima Kinen

    有馬記念

    GI · Nakayama · Turf 2500m · Katsumi Minai · 2:32.2

FILM

On film

Films published by the JRA official YouTube channel, shown through YouTube’s embedded player.

06

The story

Between November 1993 and March 1995 he won five Grade 1 races in a row, including the Triple Crown, and added the 1994 Arima Kinen to be Horse of the Year.

Injury in spring 1995 dulled his later career, but his duel with Mayano Top Gun in the 1996 Hanshin Daishoten remains one of racing’s talking points. Hall of Fame, 1997.

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.

1993

  1. 15 AugNewcomer raceHakodate · Turf 1200m · Katsumi Minai2nd1:13.7
  2. 29 AugNewcomer raceHakodate · Turf 1200m · Katsumi Minai1st1:12.8
  3. 26 SepHakodate Sansai StakesGIIIHakodate · Turf 1200m · Katsumi Minai6th1:14.9
  4. 24 OctKinmokusei TokubetsuFukushima · Turf 1700m · Eiji Shimizu1st1:43.1
  5. 06 NovDaily Hai Sansai StakesGIIKyoto · Turf 1400m · Katsumi Minai3rd1:22.7
  6. 21 NovKyoto Sansai StakesOPKyoto · Turf 1800m · Katsumi Minai1st1:47.8 R
  7. 12 DecAsahi Hai Sansai StakesGINakayama · Turf 1600m · Katsumi Minai1st1:34.4

1994

  1. 14 FebKyodo Tsushin Hai Yonsai StakesGIIITokyo · Turf 1800m · Katsumi Minai1st1:47.5 R
  2. 27 MarSpring StakesGIINakayama · Turf 1800m · Katsumi Minai1st1:49.1
  3. 17 AprSatsuki ShoGINakayama · Turf 2000m · Katsumi Minai1st1:59.0 R
  4. 29 MayTokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)GITokyo · Turf 2400m · Katsumi Minai1st2:25.7
  5. 16 OctKyoto Shimbun HaiGIIHanshin · Turf 2200m · Katsumi Minai2nd2:12.2
  6. 06 NovKikuka ShoGIKyoto · Turf 3000m · Katsumi Minai1st3:04.6 R
  7. 25 DecArima KinenGINakayama · Turf 2500m · Katsumi Minai1st2:32.2

1995

  1. 12 MarHanshin DaishotenGIIKyoto · Turf 3000m · Katsumi Minai1st3:08.2
  2. 29 OctTenno Sho (Autumn)GITokyo · Turf 2000m · Hitoshi Matoba12th1:59.4
  3. 26 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Yutaka Take6th2:25.3
  4. 24 DecArima KinenGINakayama · Turf 2500m · Yutaka Take4th2:34.1

1996

  1. 09 MarHanshin DaishotenGIIHanshin · Turf 3000m · Yutaka Take1st3:04.9
  2. 21 AprTenno Sho (Spring)GIKyoto · Turf 3200m · Katsumi Minai2nd3:18.2
  3. 19 MayTakamatsunomiya HaiGIChukyo · Turf 1200m · Yutaka Take4th1:08.2

08

Pedigree

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

Horse

Parents

Grandparents

Great-grandparents

Brian's Timeブライアンズタイム1985
Pacificusパシフィカス1981
Roberto1969
Kelley's Day1977
Northern Dancer1961
Pacific Princess1973
Hail to Reason
Bramalea
Graustark
Golden Trail
Nearctic
Natalma
Damascus
Fiji

Sire lineDam lineIn this archive (linked)Family 13号族

09 — MAJOR RACES

Great races contested

10 — JOCKEYS

Riders

  • Katsumi Minai15 rides · 10 wins · G1 5
  • Yutaka Take4 rides · 1 wins
  • Eiji Shimizu1 rides · 1 wins
  • Hitoshi Matoba1 rides · 0 wins

11 — RIVALS

Grade 1 opponents

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

    12

    Gallery

    13

    Legacy

    1. 1994Japanese Triple Crown
    2. 1994Japanese Horse of the Year
    3. 1997JRA 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)

      Narita Brian

      ナリタブライアン

      1991–1998 · 5 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

      ナリタブライアン

      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.

    1. 01
      ナリタブライアン — Wikipedia（日本語版）

      Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

    2. 02
      Narita Brian — Wikipedia (English)

      Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

    3. 03
      ナリタブライアン｜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

    4. 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

    5. 05
      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.