REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)
LEGEND · 1990s
Special Week
スペシャルウィーク
The 1998 Derby winner who, in 1999, took both Tenno Sho and the Japan Cup — hailed as Japan’s “commander-in-chief”.
Photo: Goki (author assumed) · CC BY-SA 3.0
02
Horse profile
- Sex
- Colt / Horse
- Coat
- Dark bay
- Foaled
- 2 May 1995
- Died
- 27 Apr 2018
- Sire
- Sunday Silence
- Dam
- Campaign Girl
- Damsire
- Maruzensky
- Breeder
- Hidaka Taiyo Bokujo
- Owner
- Hiroyoshi Usuda
- Trainer
- Toshiaki Shirai
- Career
- 17 starts, 10 wins
03
Career overview
- 17
- Starts
- 10
- Wins
- 4
- G1 wins
- 16
- Top-three finishes
Racing career 1997–1999
04
Major victories
01 · 07 Jun 1998
東京優駿
GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Yutaka Take · 2:25.8
02 · 02 May 1999
天皇賞（春）
GI · Kyoto · Turf 3200m · Yutaka Take · 3:15.3
03 · 31 Oct 1999
天皇賞（秋）
GI · Tokyo · Turf 2000m · Yutaka Take · 1:58.0
04 · 28 Nov 1999
ジャパンC
GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Yutaka Take · 2:25.5
FILM
On film
「1999年 ジャパンカップ（GⅠ） | スペシャルウィーク | JRA公式」
Record: 28 Nov 1999 · Tokyo · 2400m · 1st · Yutaka Take
Source: YouTube / JRA公式チャンネル(official)Watch on YouTube ↗Special Week
「【3分でわかる】スペシャルウィーク・武豊の夢を叶えた相棒 | JRA公式」
Source: YouTube / JRA公式チャンネル(official)Watch on YouTube ↗Special Week
06
The story
He won the 1998 Tokyo Yushun, and was third in the Satsuki Sho, second in the Kikuka Sho and third in the Japan Cup against the best of his generation.
In 1999 he won both the spring and autumn Tenno Sho, then beat an international field that included Arc winner Montjeu in the Japan Cup.
07
Career timeline
1997
- 29 NovNewcomer raceHanshin · Turf 1600m · Yutaka TakeHanshinTurf 1600mYutaka Take1st1:36.9
1998
- 06 JanShiraume ShoKyoto · Turf 1600m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 1600mYutaka Take2nd1:36.0
- 08 FebKisaragi ShoGIIIKyoto · Turf 1800m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 1800mYutaka Take1st1:51.3
- 08 MarYayoi ShoGIINakayama · Turf 2000m · Yutaka TakeNakayamaTurf 2000mYutaka Take1st2:01.8
- 19 AprSatsuki ShoGINakayama · Turf 2000m · Yutaka TakeNakayamaTurf 2000mYutaka Take3rd2:01.6
- 07 JunTokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)GITokyo · Turf 2400m · Yutaka TakeTokyoTurf 2400mYutaka Take1st2:25.8
- 18 OctKyoto Shimbun HaiGIIKyoto · Turf 2200m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 2200mYutaka Take1st2:15.0
- 08 NovKikuka ShoGIKyoto · Turf 3000m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 3000mYutaka Take2nd3:03.8
- 29 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Yukio OkabeTokyoTurf 2400mYukio Okabe3rd2:26.4
1999
- 24 JanAmerican Jockey Club CupGIINakayama · Turf 2200m · Olivier PeslierNakayamaTurf 2200mOlivier Peslier1st2:16.8
- 21 MarHanshin DaishotenGIIHanshin · Turf 3000m · Yutaka TakeHanshinTurf 3000mYutaka Take1st3:13.4
- 02 MayTenno Sho (Spring)GIKyoto · Turf 3200m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 3200mYutaka Take1st3:15.3
- 11 JulTakarazuka KinenGIHanshin · Turf 2200m · Yutaka TakeHanshinTurf 2200mYutaka Take2nd2:12.6
- 10 OctKyoto DaishotenGIIKyoto · Turf 2400m · Yutaka TakeKyotoTurf 2400mYutaka Take7th2:25.1
- 31 OctTenno Sho (Autumn)GITokyo · Turf 2000m · Yutaka TakeTokyoTurf 2000mYutaka Take1st1:58.0 R
- 28 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Yutaka TakeTokyoTurf 2400mYutaka Take1st2:25.5
- 26 DecArima KinenGINakayama · Turf 2500m · Yutaka TakeNakayamaTurf 2500mYutaka Take2nd2:37.2
08
Pedigree
09 — MAJOR RACES
Great races contested
- Tokyo Yushun1998(1)
- Arima Kinen1999(2)
- Tenno Sho (Spring)1999(1)
- Tenno Sho (Autumn)1999(1)
- Japan Cup1998(3) 1999(1)
- Takarazuka Kinen1999(2)
- Kikuka Sho1998(2)
- Satsuki Sho1998(3)
10 — JOCKEYS
Riders
- Yutaka Take15 rides · 9 wins · G1 4
- Yukio Okabe1 rides · 0 wins
- Olivier Peslier1 rides · 1 wins
11 — RIVALS
Grade 1 opponents
- セイウンスカイSatsuki Sho 1998 · Kikuka Sho 1998
- グラスワンダーTakarazuka Kinen 1999 · Arima Kinen 1999
- ボールドエンペラーTokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) 1998
- エルコンドルパサーJapan Cup 1998
- メジロブライトTenno Sho (Spring) 1999
- ステイゴールドTenno Sho (Autumn) 1999
Recorded as the winner (in defeat) or runner-up (in victory). Names as recorded in Japanese.
13
Legacy
- 1999JRA Special Award
14 — CULTURAL CROSS REFERENCE
From racing history
to popular culture
Where the record meets the culture it inspired.
REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)
Special Week
スペシャルウィーク
1995–2018 · 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
スペシャルウィーク
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スペシャルウィーク — Wikipedia（日本語版）
Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26
- 02Special Week — Wikipedia (English)
Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26
- 03スペシャルウィーク｜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.
Special Week at Tokyo Racecourse, 31 October 1999
Photo: Goki (author assumed) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons