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REAL RACING ARCHIVE(documented racing history)

LEGEND · 1980s

Symboli Rudolf

シンボリルドルフ

1981–2011THOROUGHBRED“The Emperor”

The fourth Japanese Triple Crown winner (1984) and the first to do it unbeaten — remembered as “The Emperor”.

Symboli Rudolf in his later years
Symboli Rudolf, 20 September 2006
Photo: ROG · CC BY-SA 3.0

02

Horse profile

Fields that could not be verified are omitted.
Sex
Colt / Horse
Coat
Bay
Foaled
13 Mar 1981
Died
4 Oct 2011
Sire
Partholon
Dam
Sweet Luna
Damsire
Speed Symboli
Breeder
Symboli Bokujo
Owner
Symboli Bokujo
Trainer
Yuji Nohira
Career
16 starts, 13 wins — 15 starts and 13 wins in Japan; one start in the United States

03

Career overview

16
Starts
13
Wins
7
G1 wins
15
Top-three finishes

Racing career 1983–1986

04

Major victories

Grades as printed for each year’s running.

  1. 01 · 15 Apr 1984

    Satsuki Sho

    皐月賞

    GI · Nakayama · Turf 2000m · Yukio Okabe · 2:01.1

  2. 02 · 27 May 1984

    Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)

    東京優駿

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Yukio Okabe · 2:29.3

  3. 03 · 11 Nov 1984

    Kikuka Sho

    菊花賞

    GI · Kyoto · Turf 3000m · Yukio Okabe · 3:06.8

  4. 04 · 23 Dec 1984

    Arima Kinen

    有馬記念

    GI · Nakayama · Turf 2500m · Yukio Okabe · 2:32.8

  5. 05 · 29 Apr 1985

    Tenno Sho (Spring)

    天皇賞（春）

    GI · Kyoto · Turf 3200m · Yukio Okabe · 3:20.4

  6. 06 · 24 Nov 1985

    Japan Cup

    ジャパンC

    GI · Tokyo · Turf 2400m · Yukio Okabe · 2:28.8

  7. 07 · 22 Dec 1985

    Arima Kinen

    有馬記念

    GI · Nakayama · Turf 2500m · Yukio Okabe · 2:33.1

FILM

On film

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

06

The story

In 1984 he won the Satsuki Sho, Tokyo Yushun and Kikuka Sho without defeat — the fourth Triple Crown in Japanese history and the first under the graded-race system. His regular rider was Yukio Okabe.

He was the first Japanese-trained horse to win seven Grade 1 races, and was called “The Emperor” — after his name, taken from Rudolf I — and the “Seven-Crown Horse”. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1987.

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.

1983

  1. 23 JulNewcomer raceNiigata · Turf 1000m · Yukio Okabe1st0:59.2
  2. 29 OctIcho TokubetsuTokyo · Turf 1600m · Yukio Okabe1st1:37.3
  3. 27 NovOpen raceTokyo · Turf 1600m · Yukio Okabe1st1:39.9

1984

  1. 04 MarYayoi ShoGIIINakayama · Turf 2000m · Yukio Okabe1st2:01.7
  2. 15 AprSatsuki ShoGINakayama · Turf 2000m · Yukio Okabe1st2:01.1 R
  3. 27 MayTokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)GITokyo · Turf 2400m · Yukio Okabe1st2:29.3
  4. 30 SepSt Lite KinenGIIINakayama · Turf 2200m · Yukio Okabe1st2:13.4 R
  5. 11 NovKikuka ShoGIKyoto · Turf 3000m · Yukio Okabe1st3:06.8
  6. 25 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Yukio Okabe3rd2:26.5
  7. 23 DecArima KinenGINakayama · Turf 2500m · Yukio Okabe1st2:32.8 R

1985

  1. 31 MarNikkei ShoGIINakayama · Turf 2500m · Yukio Okabe1st2:36.2
  2. 29 AprTenno Sho (Spring)GIKyoto · Turf 3200m · Yukio Okabe1st3:20.4
  3. 02 JunTakarazuka KinenGIHanshin · · Scratched
  4. 27 OctTenno Sho (Autumn)GITokyo · Turf 2000m · Yukio Okabe2nd1:58.8
  5. 24 NovJapan CupGITokyo · Turf 2400m · Yukio Okabe1st2:28.8
  6. 22 DecArima KinenGINakayama · Turf 2500m · Yukio Okabe1st2:33.1

1986

  1. 29 MarSan Luis Rey HandicapGISanta Anita · · Yukio Okabe6th2:26.8

08

Pedigree

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

Horse

Parents

Grandparents

Great-grandparents

Partholonパーソロン1960
Sweet Lunaスイートルナ1972
Milesian1953
Paleo1953
Speed Symboliスピードシンボリ1963
Dance Timeダンスタイム1957
My Babu
Oatflake
Pharis
Calonice
Royal Challenger
スイートイン
Palestine
Samaritaine

Sire lineDam lineIn this archive (linked)

09 — MAJOR RACES

Great races contested

10 — JOCKEYS

Riders

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. 1984Japanese Triple Crown
    2. 1984, 1985Horse of the Year (then the Yushun Award)
    3. 1987JRA 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)

      Symboli Rudolf

      シンボリルドルフ

      1981–2011 · 7 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

      シンボリルドルフ

      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
      シンボリルドルフ — Wikipedia（日本語版）

      Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

    2. 02
      Symboli Rudolf — Wikipedia (English)

      Wikipedia · Reference · Accessed 2026-09-26

    3. 03
      シンボリルドルフ：名馬の殿堂（顕彰馬）｜JRA

      日本中央競馬会（JRA） · Official · 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.