u/Optimal-Potato-5136

Original post.

Katsumi Ando is a retired jockey: among the many horses he rode across his 47-year long career, he was the main jockey of Daiwa Scarlet, riding her across all her 12 races. He obviously watched the most recent edition of the Tenno Sho Spring, and commented that "the long photo finish reminded me of the Autumn Tenno Sho".

What he refers to is the 2008 Akiten to which he directly partecipated as the rider of Daiwa Scarlet, queen of two legs of the Tiara and one of the top contenders of the race, 2th favourite: the top favourite was her rival, Derby and Yasuda Kinen winner, Vodka, ridden at the time by Yutaka Take.

The race entered keiba history because of the performance of these two powerhouse fillies (without also forgetting Deep Sky and Company's merits), who crossed the finish line side by side: the margin between the two was so small that it could not be judged by naked eye alone. After crossing the goal, instead of performing a victory lap as it was usual, both Katsumi Ando and Yutaka Take returned with their horse to the weighing room in order to hear the final result.

According to the newspaper Yushun, Ando actually thought to have lost from the start, but was surprised when Daiwa Scarlet's officials intimated him to take the first-place gate, believing that Scarlet was the one having the advantage; Ando was kinda surprised of it, while Take dismounted from Vodka with a stern expression on his face. The waiting for the final result was so long that the final race of that day, the 12th, originally set right after the Tenno Sho, was postponed. Only 13 minutes later* the result appeared on the scoreboard, proving that Vodka was the ultimate winner of the match: the margin of the "century's dead heat" was none other than 2cm**.

*At the 2026 Tenno Sho, the photo finish was consulted for 11 minutes
**The margin between Croix du Nord and Wurttemberg was the same, exactly 2cm

Almost a year after the race, in June 2009, Ando remembered his experience at the Akiten and Daiwa Scarlet's performance through these words:

>"When she [Vodka] was caught up to me, I thought she wouldn't even get third place. But she still managed to extend her lead from there, so she's a really great horse."

>"People say it was a great race, but to me it was the worst race I've ever seen, it wasn't the kind of race an ordinary horse could endure, and when I think about that, I feel she's considerably better than Vodka."

All the following sources come from the dedicated JP Wikipedia page for the 2008 Akiten, while Ando's Twitter comment for the 2026 Akiten can be found here.

Ash Gold joined the Somes Saddle family in 2019, and the farm's site describes him as follows:

>His father is Stay Gold, his mother is Oriental Art, and his maternal grandsire is Mejiro McQueen.
He is a well-bred horse, with older brothers from the same parents including Orfevre, who has achieved the Triple Crown and two second-place finishes in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and Dream Journey, who has won three G1 races including the Arima Kinen.

>Although he himself hasn't won any major titles, he's a fine 10-year-old male [TN - this description was written in 2022, so now Ash Gold is 14] with a diverse racing record ranging from two-year-old graded stakes races to steeplechase races, and also has experience at a riding club. [...]

>Ash is usually friendly and adorable, but at times he can be mischievous and willful due to his wild lineage, which gives him a charm that keeps everyone who watches him entertained.

Link to the pics:

• https://www.somes.co.jp/blog/37059/?srsltid=AfmBOoq9pvOYbbw85mDyQmsgafiN2IHNFdUBd6pY9jgwKFSUtbdwkN9m
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CBM376VjhxZ/?img_index=2
• https://www.instagram.com/p/DPLjvSwD8d7/?img_index=1
• https://x.com/minakuchirc/status/1113080295408824320

On May 10th, Eishin Flash visited the Tokyo Racecourse for the latest NHK Mile Cup. You can see this interesting post for photos related specifically to Flash's stay at the racecourse.

When it was time to return back to Versailles Resort Farm, he apparently didn't want to get in... So he was lured in with the most simple tactic: a carrot lol.

The pics.

Yeah I know, I'm one day late to post this, but regardless, since I saw no one posting this, I thought it would've been sweet to make it more known.

The artwork was done by Cygames Pictures.

I'm sorry for the lower quality of some of these photos, but said low quality was present even from the official sites from which these pics originate. 

All credits should go the respective posters of each pics. The following sources in order:

1. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2031351630726312236#m (specific date unknown, but was shot during Creek's "later years" according to the poster)
2. https://www.instagram.com/p/DXxb8OgEpNR/ (date unknown)
3. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2042204357807210789#m (date unknown)
4. https://db.sp.netkeiba.com/horse/horse_photo_list.html?id=1985104409 (1993, 8 year old)
5. https://prekrasnie.exblog.jp/iv/detail/?s=680476&i=200410%2F24%2F86%2Fb0015386_18193494.jpg (October 24th 2004, 19 year old)
6. https://uma-furusato.com/column/33556.html (before October 2006, age early 20s)

7-8-9. https://uma-furusato.com/search_horse/0000179892.html (before or during November 2008, 23? year old)

10-11-12. https://db.sp.netkeiba.com/horse/horse_photo_list.html?id=1985104409 (October 2009, 24 year old)

Super Creek passed away at the age of 25 in August 2010.

A korean fan was left speechless after seeing the amount of people that spectated the Epsom Cup, a G3 held today May 9th and whose winner was Trovatore, rode by Christophe Lemaire.

While this much audience for a G3 could seem a bit unusual, it must be contextualized that the Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu is overall more spacious in comparison to other racecourses like, for example, the Chukyo one; not all G3s are necessarily always this crowded either, as someone in the comments pointed out that there is a notable difference between the 4 main racecourses (Tokyo, Nakayama, Kyoto, Hanshin) and how the other racecourses outside of this "quartet" attract people.

Regardless of the potential reasons or factors, it's still a sight to behold.

>Satsuki Sho winner Lovcen, who returned to the stable on Wednesday, is "in much better condition. My hands sweat a lot more when I ride him than when I ride other horses, haha," said his handler, assistant trainer, Fusa.

Original post.

She writes:

>Today is the birthday of Jungle Pocket and Pokke-chan!!! 🎂✨

>This year, I'm so happy that we got to learn more about Jungle Pocket and that we got to see a new side of Pokke-chan through her new costume and events. ☺️

>I'm so happy to have met you. Let's continue to aim for the top and run endlessly down this never-ending road! 👊

Link to the post.

I don't think I will cover this post under the spoiler tag because, aside from being an out-of-context panel for a chapter not even released yet, this specific choice was done by Star Blossom's public social, which is enough to not say anything but also obviously catch interest. BUT if mods still say that it would be more preferrable to cover it, then I'll do it, I just wanted to explain the reason why I'll not (for now).

Concluding said premise... Jeez this is so sad. I've never seen a trainer character crash out so much as Tsubaki is seen in this panel (for whatever reason... I mean, yeah, there is obviously a reason, but I'm trying to be as vague as possible).

P.S. I've just realized to have erroneously typed in the title that May 10th will be the release date, but it's actually May 15th.

From this article dedicated to Wurttemberg:

>He [Wurttemberg] hasn't won a graded stakes race yet, but his strengths are his long stride and stamina, and he has always ended up in slow-paced races that come down to a burst of speed, which is not his strong suit. "He's not a horse that can accelerate in an instant, so it's tough if he's not in a forward position at the fourth corner," assistant trainer Yoshida recalls. However, he had the fastest closing speed and continued to accelerate even after passing the finish line, showing that his stamina is inexhaustible.

>Assistant trainer Teppei Ueno, who is currently in charge of training, also says, "He could probably even run 4000m." He catches his breath quickly during workouts, and even in the Diamond Stakes, he was already fine when it was time to wash his eyes. "There aren't many horses like that," assistant trainers Yoshida and Ueno agree.

>Apparently, when he's in good form, he'll show mischievous behavior like standing up. "This horse stands up when he's putting his full strength into his hindquarters, and sometimes even in the middle of a canter," says Assistant Ueno, describing a rather frightening sight to imagine. "He doesn't do that in races, and it's a parameter of when Wurttemberg is in good form. I just make sure he doesn't fall," he says casually.

Valsecito is the younger brother (both have the same dam, Malacostumbrada) of Resistencia, winner of the 2019 Hanshin Juveniles Fillies and one of the leading fillies of her generation (2020), placing 2nd in multiple G1s like the Oka Sho, NHK Mile Cup, Takamatsunomiya Kinen, Sprinters Stakes and the Hong Kong Sprint; she also placed 3rd once at the Victoria Mile.

Valsecito made his debut in October 2025 by winning his maiden race and placed 4th and 3rd in his subsequent G3 races, respectively the Shinzan Memorial in January and the Churchill Downs Cup in April. The next step will be the first G1 of his career, the NHK Mile Cup, scheduled for May 10th.

The pics.

This isn't a new photo, it was posted in January 2023 by Yamane-san in her official Twitter account to celebrate 'Sprinters Story' stage show. BUT, since I haven't seen a similar post in this subreddit (and if it was actually posted before and may risk of counting as a repost, let me know), I'll fill the hole! And since it's a stage play outfit, props to the costume designers!

She enjoyed her stay in Japan so much that she brought some merchandises from there too.

Pic.

Yaeno Muteki peacefully passed away at the age of 28 (almost 29) in March 2014. These photos were shot prior this time.

All these photos were shot and should credited as done by u/Shark_Tehm1975, a dedicated fan who visited Hidaka Stallion Station multiple times through their life and across decades, so I would invite people to check their profile, full of interesting and unique pics of horses.

1. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2042204357807210789#m
2. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/1674752536493043719#m
3. https://xcancel.com/Tomoko_33333/status/1869732318136647996#m
4. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2042791323259019337#m
5. https://x.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2041846791201812556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041846791201812556%7Ctwgr%5E9f5a8f11f699b6dc21e249989acccf05a0b3f0fe%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fumamusume-umapyoi.com%2Farchives%2F221921
6. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2048765431318815196#m
7. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2037848012555481560#m
8. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/1925190587978047845#m
9. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/1900528296107864132#m
10. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/1864964977314202033#m
11. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/1828390823127589246#m

Yaeno Muteki peacefully passed away at the age of 28 (almost 29) in March 2014. These photos were shot prior this time.

All these photos were shot and should credited as done by @Shark_Tehm1975, a dedicated fan who visited Hidaka Stallion Station multiple times through their life and across decades, so I would invite people to check their profile, full of interesting and unique pics of horses.

1. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2042204357807210789#m
2. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/1674752536493043719#m
3. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/1869345057696030773#m
4. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2042791323259019337#m
5. https://x.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2041846791201812556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041846791201812556%7Ctwgr%5E9f5a8f11f699b6dc21e249989acccf05a0b3f0fe%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fumamusume-umapyoi.com%2Farchives%2F221921
6. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2048765431318815196#m
7. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/2037848012555481560#m
8. https://xcancel.com/Shark_Tehm1975/status/1925190587978047845#m

I can already see all the sort of fanarts that will spawn from this lol.

S A U C E !

For the most recent Pakatube livestream, Koichi Tsunoda was the guest star of the event and had the opportunity to talk, discuss and share with the voice actresses real stories and 'never heard before' anectodes of Jungle Pocket, Fuji Kiseki and Agnes Tachyon. In particular, the most interesting story that came out of it was that, after Agnes Tachyon was retired from racing because of his tendonitis, the "Tachyon Team" cheered for the "Jungle Pocket Team" in the Japanese Derby.

She writes in her post:

>Now that I've calmed down a bit after a night's sleep, I'd like to say once again... Tsunoda-san, thank you so much for appearing on the show and for sharing so many valuable stories with us...! I'm running out of space to write, so I've included an image to express my feelings a little...! I'll treasure the autograph and photo you gave me...! 😭

In the mentioned image (the 2nd photo in this post) she adds:

>I had the opportunity to greet Tsunoda-san before the broadcast.

>He's a friendly, kind, and humorous person... I got to hear a lot of stories from him during rehearsals.

>Being able to hear those stories directly from you was a truly special moment, something I'll probably never experience again in my life.

>Fuji Kiseki gave us dreams, and Jungle Pocket carried on those dreams and made them come true.

>I am overflowing with deep respect and love for their greatness and wonderful relationship.

>With a renewed sense of responsibility, I will continue to approach this matter with utmost sincerity and dedication.

>Thank you so much...!

I don't know why, but fanworks featuring the girls with their jockeys/owners is one of my favourite genres lol.

THE SAUCE!