kurofune (racehorse)

Japanese thoroughbred racehorse. Kurofune, which means "black ship" (as in the one Matthew Perry sailed in to Japan), was named so by his owner, Makoto Kaneko, in the hopes of the horse becoming the first foreign-bred Derby horse. However, his bid to the classic races in 2001 were snubbed by Agnes Tachyon and Jungle Pocket. The horse would later be on the short list for the Autumn Tenno Sho, only to not make it in to the roster due to Meisho Doto and Agnes Digital taking up the two foreign-bred slots of that race.

With the Tenno Sho out of the picture, it was decided that Kurofune would be entered in to the Musashino Stakes held the day before that race. At the Musashino Stakes, Kurofune showed immense aptitude for the dirt race and won handily, securing an entry slot for the Japan Cup Dirt in the process. Later on, Kurofune also crushed his opponents at said race; but sadly his racing career was cut short soon after due to tendonitis, and was retired to stud. As a stallion, he has sired the likes of Curren Chan and Sodashi.