Dual Japanese Horse Of The Year Gentildonna Dies At 16

[Wandering Eyes]

Two-time Japanese Horse of the Year Gentildonna has died at the age of 16. The news was announced by Sunday Racing, who raced the daughter of Deep Impact throughout her 19-start career.

Bred by Northern Racing, and trained by Sei Ishizaka, the bay won at two and would go on to become the fourth Triple Tiara winner at three, as well as champion sophomore filly and Horse of the Year. After winning her first G1 Japan Cup in 2012, she ran second in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in 2013 and would double up in the Japan Cup again later that year. Although she won only once at four, she was still named the Japanese Champion Older Mare in 2013.

Kept in training at five, she prevailed in her second attempt in the Dubai Sheema Classic and ended her career with a victory in Nakayama's Arima Kinen a few starts later. Her efforts were good for another Japanese Horse of the Year title, her second Japanese Champion Older Mare crown, and she was a champion in the UAE.

Ishizaka told NetKeiba, “I received a call from Shunsuke Yoshida. It's too soon. This week is the Japan Cup, and she was a horse I would think about whenever the Classics or the G1 Arima Kinen came around.

“We pushed to run her in the Arima Kinen, and she still delivered. And in the Dubai Sheema Classic, she travelled all that way and won spectacularly. She was tremendously strong as a three-year-old as well. It's the fate of a racehorse, but I believe she gave everything, she really ran her heart out. That's why I hoped she could enjoy a long life afterwards. It hurts whenever any horse I trained passes away, but she was truly one of the special ones. Geraldina and her full sister Donau Blue are still here, so I hope the family line continues.”

The daughter of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Donna Blini (Bertolini) is a sibling or half-sibling to three stakes horses, including multiple group winner and G1 Victoria Mile second Donau Blue (Deep Impact), the Group 3-placed Donna Attraente (Deep Impact), and Suleyman (King Kamehameha), who was placed in both the G3 Procyon Stakes and G3 Antares Stakes.

As a broodmare, Gentildonna's best from seven foals is the 2022 Japanese Champion Older Mare Geraldina (Maurice), who won the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup and was second in the Arima Kinen. Her latest foal is a yearling filly by Epiphaneia.

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