Agnes Digital
| Agnes Digital (アグネスデジタル) | |
|---|---|
 Agnes Digital in 2001 (Yasuda Kinen) | |
| Sire | Crafty Prospector |
| Grandsire | Mr. Prospector |
| Dam | Chancey Squaw |
| Damsire | Chief's Crown |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | May 15, 1997 |
| Died | December 8, 2021 (aged 24) |
| Country | USA |
| Breeder | Catesby W. Clay & Peter J. Callahan |
| Owner | Takao Watanabe |
| Trainer | Toshiaki Shirai |
| Jockey | Hirofumi Shii |
| Record | 32:12-5-4 |
| Earnings | $8,095,160[1] |
| Major wins | |
| Mile Championship (2000) Mile Championship Nambu Hai (2001) Tenno Sho (Autumn) (2001) Hong Kong Cup (2001) February Stakes (2002) Yasuda Kinen (2003) | |
| Awards | |
| JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse (2001) | |
Agnes Digital (Japanese: アグネスデジタル), foaled May 15, 1997 – December 8, 2021[2][3], was an American born Japan-based Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of several notable Grade 1 races, including the 2001 Tenno Sho (Autumn), the 2001 Hong Kong Cup, and the 2003 Yasuda Kinen.[1]
Career
[edit]Agnes Digital's first race was on September 12, 1999, where he came in 2nd at Hanshin Racecourse. He picked up his first win at the same course on October 2.
He won his first graded race, by winning the Zen-Nippon Sansai Yushun on December 23, 1999. He then began competing in only stakes races and graded races.
He won his next graded race, the Nagoya Yushun, on June 14, 2000. He then picked up two big wins to close the year - the September 30th, 2000 Unicorn Stakes and the November 19th, 2000 international Mile Championship.[1]
He went on a five-win streak starting in September 2001. He won the Nihon TV Hai, the Mile Championship Nambu Hai, the Autumn Tenno Sho, then the Hong Kong Cup[4] and the February Stakes.[1] The win streak ended with a 6th place finish at the 2002 Dubai World Cup.
His next win would be the last win of his career, as he captured the 2003 Yasuda Kinen. He tried to reclaim both the 2003 edition of the Mile Championship Nambu Hai and the 2003 edition of the Tenno Sho Autumn, but was unsuccessful. His last race was on December 28, 2003, at the Arima Kinen.[1]
Retirement
[edit]On January 18, 2004, Agnes Digital's retirement ceremony was held at Kyoto Racecourse, where he ran his final race wearing the number 13 jersey he wore when he won the Mile Championship. In preparation for the retirement ceremony, he continued to undergo light training, and it was said that he was regaining the aura of his prime. Her stable hand, Tamio Inoue, commented, "I wanted him to improve a little sooner, but maybe his improvement was slow because he was getting older. Things don't always work out that way."
After his retirement, he was kept as a stud at Big Red Farm in Niikappu, Hokkaido. His first foals, Aim at VIP, Dream Signal, and Yamanin Kingly, debuted in 2007, placing him second in the new sire rankings behind Symboli Kris S. The following January 2008, Dream Signal won the Shinzan Kinen, marking the first victory for a foal in a Grade 1 race. In 2014, Kazenoko won the Japan Dirt Derby, marking the first victory for a foal in a Grade 1 race (JpnI).[5] Like himself, he has also produced foals capable of both turf and dirt.
He retired as a stud in 2020 and spent the rest of his life at the Tokachi Light Horse Agricultural Cooperative Association Stud Farm, but was euthanized on December 8, 2021, following an accident while out grazing.[6][7][8]
Features and Evaluation
[edit]Agnes Digital has raced at 11 racecourses in Japan and overseas, winning three consecutive GI races on both turf and dirt tracks at the central, regional, and Hong Kong levels. He has been praised as an "all-rounder" and "a truly versatile horse." Writer Tamaki Abe commented, "There is no horse in the history of Japanese horse racing that has demonstrated such strength in a variety of categories. Perhaps the only example that comes to mind is Takeshibao of the 1960s, who won races on dirt tracks and in the Emperor's Cup at distances ranging from 1,200 meters to 3,200 meters." Meanwhile, Takuya Yamakawa said of Takeshibao, "In an era when baseball was the only popular sport, a boy with exceptional athletic ability was entrusted with the role of fourth batter in baseball and ace striker in soccer." He went on to call Agnes Digital, who lived in an era when there were specialists in each track, a "true super-all-rounder" and an "extraordinary super horse."
Toshiaki Shirai commented that "a horse like this rarely appears," and Hirofumi Yoi recalled that when he won the Yasuda Kinen after being thought to have burned out, "it defied common sense, I thought he was truly a wonder horse". His stable hand, Tamio Inoue, was also amazed at the time, saying, "I don't know what this horse is like." While mental strength is cited as the secret to his success in races around the country, his personality was very quiet, and Yoi described him as "seemingly sleepy" and "seemingly motivated. "
In 2010, the Japan Racing Association's newsletter Yushun held a special selection of famous horses to commemorate its 800th issue, titled "Immortal Famous Horses to Pass on to the Future," in which he was ranked 38th by readers' vote. In a similar selection held at the end of 2014, he was ranked 44th.
As of 2020, there are five racehorses, including Agnes Digital, that have won both turf and dirt GI races in the JRA.[9] All of them were recorded in the order of winning a GI race on turf before winning a GI race on dirt. However, Agnes Digital is the only racehorse to have won a GI race on dirt and then re-win a GI race on turf.
Stud career
[edit]Agnes Digital's descendants include:[10]
| Foaled | Name | Sex | Major Wins |
| 2005 | Dream Signal | c | Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen |
| 2005 | Ubiquitous | c | Unicorn Stakes |
| 2005 | Daishin Orange | c | Heian Stakes |
| 2005 | Yamanin Kingly | c | Sapporo Kinen |
| 2006 | Grand Prix Angel | f | Hakodate Sprint Stakes |
| 2007 | Sound Barrier | f | Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue |
| 2007 | Meiner Obelisk | f | Sakurajima Stakes, Kazusa Stakes |
| 2009 | Meisho Suzanna | f | Hokkaido Shimbun Hai Queen Stakes |
| 2011 | Asukano Roman | c | Tokai Stakes |
| 2011 | Kazenoko | c | Japan Dirt Derby |
Pedigree
[edit]| Sire Crafty Prospector (USA) 1979 |
Mr. Prospector (USA) 1970 |
Raise a Native | Native Dancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raise You | |||
| Gold Digger | Nashua | ||
| Sequence | |||
| Real Crafty Lady (USA) 1975 |
In Reality | Intentionally | |
| My Dear Girl | |||
| Princess Roycraft | Royal Note | ||
| Crafty Princess | |||
| Dam Chancey Squaw (USA) 1991 |
Chief's Crown (USA) 1982 |
Danzig | Northern Dancer |
| Pas De Nom | |||
| Six Crowns | Secretariat | ||
| Chris Evert | |||
| Allicance (USA) 1980 |
Alleged | Hoist The Flag | |
| Princess Pout | |||
| Runaway Bride | Wild Risk | ||
| Aimee |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Agnes Digital". Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ "芝＆ダート「二刀流」アグネスデジタル死す 放牧中の事故で｜極ウマ・プレミアム". p.nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "元祖二刀流 アグネスデジタル死す 芝＆ダートでＧ１制覇". デイリースポーツ online (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Agnes Digital win completes treble". Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "【ＪＤＤ】カゼノコがＶ！ハッピー３冠ならず". 予想王TV＠SANSPO.COM (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ^ "アグネスデジタル 17年間の種牡馬生活を終えて「これからは元気で1日でも長く生きてほしい」（netkeiba.com） - Yahoo!ニュース". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2021-05-03. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ^ "日刊スポーツ競馬 極ウマ". 日刊スポーツ競馬 極ウマ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ^ "元祖二刀流 アグネスデジタル死す 芝＆ダートでＧ１制覇/デイリースポーツ online". デイリースポーツ online (in Japanese). 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ^ "芝・ダートGI制覇の快挙 | 競馬コラム - netkeiba". news.netkeiba.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ^ "Agnes Digital Offspring". PedigreeQuery. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Agnes Digital". Retrieved 10 August 2019.