Daiwa Scarlet

Daiwa Scarlet (Japanese: ダイワスカーレット, Hepburn: Daiwa Sukāretto; foaled May 13, 2004)^[1] is a retired Japanese racehorse which won the 2007 Oka Sho, Shūka Sho and Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, the 2008 Osaka Hai, and the 2008 Arima Kinen.

Daiwa Scarlet was foaled on 13 May 2004 at Shadai Farm. She is a chestnut mare by Agnes Tachyon, winner of the 2001 Satsuki Sho.^[2] Her dam, Scarlet Bouquet was a 4 times G3 race winner in 21 starts.^[3][4] She is also the half-sister to 2004 Satsuki Sho winner, Daiwa Major.^[5]

Daiwa Scarlet was owned by Keizo Oshiro and trained by Kunihide Matsuda.^[6]

Daiwa Scarlet debuted in November 2006 with her eventual one and only jockey, Katsumi Ando.^[7] She won her maiden race easily and ran another race at the end of the year, which was at the Chukyo Nisai Stakes. She also ended up winning that race.^[8]

In January 2007, Daiwa Scarlet ran in the Shinzan Kinen, but was passed by Admire Aura, who she had beat in the last race, finishing second.^[9] The next race she ran in that year, the Tulip Sho, was the first time she raced against Vodka. Scarlet waited deliberately for Vodka's spurt to spurt with her in order to gauge her opponent. As a result, she ended up getting passed by Vodka and once again came in second place.^[10]

Daiwa Scarlet then participated in the next race, which was the Oka Sho. During the race, she got an early start based on the result of the previous race, and held off a chasing Vodka to win the race.^[11] This race made her the first racehorse sibling to win a Grade I race alongside her brother, Daiwa Major. Scarlet's next target was at the Oaks, but her now established rival, Vodka, was set to run in the Derby instead of the Oaks. On top of that, Daiwa Scarlet was supposed to be the big favorite for the race.^[12] However, she withdrew from the Oaks due to catching a cold.^[13] In September 2007, Daiwa Scarlet made her return in the Rose Stakes. She went up front as usual and got away with doing it.^[14] A month later, she ran in the Shuka Sho, racing a rematch with Vodka. In the race, she chased second and broke away in the stretch to finish first place, while Vodka came in third place. As a result of the race, Daiwa Scarlet earned the title of double crown mare.^[15] The next month she ran in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. She was voted as the popular horse in the race, and as usual, she took her place at the front and broke away on the straight away. She then held off on the field to win the race.^[16][17]

She was chosen fourth in the year-end Arima Kinen fan vote with about 74,000 votes. The 2007 Arima Kinen was the first time she raced against her brother, Daiwa Major. In the race, Daiwa Scarlet ran her usual run, but although she was on the verge of winning, she ended up in second place behind Matsurida Gogh.^[18]

The following year, there were plans for Daiwa Scarlet to run in the dirt Grade I February Stakes in Japan and then try for the Dubai World Cup. However, a woodchip had got her in the eye during training, and she was diagnosed with keratitis.^[19] As a result she had to be withdrawn from both races. Her return was swift however, and she raced in the Sankei Osaka Hai. The race included Meisho Samson, who was notable for four Grade I races, and Satsuki Sho winner, Victory. However, Daiwa Scarlet was picked as the favorite, and she lived up to expectations by winning the race.^[20]

While training for her next race, Scarlet broke a bone, so she took six months off.^[21] She returned in October for the Tenno Sho (Autumn).^[22] Her old rival, Vodka, and that year's derby winner, Deep Sky, also participated in the race. The race between these horses attracted a lot of attention. In the race, Daiwa Scarlet took the lead at the front, while Vodka and Deep Sky were chasing her on the straightaway. Vodka crossed Daiwa Scarlet, and Scarlet extended from the inside once again. It was a really close call, and both horses crossed the finish line. No one knew who won until a photo judgement was made, where it showed Vodka was two centimeters ahead of Scarlet.^[23] This was said to be Daiwa Scarlet's best race.^[24]

At the end of the year, Daiwa Scarlet ran in the Grand Prix Arima Kinen. She got off to a good start, took the lead, and stayed there to keep the rest of the racers at bay. She won the race, marking the first time in 37 years that a mare had won the Arima Kinen.^[25]

The following year, the challenge of the Dubai World Cup began again.^[26] However, she developed a mild case of flexor tendonitis in training, and this was enough of a reason for her to be retired.^[27]

Daiwa Scarlet finished her racing career with a total of 8 wins (including 4 Group 1's) in 12 races with 4 runner-up finishes, a near perfect record. This record is the Japanese second best record in top two finishes for the whole career after Shinzan who achieved 15 wins and 4 runner-ups in 19 races.^[28]

Daiwa Scarlet raced in 12 races and won 8 of them whilst finishing second in the other four. This data available is based on JBIS search^[29] and netkeiba.com.^[30]

Legend:
  Turf   All Weather

Daiwa Scarlet eventually became a broodmare. Her first foal, Daiwa Reine, was born in 2010. She continued to produce several more offspring in the years that followed until her last child, a colt, Grand Scarlet, was born in 2021.^[31] It was eventually announced in January 2024 that she would be retired from breeding.^[32]

An anthropomorphized version of Daiwa Scarlet appears in the multimedia franchise Umamusume Pretty Derby as a young girl with auburn twin tails, voiced by Chisa Kimura.^[33]