Masquerade Ball (horse)

Masquerade Ball (Japanese: マスカレードボール, Hepburn: Masukarēdobōru; foaled March 2, 2022) is an active Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2025 Tennō Shō (Autumn).^[1][2]

He was named after Masquerade ball, a kind of formal ball where participants attend in costume wearing masks.^[3]

On August 11, Masquerade Ball made his debut in the fifth race at Niigata Racecourse, a newcomer race for two-year-old horses over 1,600 meters on turf, with Keita Tosaki booked as his jockey. Breaking decently out of the gates, he settled in fourth from the rear and followed the field. Entering the straight he was brought to the outside, and when he accelerated from the 400-meter mark, he swept past the pack to win the race.^[4][5]

For his next start, the Ivy Stakes on October 19 was chosen. In this race he ceded favor in the betting to Piko Chan Black,^[6] a horse by Kitasan Black who had produced a dominant performance in his debut race, winning by seven lengths over the runner-up, and to Silver Rain, whose dam is Normcore,^[7] and he had to be content with being the third favorite. Immediately after the start he failed to settle and tracked the pace in third position near the front. Entering the straight he went up the inside, and after passing Silver Rain, he won the duel with Piko Chan Black with a margin of a length and a half, making it two consecutive victories.^[8][9]

His next race would be his first graded stakes race and grade one challenge, headed to the Hopeful Stakes on December 28.^[10] He started as the fourth favorite, behind Croix du Nord, winner of the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes,^[11] Magic Sands, winner of the Sapporo Nisai Stakes,^[12] and Pico Chan Black, with whom he had fought hard in his previous start.^[13] During the race he was positioned toward the rear of the pack. He moved forward at the third corner, and although he made headway around the fourth corner, in the straight he lacked the finishing kick and was well defeated, finishing 11th.^[14]

Masquerade Ball's three-year-old season began with the Kyodo Tsushin Hai.^[15] With Ryusei Sakai booked as his jockey, he went off as the favorite to win the race, but included in the field were such notable horses as Red Kingly, who had fought a duel with Croix du Nord and Satono Shining in its previous race,^[16] and Satono Carnaval, winner of the Hakodate Nisai Stakes.^[17] During the race he sat in third position, tracking the leading group. Entering the stretch, at the 400-meter mark he suddenly displayed a powerful turn of foot, and after taking the lead, he won the battle against Kalamatianos, who was closing up from the inside, capturing his first graded stakes victory.^[18] He was declared to run in the Satsuki Shō on April 20. On the day of the race, he was placed in mid-division early and launched a fierce late charge before the finish, but fell a neck short finishing third behind Croix du Nord and the eventual winner, Museum Mile.^[19]

His next race would be the Tōkyō Yūshun (Japanese Derby), held on June 1 at Tokyo Racecourse. Starting as the fourth favorite to win the race, he tracked the race in mid-division, biding time. In the final stretch, he deployed his late kick from the middle of the track, but fell three-quarters of a length short of Croix du Nord, finishing on second place.^[20]

After the summer break, Masquerade Ball's autumn campaign began with the Tenno Sho (Autumn), held on November 2. Shadai Thoroughbred Club announced on its website that he would head to the race with Christophe Lemaire as his jockey.^[21] He started the race as the most favored horse to win. Coming out of a slowly run pace, he moved out early in the stretch to contest the front running Meisho Tabaru, overtaking him and the rest of the pack while holding off the fast finishing Museum Mile to win the race at a pace of 32.3 seconds for the last 600 meters, breaking the record of the fastest finishing time for a grade one race in Japan. He became the sixth horse in history to win the race as a three-year-old.^[22]

He moved on to race in the Japan Cup, held on November 30, against a star studded field of multiple grade one winners including Calandagan, the Cartier Horse of the Year who was fresh from winning the Champion Stakes, Croix du Nord, the Japanese Derby winner who was coming off from a heartbreaking loss at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Danon Decile, last year's Japanese Derby winner and recently won against Calandagan in the Dubai Sheema Classic, Tastiera, who won the 2023 Japanese Derby and the Queen Elizabeth II Cup earlier this year, Justin Palace, winner of the 2023 Tenno Sho (Spring), Durezza, winner of the 2023 Kikuka-shō, and Brede Weg, winner of the 2023 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Japan. Starting the race as the top favorite, he settled near the back of the pack along with Calandagan and Danon Decile. As the race progressed on a very fast pace, he sat patiently until the final straight. Peeling off from the pack as soon as the group entered the final stretch, he unleashed his devastating late kick. Moving upfront and away from the pack, he was challenged by Calandagan with 300 meters left but was unable to hold the lead in his final strides, finishing at second place by a head. The resulting race finished with the time of 2:20.3, breaking the track record set by Almond Eye in the same race back in 2018.^[23]

Below data is based on data available on JBIS Search,^[24] and NetKeiba.^[25]

Notes:

• His half-sister, Masked Diva (by Rulership), won the 2023 Rose Stakes and the 2024 Hanshin Himba Stakes
• His grandmother from his damline, Behind the Mask, won the 2000 Centaur Stakes, the 2001 Swan Stakes, and the 2002 Kyoto Himba Stakes
• His cousin, Sunrise Soar, won the 2018 Heian Stakes and Nagoya Daishoten
• His dam's cousin, Koiuta, won the 2007 Victoria Mile