Redentor (horse)

Redentor, (Japanese: ヘデントール, foaled 6 April 2021) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He was well known for his capabilities in winning long distance races when he won both Diamond Stakes and Tenno Sho (Spring) in 2025 (Both races are three thousand metres and above). He also achieved second place in 2024 Kikuka Sho, losing out to Urban Chic in the process.^[2][3]

Redentor was foaled out of Corcovado, a mare who won five races and placed in another seven out of 16 races in her career.^[4][5] She was also sired by Stay Gold, who won the 2001 Dubai Sheema Classic and Hong Kong Vase. On his sire side, Rulership is the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner.^[6] Rulership himself sired by King Kamehameha, the leading sire in Japan in 2010 and 2011.^[7]

The horse's name derived from a portuguese word for redeemer. This referred to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Corcovado.^[8]

He made his debut with Christophe Lemaire as his jockey in the 2000 metres turf race in Tokyo. In this race, he was stay calm at the back until the fourth corner where sprinted but ultimately defeated by the future Satsuki Sho winner, Justin Milano to the line.^[9]

In his second race, he would be racing in a 2000 metres turf race at Nakayama. Utilizing similar strategy as before, he stayed back calmly and broke away at the final stretch to win his first race.^[10] The same case happened in his next race in which he got his second career win by three lengths over his competitors.^[11] Then, he raced in the Aoba Sho, his first graded race. In this race, Redentor was jockeyed by a current UAE champion jockey, Tadhg O'Shea. They were aiming for gate-to-wire finish but ran out of steam in the final straight and finish eighth on the day.^[12] Redentor who were back with Lemaire for the next two race which were Machida Tokubetsu and Nihonkai Stakes, would win both race in convincing way.^[13][14] This two consecutive wins qualified Redentor for the open class and a spot in the Kikuka Sho.^[14][15] In the race, Redentor started slow and was chasing early on but gradually making progress as the race went on and ended up in second, two and a half lengths behind Urban Chic who was ridden by Lemaire this time.^[16] Meanwhile, Keita Tosaki who was the new jockey stated that his preparations and conditions were excellent and he regretted that he could not get the victory.^[17]

He had a season debut this time in the Diamond Stakes, a 3400 metres turf race in Tokyo on February 22. In this race, he maintained a good position throughout the race before fully accelerated on the third bend and left all his competitors for his fifth career win.^[18] This win propelled him to show his capabilities in Tenno Sho (Spring) this year.^[19] With Damian Lane who was on short-term license from JRA this time, they settled mostly between sixth and seventh places. Lane kept Redentor intact on the fence until the final kilometre where he shifted to the outside and improved a bit into the front group. In the final stretch, he battled against Byzantine Dream, jockeyed by Andrasch Starke. Redentor took the lead over Byzantine Dream at 200 metres mark and hold it on for his first G1 win in his career.^[20] Due to this win, Redentor gained access for several international races such as Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Juddmonte International but had to pull out from both due to several factors such as bone fractures and lameness.^[21][22] These injuries sidelined Redentor for the rest of the season.^[23] For some reasons, Redentor's name was registered for the Arima Kinen in this year and he snatched the tenth most voted horses, earning an automatic qualification.^[24] This event causing an uproar among the communities as Redentor's qualification blocked out several horses from competing especially Lilac, who was sat in eleventh in the vote and had to qualify via prize money in which she sat far below several other horses.^[25]

After a long layoff from racing since last May, Redentor was geared and ready for the season opener at the Kyoto Kinen.^[26] In the race, Redentor stayed mostly at the back and managed to mark the lead pack but he was not sharp as expected and he failed to accelerate well in the final straight. He finished in eighth-place, first time he finished outside the podium since the 2018 Aoba Sho.^[27] Lemaire, who was back jockeying him this time noted that Redentor ran a good race but the pack made him unstable on the third and fourth corner although he was gaining momentum towards the end.^[28]

Redentor had won six out of nine races he competed for. This data available is based on JBIS and netkeiba.^[2][3]

Legend:
  Turf

• Redentor was inbred 4 x 5 to Mr. Prospector (Forty Niner's sire) and 4 x 5 to Northern Taste (Dyna Sash's sire)