Japanese Star Baseball players becoming racehorse owners
Wednesday, 02 August, 2023 18:12
Owner Sasaki (second left) (Photo by: Yuki Shimono)
During the Selection Sale of this year, star player from Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks', Yuki Yanagita purchased three racehorses, creating a buzz as an active professional baseball player involved in horse racing.
Apart from Yanagita, there are other notable figures in the baseball world who have owned racehorses.
Daisuke Miura
Known as "Yokohama's leader" and associated with Yokohama (DeNA ) Baystars for around 30 years, he is a big horse racing fan and owner. He owns several horses with "Regent" in their names. Notably, Regent Rock, who won the Onuma Stakes in 2018 and finished second in the JPN3 Saga Kinen in 2019, and Regent Blues, who won three times in dirt middle-distance races. After retiring from racing, Regent Rock became a lead horse at Kyoto Racecourse, and Regent Blues took on the same role at Nakayama Racecourse.
Kazuhiro Sasaki
During his active baseball career from Taiyo Whales to Yokohama Baystars and later in the MLB, he excelled mainly as a closer. He made his debut as a racehorse owner in 2006, starting with horses like Mister Fork and Axel Magin in regional horse racing. Later, he became a horse owner in central horse racing and owned three G1 horses: Verxina, Chevel Grand, and Vivlos, achieving remarkable results as an owner.
Masato Yoshii
In 1984, he started his career joined the Kintetsu Buffaloes. Afterward, he played for four NPB teams and three MLB teams, excelling as both a starter and a reliever. In January 2016, he had his first racehorse debut with Four Shem, the half-sister of Meisho Samson. He has since owned other horses like Tsukino Michi, Mase, and Tsurune. After becoming the Chiba Lotte Marines' supervisor in November of last year, his horse Rejine won its debut race at Urawa Racecourse.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
Known for his vibrant character and various performances, he is fondly called "BIG BOSS" by fans. He actually owned a horse named Tanoshin Joy, by Daitaku Bertram. The horse was trained by Mitsuhiro Okabayashi in Funabashi. Tanoshin Joy participated in races primarily in the short to middle-distance categories and had a record of 40 starts with 4 wins.
These individuals are all big names, and some are even current managers. They are expected to continue contributing to both the baseball and horse racing worlds in the future, adding excitement to both industries.
Apart from Yanagita, there are other notable figures in the baseball world who have owned racehorses.
Daisuke Miura
Known as "Yokohama's leader" and associated with Yokohama (DeNA ) Baystars for around 30 years, he is a big horse racing fan and owner. He owns several horses with "Regent" in their names. Notably, Regent Rock, who won the Onuma Stakes in 2018 and finished second in the JPN3 Saga Kinen in 2019, and Regent Blues, who won three times in dirt middle-distance races. After retiring from racing, Regent Rock became a lead horse at Kyoto Racecourse, and Regent Blues took on the same role at Nakayama Racecourse.
Kazuhiro Sasaki
During his active baseball career from Taiyo Whales to Yokohama Baystars and later in the MLB, he excelled mainly as a closer. He made his debut as a racehorse owner in 2006, starting with horses like Mister Fork and Axel Magin in regional horse racing. Later, he became a horse owner in central horse racing and owned three G1 horses: Verxina, Chevel Grand, and Vivlos, achieving remarkable results as an owner.
Masato Yoshii
In 1984, he started his career joined the Kintetsu Buffaloes. Afterward, he played for four NPB teams and three MLB teams, excelling as both a starter and a reliever. In January 2016, he had his first racehorse debut with Four Shem, the half-sister of Meisho Samson. He has since owned other horses like Tsukino Michi, Mase, and Tsurune. After becoming the Chiba Lotte Marines' supervisor in November of last year, his horse Rejine won its debut race at Urawa Racecourse.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
Known for his vibrant character and various performances, he is fondly called "BIG BOSS" by fans. He actually owned a horse named Tanoshin Joy, by Daitaku Bertram. The horse was trained by Mitsuhiro Okabayashi in Funabashi. Tanoshin Joy participated in races primarily in the short to middle-distance categories and had a record of 40 starts with 4 wins.
These individuals are all big names, and some are even current managers. They are expected to continue contributing to both the baseball and horse racing worlds in the future, adding excitement to both industries.