Samson Big (, ; foaled 14 April 1991) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who competed on flat and steeplechase races. He recorded four wins from thirty-five starts between 1993 and 1997, most notably the Kisaragi Sho (GIII) in 1994. He is best known for being one of only two horses, alongside the Triple Crown winner Narita Brian, to contest all three legs of the Japanese Triple Crown in 1994, and for his later depiction in the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise.
Background Samson Big was a bay horse bred in Monbetsu, Hokkaido, by Samson Farm. He was sired by Sakura Shori, and his dam was Shunichi Okan, a mare by Floribunda. He was owned by Yoshiko Tanaka, wife of the founder of the Meganesuper eyewear chain, and trained by Yukiharu Shikato at the JRA's Ritto Training Center.
Racing career 1993: two-year-old season Samson Big debuted on 10 July 1993 in a 2-year-old newcomer race over 1000 metres on dirt at Sapporo Racecourse, winning by 0.8 seconds. He then finished unplaced in the Sapporo Sansai Stakes (GIII) and fifth in the Clover Stakes. On 26 September, he contested the Hakodate Sansai Stakes (GIII) at Hakodate Racecourse, finishing second to Marie God and finishing ahead of the future Triple Crown winner Narita Brian, who finished sixth. After a third-place finish in the Hagi Stakes and an unplaced run in the Daily Hai Sansai Stakes (GII), he finished second in the Fukushima Sansai Stakes. He ended his season on 12 December in the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (GI) at Nakayama Racecourse, finishing 13th behind Narita Brian.
1994: three-year-old season He began his three-year-old campaign with an 11th-place finish in the Shinzan Kinen (GIII). On 6 February, he contested the Kisaragi Sho (GIII) at Hanshin Racecourse. Starting as the lowest favourite in an 11-horse field at odds of 172.0, he led from the start in a slow pace and held on to win by a nose in a slow time of 2:07.4, recording his first graded stakes victory.
He then finished ninth in the Spring Stakes (GII) and 17th in the Satsuki Shō (GI). After a 14th-place finish in the Kyoto Yonsai Tokubetsu (GIII), he ran in the Tōkyō Yūshun (Japanese Derby) on 29 May, finishing 18th (last) behind Narita Brian. On 6 November, he contested the Kikuka Shō (GI), finishing 15th (last), again behind Narita Brian. Samson Big and Narita Brian were the only two horses to contest all three Classic Races that year. On 11 December, he was pulled up in the Aichi Hai (GIII).
1995: four-year-old season Samson Big struggled on the flat as a four-year-old, recording mostly double-digit finishes. His best result was a third-place finish in the Akino Stakes (Open) at Niigata Racecourse in November. He ended his flat season with a 13th-place finish in the Aichi Hai in December, after which he was switched to jump racing.
1996: five-year-old season He made his jump debut on 20 January 1996 in a maiden hurdle race at Kyoto, winning in a record time of 3:11.2. He then lost three consecutive allowance races before winning his fourth attempt at Chukyo Racecourse on 8 June to enter the open class. He was subsequently sidelined with an injury.
1997: six-year-old season Returning from a year-long break, Samson Big ran three times in open hurdle races in 1997, with his best finish being a third at Chukyo on 1 June. After finishing sixth in the Kokura Shogai Stakes on 19 July, he was retired from racing.
Race record The following table details all 35 starts of Samson Big's racing career based on official JBIS and netkeiba records. Record current as of his final start on 19 July 1997. Date Distance (Condition) Race Class Course Odds(Favourite) Field Finish Time Jockey Winning(Losing)Margin Winner(2nd Place) Ref1993 – two-year-old season Dirt 1000 m (Good) 2-Y-O Newcomer Maiden Sapporo 3.3 (2nd) 8 1:01.5 Yūichi Shikato –0.8 (My Champion) Turf 1200 m (Good) Sapporo Nisai Stakes GIII Sapporo 9.1 (3rd) 16 15th 1:14.1 Yūichi Shikato 3.1 Mellow Fruits Turf 1200 m (Heavy) Clover Stakes Open Hakodate 26.1 (7th) 13 5th 1:13.6 Yūichi Shikato 1.1 Lioness Tosho Turf 1200 m (Heavy) Hakodate Nisai Stakes GIII Hakodate 36.5 (7th) 9 1:14.3 Yūichi Shikato 0.2 Marry God Turf 1200 m (Good) Hagi Stakes Open Kyoto 7.2 (3rd) 6 1:10.5 Yutaka Take 0.4 Inazuma Takao Turf 1400 m (Good) Daily Hai Nisai Stakes GII Kyoto 61.6 (11th) 15 14th 1:24.5 Seiki Tabara 2.5 Bodyguard Turf 1200 m (Good) Fukushima Nisai Stakes Open Fukushima 9.7 (5th) 11 1:10.9 Junichi Serizawa 0.3 Taiki Wolf Turf 1600 m (Good) Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes GI Nakayama 99.5 (14th) 14 13th 1:37.2 Yūichi Shikato 2.8 Narita Brian1994 – three-year-old season Turf 1600 m (Good) Shinzan Kinen GIII Kyoto 76.8 (12th) 12 11th 1:39.1 Junichi Serizawa 2.3 Namura Kokuo Turf 2000 m (Good) Kisaragi Sho GIII Hanshin 172.0 (11th) 11 2:07.4 Hidetaka Tadokoro –0.0 (Iide Liner) Turf 1800 m (Good) Spring Stakes GII Nakayama 47.4 (7th) 10 9th 1:50.8 Yūichi Shikato 1.7 Narita Brian Turf 2000 m (Good) Satsuki Shō GI Nakayama 158.8 (14th) 18 17th 2:01.7 Yūichi Shikato 2.7 Narita Brian Turf 2000 m (Good) Kyoto Yonsai Tokubetsu GIII Kyoto 23.7 (8th) 14 14th 2:05.6 Hidetaka Tadokoro 4.5 Iide Liner Turf 2400 m (Good) Tōkyō Yūshun GI Tokyo 183.3 (18th) 18 18th 2:34.2 Hidetaka Tadokoro 8.5 Narita Brian Turf 3000 m (Yielding) Kikuka Shō GI Kyoto 157.4 (15th) 15 15th 3:11.1 Sadahiko Kojima 6.5 Narita Brian Turf 2000 m (Good) Aichi Hai GIII Chukyo 35.6 (13th) 15 DNF – Kunihiko Watanabe – Tenzan Yutaka1995 – four-year-old season Dirt 1400 m (Yielding) Ritto Stakes Open Kyoto 105.1 (14th) 16 16th 1:26.8 Sadahiko Kojima 4.5 Marutaka Toko Turf 1200 m (Good) Silk Road Stakes Open Kyoto 73.8 (12th) 16 15th 1:09.9 Sadahiko Kojima 2.0 Gold Mountain Turf 1400 m (Good) Hankyu Hai GIII Kyoto 91.3 (12th) 18 7th 1:20.6 Takahito Kikuzawa 0.6 Bodyguard Turf 1800 m (Good) Kinko Sho GIII Chukyo 50.8 (14th) 16 10th 1:49.6 Takahito Kikuzawa 1.3 Samani Beppin Dirt 1700 m (Yielding) Tokai Stakes Open Chukyo 21.4 (8th) 16 12th 1:45.8 Takahito Kikuzawa 2.3 Cheers Atom Turf 1200 m (Good) Marine Stakes Open Hakodate 30.2 (10th) 16 13th 1:10.8 Shogo Kikuchi 1.7 Nihon Pillow Study Turf 1200 m (Good) Seikan Stakes Open Hakodate 97.4 (9th) 11 10th 1:11.3 Yūichi Shikato 1.7 Hokuto Phoebus Turf 1200 m (Good) Autumn Sprint Stakes Open Nakayama 114.7 (10th) 10 9th 1:10.5 Masayoshi Ebina 1.4 Hokuto Phoebus Turf 1200 m (Good) Opal Stakes Open Kyoto 120.4 (12th) 13 8th 1:08.4 Shogo Kikuchi 0.8 Nihon Pillow Study Turf 1800 m (Good) Akino Stakes Open Niigata 47.1 (12th) 14 1:50.0 Teruhiko Chida 0.3 Wind Fields Turf 2000 m (Good) Aichi Hai GIII Chukyo 36.0 (11th) 13 13th 2:05.1 Takaya Ueno 4.9 Sound Barrier1996 – five-year-old season Jump 2910 m (Muddy) Jump 4-Y-O+ Maiden Maiden Kyoto 5.1 (3rd) 10 Kazuya Nakatake –1.3 (Upsurge) Jump 3000 m (Good) Jump 4-Y-O+ 1-win 1-win Hanshin 1.3 (1st) 10 4th 3:23.0 Kazuya Nakatake 1.7 Mister Doctor Jump 3000 m (Heavy) Jump 4-Y-O+ 1-win 1-win Hanshin 2.0 (1st) 11 3:22.6 Kazuya Nakatake 0.3 Kurino Ho O Jump 2910 m (Good) Jump 4-Y-O+ 1-win 1-win Hanshin 2.3 (1st) 13 3:12.0 Kazuya Nakatake 0.2 Upsurge Jump 2800 m (Good) Jump 3-Y-O+ 1-win 1-win Chukyo 2.1 (1st) 11 3:03.2 Kazuya Nakatake –1.3 (Erimono Tsubame)1997 – six-year-old season Jump 2800 m (Good) Jump 4-Y-O+ Open Open Chukyo 4.5 (3rd) 6 3:06.4 Kazuya Nakatake 1.4 Polaire Jump 2750 m (Heavy) Jump 4-Y-O+ Open Open Fukushima 3.3 (2nd) 8 8th 3:06.4 Kazuya Nakatake 16.0 Fujiyama Daisen Jump 2950 m (Good) Kokura Shogai Stakes Open Kokura 8.2 (3rd) 7 6th 3:21.7 Kazuya Nakatake 4.5 Neo Chimes indicated that it was a record time finish
Retirement Following his retirement, Samson Big was gelded and returned to his birthplace, Samson Farm. In 1998, he was donated to the Equestrian Club of the University of Tsukuba and was officially registered as an equestrian horse with the Japan Equestrian Federation on 1 April 1999. He competed in equestrian events until December 2009, after which he moved to a riding club in Tochigi Prefecture. His last recorded appearance was at a horse show in February 2011, and his whereabouts since then remain unknown.
In popular culture An anthropomorphized version of Samson Big appears in Umamusume: Pretty Derby and is voiced by Miyari Nemoto. Despite what her name suggests, she is an Umamusume of small stature in Tracen Academy's Senior Division. Similarly to Haru Urara, she has a strong determination despite her losing streak, but has a greater understanding of how races affect her standing and awareness of her failures, and as such refuses to give up by throwing herself at problems until she succeeds. She admires Narita Brian and her racing style, while Brian has mutual respect for Big and approaches her of her own accord in contrast to Mayano Top Gun whom she finds annoying and actively tries to avoid.
Pedigree
Samson Big is inbred 4 × 5 to Nasrullah. His fourth dam Ichijyo won the 1953 Kumohata Kinen, and his extended female family traces back to the foundational imported mare Astonishment.
See also Thoroughbred racing in Japan
References