El Condor Pasa

El Condor Pasa (, March 17, 1995 – July 16, 2002) was an American-bred, Japanese-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1998 he won the NHK Mile Cup and the Japan Cup. In the following year he was campaigned in Europe where he won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and the Prix Foy before finishing second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was retired to stud but died after three seasons following unsuccessful colic surgery. El Condor Pasa has been described as the best Japanese racehorse of the 20th century. Background El Condor Pasa was a dark bay horse with a large white star bred in Kentucky by his Japanese owner Takashi Watanabe. His sire, Kingmambo was a highly successful breeding stallion. His progeny included the British Classic winners Light Shift, Russian Rhythm, King's Best, Henrythenavigator, Virginia Waters and Rule of Law as well as major winners in Japan, France (Divine Proportions) and the United States (Lemon Drop Kid). Watanabe sent the horse into training with Yoshi Ninomiya, who operated a small stable with only ten horses. El Condor Pasa was named after the Peruvian musical play of the same name, as Watanabe had a peer in his alma meter (Keio University) that he respected that spent time in Peru; as well as expanding his sire's partial name (Mambo) to mean "South American music" in general. This was the not the first horse Watanabe named "El Condor Pasa", as he owned another horse of the same name several years prior although he suffered a fatal injury that required euthanization before he could make his debut. Racing career El Condor Pasa won his only race as a two-year-old in 1997. In the following year he won his first four races culminating in a win in the Group One NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on 17 May. After a summer break he returned in October and was tried beyond a mile for the first time when finishing second to Silence Suzuka in the Mainichi Okan. Despite losing his unbeaten record he started 5/1 third favourite for the Japan Cup over one and a half miles on 29 November. Ridden by Masayoshi Ebina, he took the lead in the straight and won by two and a half lengths from the mare Air Groove and the favourite Special Week. His win was enthusiastically received by the crowd of 146,879 and his trainer described the winner as "a hero... he has a huge heart".