Joie de Vivre

Joie de Vivre (Japanese ジョワドヴィーヴル, May 13, 2009 – May 29, 2013) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2011 she was rated the best filly of her generation in Japan, after winning both of her races including the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. In the following spring she ran third in the Tulip Sho and sixth in the Oka Sho before her season was curtailed by injury. She returned in 2013 but failed to win, with her best effort coming on her final start when she finished a close fourth in the Victoria Mile. She died later that year. Background Joie de Vivre was a bay mare bred in Hokkaido by Northern Farm. During her racing career she carried the black, yellow, pink and red colours of Sunday Racing and was trained by Hiroyoshi Matsuda. She was ridden in most of her races by Yuichi Fukunaga. She was a small mare, weighing no more than 436 kg during her racing career. She was from the second crop of foals sired by Deep Impact, who was the Japanese Horse of the Year in 2005 and 2006, winning races including the Tokyo Yushun, Tenno Sho, Arima Kinen and Japan Cup. Deep Impact's other progeny include Gentildonna, Harp Star, Kizuna, A Shin Hikari, Marialite and Saxon Warrior. Joie de Vivre's dam Biwa Heidi showed top class form as a juvenile, winning the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 1995. As a broodmare she also produced the outstanding racemare Buena Vista. Her dam, the Irish mare Aghsan, was a half-sister to the dam of Manhattan Cafe.