Tap Dance City

Tap Dance City (Japanese タップダンスシチー) is a retired American-bred Japanese-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He showed promising form in his early racing career, winning the Asahi Challenge Cup in 2002. He reached his peak as a six-year-old in 2003 when he won the Kinko Sho and the Kyoto Daishoten before defeating a strong international field by a record margin in the Japan Cup. In the following year he won a second Kinko Sho and then took the Takarazuka Kinen. He won a third Kinko Sho as an eight-year-old in 2005.

Tap Dance City
Tap Dance City in December 2005
SirePleasant Tap
GrandsirePleasant Colony
DamAll Dance
DamsireNorthern Dancer
SexStallion
Foaled16 March 1997[1]
CountryUnited States
ColourBay
BreederEcho Valley Horse Farm & Swettenham Stud
OwnerYushun Horse
TrainerShozo Sasaki
Record41: 12-6-7
Earnings¥1,084,221,000 USD$9,627,882.48
Major wins
Asahi Challenge Cup (2002)
Kinko Sho (2003, 2004, 2005)
Kyoto Daishoten (2003)
Japan Cup (2003)
Takarazuka Kinen (2004)

Background

Tap Dance City is a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Echo Valley Horse Farm & Swettenham Stud. He was sired by the Eclipse Award winning stallion Pleasant Tap, whose other progeny included the Champion Stakes winner David Junior.[2] His dam, All Dance, was a sister of the Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors and produced several good winners including the leading British hurdler Ruling.

Racing career

2000-2002: early career

Tap Dance City won two of his nine races a three-year-old in 2000, but failed to win in six races in 2001. He emerged as a top-class performer in 2002 when he won the Grade 3 Asahi Challenge Cup. In December 2002, as an 85/1 outsider, he produced his best performance up to that point when he finished second to Symboli Kris S in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse.[3]

2003: six-year-old season

Tap Dance City began his six-year-old season by winning a handicap race at Tokyo Racecourse and then won the Grade 2 Kinko Sho at Chukyo Racecourse in May. In June he finished third to Hishi Miracle in the Takarazuka Kinen, with the unplaced horses including Neo Universe, Symboli Kris S and Agnes Digital. On his return from the summer break, Tap Dance City won the Grade 2 Kyoto Daishoten, beating Hishi Miracle by one and a quarter lengths after leading from the start.[4]

On 30 November 2003, Tap Dance City, ridden by Tetsuzo Sato, started at odds of 12.8/1 for the 22nd running of the Japan Cup at Tokyo. Apart from the Japanese contenders such as Symboli Kris S and Neo Universe, the race attracted international challengers including Islington from England, Johar from the United States and Fields of Omagh from Australia. Tap Dance City went into the lead from the start and opened up a seven length advantage with five furlongs left to run. He was never challenged and won by a record margin of nine lengths from the Kikuka Sho winner That's The Plenty, with Symboli Kris S and Neo Universe in third and fourth places.[5][6]

2004-2005: later career

In 2004, Tap Dance City won the Kinko Sho for a second time before starting 5/2 favourite for the Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse on 27 June. Sato tracked the leaders before sending the seven-year-old into the lead half a mile from the finish. Tap Dance City won by two lengths and three quarters of a length from Silk Famous and Lincoln, with Zenno Rob Roy taking fourth ahead of That's The Plenty.[7] In autumn, Tap Dance City was sent to Europe to contest the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse on 3 October. Starting at odds of 10/1 he disputed the lead until the turn into the straight, but faded in the closing stages and finished seventeenth of the nineteen runners behind Bago. Tap Dance City returned to Japan, and in December he finished second in the Arima Kinen, beaten half a length by Zenno Rob Roy, with Delta Blues, Hishi Miracle and Heart's Cry among the unplaced finishers.

As an eight-year-old, Tap Dance City won the Kinko Sho for a third time[8] but finished unplaced in his remaining four races.

Stud record

Tap Dance City was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion at the Breeders' Stallion Station. To date he had made no impact as a sire of winners. He was "put out of stud" in Japan on 12 May 2011.[9]

Pedigree
Pedigree of Tap Dance City (USA), bay stallion, 1997[1]
Sire
Pleasant Tap (USA)
1987		 Pleasant Colony
1978		 His Majesty Ribot
Flower Bowl
Sun Colony Sunrise Flight
Colonia
Never Knock
1979　		 Stage Door Johnny Prince John
Peroxide Blonde
Never Hula Never Bend
Hula Hula
Dam
All Dance (USA)
1978		 Northern Dancer
1961　		 Nearctic Nearco
Lady Angela
Natalma Native Dancer
Almahmoud
All Rainbows
1973		 Bold Hour Bold Ruler
Seven Thirty
Miss Carmie T. V. Lark
Twice Over (Family: 23-b)
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References
  1. "Tap Dance City pedigree". equineline.com. 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  2. "Pleasant Tap Stud Record". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  3. "Arima Kinen result". Racing Post. 22 December 2002. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  4. "Kyoto Daishoten result". Racing Post. 12 October 2003. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  5. "Japan Cup result". Racing Post. 30 November 2003. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  6. Paulick, Ray (30 November 2003). "Tap Dance City's Japan Cup Romp Gives Lane's End Sires Weekend Sweep". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  7. "Takarauka Kinen result". Racing Post. 27 June 2004. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  8. "Kinko Sho 2005 result". jbis.or.jp. 28 May 2005. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  9. Staff. "Tap Dance City". Japanese Stud Book. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
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