The Captain moniker came from a tribute to his uncle, the winner of the 1995 Kisaragi Sho, Ski Captain and Thule came directly from his dam which symbolised the limitless potential of the horse inspired by the domestic's and international's dominance of his predecessors.
Racing career
2007: two-year-old season
He made his debut in the 1800 metre race at Hanshin with Yutaka Take on his saddle. As the first favourite, he tracked in a good position but failed to extend his lead in the final straight and dropped to eighth on the day. The winner for that debut was the eventual 2011 Takarazuka Kinen's winner, Earnestly. At the end of July, Take rode him better as he managed to stay at the lead and hold off Johnny Barows to win by half a length. Two months later, he ran in his first open-grade race, the Nojigiku Stakes. In this race, Take rode him mostly at the back, and he spurted forward in the later phase from second-to-last position. He challenged for the lead but was beaten in the straight and finished third. His next race would be in October, which was his first graded race, the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes with Yuga Kawada as his jockey. In the race, Kawada rode him in second until the final corner, then cued the horse to overtake the leader, Take Mikazuchi, and he maintained the lead to win by one and three-quarters length on the line. For his end-of-season race, he was registered for both Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun and Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, but the trainer opted for the latter as Kawada stayed as his jockey. On the day, he was held up a bit at the start but recovered well as the race progressed to finish third. In the post-race, Kawada was dejected with the start, thought he could at least finish in second, and admitted that the winner, Goshawk Ken, was strong despite running at a comfortable pace.
2008: three-year-old season
Captain Thule (number 6) winning the 68th Satsuki Sho.
After the turn of the new year, Captain Thule underwent training for the trial race of the Satsuki Sho, which was the Yayoi Sho. The training went well as he kept up with his training mate in his final workout. On the day, the horse finished in fourth place. Despite a poor finish, Kawada said the performance was good enough as a preparation for the eventual Satsuki Sho. In April, he was registered for the Satsuki Sho. The training for the day went well as one of his assistant trainer said that he almost hit the condition when he was winning the Daily Hai Nisai Stakes a year ago. When the gates open, Kawada nailed the good start from gate 6, controlled the rhythm for the whole distance and won the race by two and a half lengths over the next finisher, Take Mikazuchi. In the post race, Kawada exclaimed that the runaway was planned and as they were approaching the final straight, he knew that they were safely going to take the win. This win was the first classic win and G1 victory for Kawada himself. However, this race took a heavy toll on his physique, as he was diagnosed with a left foreleg fracture that would require a year to recover. His trainer, Hideyuki Mori, said that it was deeply frustrating that his fracture happened after the horse worked so hard and hoped that he would recover early next year, with a target at the American Jockey Club Cup race.
2009: four-year-old season
As it turned out, Captain Thule took 16 months to recuperate from his injury and only made his comeback at the Sekiya Kinen in August. The training for this race was light and careful but the assistant trainer said he was in good shape and almost up to full speed for the race. As usual, he was front-running from the get-go but gassed out in the final straight and came home in fourth. Mori commented that the horse did not fell out from the lead pack and prayed that the horse would stay healthy for a good campaign. In September, he ran in the Asahi Challenge Cup, a G3 race held in Hanshin. He was in good shape and clocking great times in his final workout leading up to this race. When the race began, the horse tracked the leaders from a good position, took the lead halfway down the straight, and won by a neck in a fierce battle with the fourth favorite Break Run Out, who came from the outside. That exciting duel in the end was noted by Kawada after the race as he glad that he won the race and the horse came home safely. Right after this win, Captain Thule joined his first G1 race since the injury, the Tenno Sho (Autumn). He came to the Tokyo Racecourse in good physical condition coming off the win. Unfortunately, the good condition did not translate into the race day as he fell out of rhythm and only finished in 12th. Kawada said that the challenge from Matsurida Gogh basically made it tough for Captain Thule to run at his own pace at the end. The horse ended his season with a run at the Mile Championship in late November as he was drawn to start from gate 9. Along the way, he challenged the Tenno Sho (Autumn)'s winner, Company in second position. He ran to the outside track on the homestretch and made a bid for the win but slightly losing speed in the straight and finished in fourth on the line as Meiner Falke and Sahpresa surpassed him.
2010: five-year-old season
This year, he started his year early at the America Jockey Club Cup in January. On this occasion, his jockey switched to Christophe Lemaire, who was happy with his first workout with the horse. Even though he was touted as the favourite, once again he did not make a good impression and finished in a lowly 11th. In March, Captain Thule got an invitation to run at the Singapore Airlines International Cup, but it was rejected as his next journey would be at the Yomiuri Milers Cup in April and back with Kawada once again. In the training, Kawada make sure that the horse was not over exerting himself with the workout. He made a good late charge in the race but only finished in third place for the day one and a quarter lengths behind Reach The Crown and Triumph March. He went straight to Yasuda Kinen in June after this, as a sole horse that already won the G1 in their careers. On the day with Norihiro Yokoyama on his saddle, he raced hard in fourth place, but struggled to gain ground in the straight and finished seventh behind Showa Modern. Speaking about the result, Yokoyama praised that the horse had done his best on the day. He rested up for the summer before returning to the turf on the Asahi Challenge Cup to defend his title the previous year. Futoshi Komaki took the reins from then on as he commented that he can run faster than what he showed in training. That saying was not fluff, as he did lead the race wire-to-wire to get his back-to-back win and his fourth graded stakes win. His final race for the year would be another attempt at the Tenno Sho (Autumn). Speaking about the possible poor track conditions, the assistant trainer shushed it off and welcomed the challenge that was expected. This word turned out poorly for the team as Captain Thule finished 13th after losing momentum on the final straight from second position. Komaki reflected after the race that it was not going well since the start as the outside gate draws messed up his rhythm along the way.
2011: six-year-old season
His first race for this year would be at the Nakayama Kinen in Nakayama in February. When the gates opened, Komaki nailed a great start and maintained the pace until the homestretch, where Victoire Pisa stole the win from the back of the pack as he came home in second place, two and a half lengths behind. His connection decided to rest him for a while and decided that the next race for the campaign would be the Sankei Osaka Hai in April. This time, he lost more time on the final straight against his competitors after leading the majority of the race and finished in fifth. Komaki said in the post-race that he thought the horse was able to pull away in the final straight, but he could not and admitted his horse did not have the needed finishing speed in the final phase. Two months later, he ran in the Kinko Sho. He was comfortably leading the way and nearing his fifth graded stakes win until Rulership, who started late early on, surged from behind in the final straight and pulled away to win by three quarters of a length on the line. Komaki thought he had a chance that day and the ground was not a problem, but the winning horse was stronger. This year, he did not rest up in the summer, skipped the Takarazuka Kinen, and joined the Tanabata Sho in July as the favourite. At first, he led the race mostly in second position but faltered as the race went on and ended up in 12th place on the day. Komaki said that this time he was not fixated on leading, but the horse wanted to do that. As soon as others caught up, the horse lost the rhythm compared to when he was running alone, as he could not show his true quality when leading in a group. This race turned out to be his last race as in October, he was retired from racing, deregistered from the racing registry and put into stud duty at Shadai Stallion Station.
Racing form
Captain Thule won five races and hit five more podiums out of 20 starts. This data is based on JBIS and netkeiba.
Captain Thule stayed at Shadai Stallion Station between 2011 and 2015 and moved out to finish off his stud career at Lex Stud in 2016. He was sent back to the Shadai Farm at the beginning of 2017 to spent the rest of his life there. During his stud years, he bred with 257 mares, produced 155 foals, registered 152 of them as race horses with earnings of ¥873,584,500 and AEI of 0.45.
Pedigree
Pedigree of Captain Thule (JPN), gray stallion, 2005
123【皐月賞】（中山）～良血の証明 キャプテントゥーレが逃げ切りＶ[[Satsuki Sho] (Nakayama) - Proof of his excellent bloodline: Captain Thule wins by leading from start to finish.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 20 April 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
12全競走成績 | 競走成績 | キャプテントゥーレ[Full Race Record | Race Record | Captain Toule]. www.jbis.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 October 2026.
12キャプテントゥーレを訪ねて～社台スタリオンステーション[Visiting Captain Toure ~ Shadai Stallion Station]. uma-furusato.com (in Japanese). 27 December 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑アグネスタキオン[Agnes Tachyon]. www.jbis.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑キャプテントゥーレ[Captain Thule]. 社台サラブレッドクラブ - (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 October 2026.
12競走馬情報 | キャプテントゥーレ[Racehorse Information | Captain Thule (JPN)]. sp.jra.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑アーネストリーが最内から抜け出す/2歳新馬[Earnestly breaks away from the inside / 2-year-old maiden race]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 8 July 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑評判馬キャプテントゥーレが押し切る[The highly-regarded horse Captain Thule prevails.]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 29 July 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑野路菊S、オースミマーシャルがレコードV[Nojigiku S, Osumi Marshall records V]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 16 September 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑デイリー杯2歳S、良血キャプテントゥーレが快勝[Captain Thule, a well-bred horse, won the Daily Hai 2-Year-Old Stakes convincingly.]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 13 October 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑【全日本２歳優駿】（川崎）〜中央・地方の出走予定馬発表[[All Japan Two-Year-Old Stakes] (Kawasaki) - Announcement of Participating Horses from Central and Local Racecourses]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 3 December 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑朝日杯FSの出走馬が確定[The entries for the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes have been finalized.]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 6 December 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑【朝日杯ＦＳ】（中山）〜外国産馬ゴスホークケンが好スタートで押し切る[[Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes] (Nakayama) - Foreign-bred horse Goshawk Ken gets off to a good start and holds on to win.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 9 December 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑朝日杯ＦＳ】（中山）〜２着以下レース後コメント[Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (Nakayama) - Post-race comments for horses finishing 2nd or lower]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 9 December 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑“涼しい顔”でトゥーレ激走／弥生賞[Thule runs a spectacular race with a "cool demeanor" / Yayoi Sho]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 6 March 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑弥生賞、全着順＆払戻金[Yayoi Stakes: Full Results & Payouts]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 9 March 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑弥生賞・戦い終わって[Yayoi Stakes - After the race]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 9 March 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑キャプテン優駿度外視の極限仕上げに／皐月賞[Captain Yushun disregards all expectations for extreme preparation / Satsuki Sho]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 16 April 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
12"第６８回 皐月賞"[The 68th Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas)]. www.jra.go.jp (in Japanese). 20 April 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑川田キャプテントゥーレ逃走Ｖ／皐月賞[Kawada's Captain Thule wins by escaping in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas)]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 20 April 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑キャプテントゥーレ骨折、ダービー絶望 年内休養へ[Captain Thule suffers fracture, Derby participation out of the question, to rest for the rest of the year.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 22 April 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑トゥーレ骨折に森師は「残念…」[Trainer Mori said, "It's a shame..." regarding Thule's fracture.]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 22 April 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑【関屋記念】～キャプテントゥーレなど３４頭が登録[[Sekiya Memorial] - 34 horses registered, including Captain Thule]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 2 August 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑【関屋記念】全開トゥーレ！全開５１秒５[[Sekiya Memorial] Thule goes all out! Full throttle 51.5 seconds]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 6 August 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑【関屋記念】（新潟）～スマイルジャックが重賞２勝目[[Sekiya Memorial] (Niigata) - Smile Jack wins second graded stakes race.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 9 August 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
↑【朝日ＣＣ】トゥーレ猛時計で完調アピール[[Asahi CC] Thule shows he's in top form with a blazing clock.]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 10 September 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑皐月賞馬キャプテントゥーレが復活V/朝日CC[Satsuki Sho winner Captain Thule makes a comeback victory / Asahi CC]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 12 September 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【朝日チャレンジＣ】（阪神）～皐月賞馬キャプテントゥーレが復活を告げる勝利[[Asahi Challenge Cup] (Hanshin) - Satsuki Sho winner Captain Thule signs a comeback victory.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 12 September 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【古馬次走】キャプテントゥーレ天皇賞・秋へ[[Next race for older horses] Captain Thule to compete in the Tenno Sho (Autumn)]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 16 September 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【天皇賞・秋】（８）キャプテントゥーレ[[Tenno Sho (Autumn)] (8) Captain Thule]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 1 November 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【天皇賞・秋】１２着キャプテントゥーレ[[Tenno Sho (Autumn)] 12th place: Captain Thule]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 2 November 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑カンパニーは2枠4番/マイルCS枠順確定[Company is in gate 2, post 4 / Mile Championship post positions confirmed]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 20 November 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【マイルＣＳ】４着キャプテン皐月賞馬の意地は見せた[[Mile Championship] Captain, the Satsuki Sho winner, showed his determination by finishing 4th.]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 23 November 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【ＡＪＣ杯水曜追い】トゥーレの走りにルメール「幸せ」[[AJC Cup Wednesday Training] Lemaire says "I'm happy" about Thule's run.]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 20 January 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【ＡＪＣ杯】ネヴァブション連覇！キャプテン見せ場なし…[[AJC Cup] Never Buchon wins again! The captain had no chance to shine...]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 24 January 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑キャプテントゥーレが招待辞退/シンガポール航空国際C[Captain Thule declines invitation / Singapore Airlines International C]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 24 March 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【マイラーズＣ】キャプテントゥーレ手応えグイッ[[Milers Cup] Captain Thule shows a strong response.]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 15 April 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑リーチザクラウンが1年2か月ぶり復活V/マイラーズC[Reach the Crown makes a comeback after 1 year and 2 months / Mile Championship]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 17 April 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑"【安田記念】キャプテントゥーレ"格の差"みせる"[[Yasuda Kinen] Captain Thule shows his class]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 1 June 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【安田記念】７着キャプテントゥーレ[[Yasuda Kinen] Captain Thule finishes 7th]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 7 June 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【朝日ＣＣ水曜追い】キャプテントゥーレ さすがの好時計[[Asahi CC Wednesday Training] Captain Thule posts an impressive time.]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 8 September 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【朝日ＣＣ】横綱相撲！キャプテントゥーレこれがＧ１馬の貫禄だ！[[Asahi CC] A grand champion performance! Captain Thule shows the dignity of a G1 winner!]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 11 September 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑"渋った馬場歓迎！キャプテントゥーレ/天皇賞・秋"[A soft track is welcome! Captain Thule / Tenno Sho (Autumn)]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 30 October 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑天皇賞・秋、全着順＆払戻金[Tenno Sho (Autumn): Full Results & Payouts]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 31 October 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【天皇賞・秋】戦い終えて[[Tenno Sho (Autumn)] After the race]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 1 November 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑ドバイへ好発進！ヴィクトワールピサが圧勝/中山記念[A great start to Dubai! Victoire Pisa wins overwhelmingly at Nakayama Kinen /]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 27 February 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑キャプテントゥーレは大阪杯へ/次走報[Captain Thule to compete in the Osaka Cup / Next race information]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 3 March 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【産経大阪杯】（阪神）～ヒルノダムールが念願の初重賞Ｖ[[Sankei Osaka Cup] (Hanshin) - Hiruno D'Amour achieves her long-awaited first graded stakes victory.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 3 April 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【金鯱賞】１番人気ルーラーシップ出遅れも貫禄Ｖ[[Kinshachi Stakes] Favorite Rulership gets off to a slow start but wins convincingly.]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 28 May 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【金鯱賞（ＧII）】（京都）～ルーラーシップ 大出遅れも完勝で重賞３勝目[[Kinshachi Stakes (GII)] (Kyoto) - Rulership: Despite a poor start, he won convincingly for his third graded stakes victory.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 28 May 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑キャプテントゥーレは宝塚回避、七夕賞へ/次走報[Captain Thule will skip the Takarazuka Kinen and head to the Tanabata Sho / Next race information]. netkeiba (in Japanese). 24 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【七夕賞】 キャプテントゥーレが前売りオッズ１番人気[[Tanabata Stakes] Captain Thule is the favorite in the pre-race odds.]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 9 July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【七夕賞（ＧIII）】（中山）～牝馬イタリアンレッド 軽量生かして抜け出す[[Tanabata Stakes (GIII)] (Nakayama) - Filly Italian Red takes advantage of her light weight to pull away]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 10 July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑キャプテントゥーレ引退、種牡馬に[Captain Thule retires and becomes a breeding stallion.]. ラジオNIKKEI (in Japanese). 20 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑【風のたより】キャプテントゥーレ[[Message from the Wind] Captain Thule]. race.sanspo.com (in Japanese). 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑キャプテントゥーレがレックススタッドに移動[Captain Thule moves to Lex Stud]. uma-furusato.com. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
↑キャプテントゥーレが移動[Captain Thule moves]. uma-furusato.com (in Japanese). 16 December 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
Agnes Tachyon (JPN)
Sunday Silence (USA)
Tony Bin (IRE)
