Sunny Brian

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Sunny Brian サニーブライアン
Breed	Thoroughbred
Sire	Brian's Time
Grandsire	Roberto
Dam	Sunny Swift
Damsire	Swift Swallow
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	23 April 1994
Died	3 March 2011 (aged 16)
Country	Japan
Color	Bay
Breeder	Murashita Farm
Owner	Moriyasu Miyazaki
Racing colours
Trainer	Senji Nakao
Jockey	Naohiro Onishi
Record	10: 4-1-1
Earnings	¥340,306,000
Major wins
Japanese Classic Race wins: Satsuki Shō (1997) Tōkyō Yūshun (1997)
Awards
JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt (1997)

Sunny Brian (サニーブライアン, Hepburn: Sanī Buraian, 23 April 1994 – 3 March 2011) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the first two legs of Japanese Classic Races, the Satsuki Shō and the Tōkyō Yūshun in 1997. He had a total earnings of ¥340,306,000 before his retirement.

Background

Born on April 23, 1994, Sunny Brian was a bay horse foaled by Sunny Swift, a Japanese racemare with the same owner as his, Moriyasu Miyazaki. He was sired by Brian's Time, an American-bred racehorse who also sired notable Japanese racehorses such as Narita Brian, Mayano Top Gun, and Tanino Gimlet.

Racing Career

Race Records

The table below from netkeiba and JBIS shows his overall racing career. In his 10 starts, he won four races.

Stud Career

During his 10 years as a stallion, he sired a total of 364 horses. Although not as remarkable as his father, two of his leading progeny—Gran Rio and Kazeni Fukarete, were both G3 winners. He was later castrated before retiring.

Retirement and Death

After his stud duties, he retired at the end of 2007 at the Yushun Village AERU located in Urakawa, Hokkaido. As the youngest Derby winner, he was reported to have many visitors, which were horse racing fans.

Moreover, he was often found alone in his pasture, distancing himself from other horses—Nippo Teio, Dai Yusaku, and Winning Ticket. He was described as gentle and usually very docile, though sometimes bites when groomed.

He later died of colic on March 3, 2011.

Pedigree

References