Straight Girl (Japanese: ストレイトガール , foaled 12 March 2009) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare . She showed modest ability in her early career, competing mainly in minor sprint races before winning the Listed Owari Stakes on her final run as a four-year-old in 2013. In the following year, she won the Grade 3 Silk Road Stakes and was placed in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen , Victoria Mile , Sprinters Stakes and Hong Kong Sprint . She appeared to reach her peak as a six-year-old in 2015 when she won both the Victoria Mile and the Sprinters Stakes. The mare was kept in training for two races a seven-year-old and produced arguably her best performance on her final appearance when she won the Victoria Mile for a second time.
40-557: Straight Girl is a bay mare with a large white star , a partial white blaze on the lower part of her face and muzzle and white socks on her hind legs. She was bred at the Okamoto Ranch by her owner, Toshihiro Hirosaki's TH Co Ltd. During her racing career she was trained by Toshihiro Hirosaki. Her sire Fuji Kiseki became the first major winner sired by Sunday Silence when he won the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes in 1994. As
80-459: A Thoroughbred horse named Birdcatcher , who had similar flecks of white on his flank and tail. Ticking or rabicano involves white flecks of hair at the flank, and white hairs at the base of the tail. The most minimal form can have only striped white frosting at the base of the tail, called a coon tail or skunk tail . Flecks of white on the root of the tail or scattered over the flanks may also be called Birdcatcher ticks . Scarring on
120-434: A base coat, there are other markings or patterns that are used to identify horses as with Appaloosa , Pinto or Brindle , as well as artificial markings such as branding . Facial markings are usually described by shape and location. There may be more than one distinct facial marking and if so, will be named separately. Occasionally, when a white marking extends over an eye, that eye may be blue instead of brown, though this
160-446: A breeding stallion his other progeny included Kane Hekili , Sun Classique (Dubai Sheema Classic) and Isla Bonita (Satsuki Shō). Straight Girl's dam Never Period showed some racing ability, winning three of her twelve starts. She was descended from the imported British mare Lavatera, who was in turn a descendant of the influential broodmare Friar's Daughter. Straight Girl began her racing career with four races at Sapporo Racecourse in
200-473: A clear path open right in front of us in the homestretch. I felt I didn’t have to use my whip, but with top G1 competition chasing us, I drove her to the finish line just in case". In the 2015 JRA Awards , Straight Girl finished second behind Shonan Pandora in the voting for the JRA Award for Best Older Filly or Mare and second to Maurice in the poll to determine the JRA Award for Best Sprinter or Miler . In
240-619: A comparable amount of prizemoney and has won many Group 1 races himself. Buffering competed with many of the greatest modern-day Australian sprinters throughout his career including aforementioned Black Caviar , Chautauqua, Hay List , Sepoy , Foxwedge, Terravista and Lankan Rupee, a claim that no other horse can make. He was foaled in Queensland, is trained by Queensland trainer Robert Heathcote, owned by Queenslanders including Heathcote himself and has been ridden throughout his career by Queensland-based jockey Damian Browne. As of March, 2016 Buffering
280-552: A four-month break to win a minor event over 1200 metres at Hakodate Racecourse in June. She was beaten in her next two races before running second in a minor race at Sapporo on 1 September in what proved to be her final run of the year. After being off the track for nine months Straight Girl returned to the track and finished second to Yulefest in a minor race at Hakodate on 16 June. She then began to make rapid progress and won four races in succession, all over 1200 metres at Hakodate: she won
320-664: A half lengths. On her final run of the year the mare was matched against international competition in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin Racecourse in December. Starting at odds of 16/1 she produced a strong late run to take third place behind the locally trained geldings Aerovelocity and Peniaphobia . The horses finishing behind included Gordon Lord Byron , Buffering , Sole Power , Snow Dragon and Lucky Nine . On her 2015 debut, Straight Girl started favourite for her second attempt at
360-437: A horse usually results in white hairs growing in over the injured area, though occasionally there may be no hair growth over the scar at all. Horses can be uniquely identified by more than just markings or brands. A few other physical characteristics sometimes used to distinguish a horse from another are: Some horse coat colors are distinguished by unique patterns. However, even for horses with coat colors that are arranged in
400-544: A length by the winner. In June she was dropped in class and started odds-on favourite for the Grade 3 Hakodate but produced her only poor run of the season as she finished eighth. After the summer break, Straight Girl returned in the Sprinters Stakes run that year at Niigata Racecourse on 5 October. She came home second to the 46/1 outsider Snow Dragon in a "blanket finish" which saw sixteen horses covered by less than four and
440-492: A manner unique to each individual horse, these patterns are not called "markings." Some coat colors partially distinguished by unique patterning include: Buffering (horse) Buffering ( foaled November 5, 2007) is a retired Australian Thoroughbred racehorse. A gelding , Buffering is one of the highest-money-earning horses in Australian racing history, having surpassed $ 7,000,000 in earnings on March 26, 2016, by winning
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#1732876673923480-730: A minor race on 23 June, the Sponichi Sho on 13 July, the Nikkan Spots Hai on 20 July and the UHB Sho on 11 August. She was then moved up in class for the Grade 3 Kenneland Cup on 25 August, but was narrowly beaten into second place by the five-year-old mare Forever Mark. On her final run of the year, she recorded her first major success when he won the Listed Owari Stakes over 1200 metres at Chukyo Racecourse on 8 December. In 2014, Straight Girl
520-418: A pinching saddle that had been worn over a long period of time. Birdcatcher spots are small white spots, about the size of a dime to the size of a quarter. They have not been linked to any specific breed, but they do tend to run in families. These spots may occur late in a horse's life, or may occur and then disappear. The spots may look like scars, but they are not caused by skin damage. The name comes from
560-787: A six-year-old that Buffering won his first group 1 race, the Manikato Stakes . He then went on to win Group 1 races at both of his next starts, winning the VRC Sprint and the Winterbottom Stakes in the Spring before returning in the Autumn to contest the TJ Smith Stakes , where he first encountered and was defeated by Lankan Rupee. He then returned to his home state of Queensland with a view to contesting
600-537: A sprint G1 at six years old", before suggesting that the mare would be retired from at the end of the year. In December the mare made her second attempt to win the Hong Kong Sprint but was unable to reproduce her performance of 2014 and finished ninth behind Peniaphobia. Despite expectations that she would be retired to become a broodmare, Straight Girl returned to the track in 2016. She made little impact on her seasonal debut as she finished ninth behind Smart Layer in
640-419: Is not consistently seen in all cases. Common facial markings are: Additional terms used to describe facial markings include the following: Leg markings are usually described by the highest point of the horse's leg that is covered by white. As a general rule, the horse's hoof beneath a white marking at the coronary line will also be light-colored ("white"). If a horse has a partial marking or ermine spots at
680-409: Is the highest earning Queensland racehorse of all time. He was sired by Mossman out of Action Annie. Buffering was bought for $ 22,000 at the 2009 Magic Millions QTIS 600 Yearling Sale by trainer Robert Heathcote and upon his racetrack debut found immediate success winning his first four starts as a two-year-old. In his fifth start, and first at stakes level, Buffering was beaten for the first time in
720-415: The splashed white , dominant white , or sabino alleles . Horses may develop white markings over areas where there was an injury to the animal, either to cover scar tissue from a cut or abrasion, or to reflect harm to the underlying skin or nerves. One common type of scarring that produces patches of white hairs are "saddle marks," which are round or oval marks on either side of the withers , produced by
760-474: The 2016 Al Quoz Sprint at the Meydan Racecourse during the 2016 Dubai World Cup race meeting. Buffering is the 7th horse in Australian history to surpass $ 7,000,000 in prizemoney and the first Queensland bred horse to do so. Buffering was a notable racetrack rival of retired, undefeated champion sprinting mare Black Caviar and despite never beating her, outlasted her on the track, went on to earn
800-686: The Gold Coast Magic Millions carnival, winning the Magic Millions Plate. He was then rested before being sent to Dubai in March for the Dubai World Cup Night G1 Al Quoz Sprint , where as a 9/1 chance he won his first race on international soil and surpassed $ 7,000,000 in career money earnings. The Al Quoz Sprint win marked the biggest win in his career aged eight and was his seventh Group 1 victory. He finished last in
840-578: The Grade 2 Centaur Stakes over 1200 metres at Hanshin in September in which she finished fourth behind Active Minoru, Uliuli and Barbara, beaten less than half a length by the winner. The Sprinters Stakes returned to its usual venue at Nakayama on 4 October 2015 and Straight Girl was made the 3.4/1 favourite. Her fourteen opponents included Active Minoru, Uliuli, Copano Richard, Hakusan Moon (2014 Centaur Stakes), Mikki Isle ( NHK Mile Cup ), and Rich Tapestry ( Santa Anita Sprint Championship ). Straight Girl tracked
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#1732876673923880-589: The Grade 2 Hanshin Himba Stakes over 1600 metres on 9 April. Five weeks after her run at Hanshin, the seven-year-old mare attempted to win a second Victoria Mile and started a 16.7/1 outsider. Mikki Queen (Yusun Himba, Shuka Sho ) started favourite in an eighteen-runner field which also included Shonan Pandora, Meisho Mambo, Uliuli, Red Reveur, Let's Go Donki ( Oka Sho ), Shonan Adela (Hanshin Juvenile Fillies), Smart Layer, Rouge Buck and Queens Ring. Tosaki settled
920-598: The Group 2 Bollinger Champagne Classic, finishing third with future Group 1 winners Pressday and Spirit of Boom finishing ahead of him in first and second respectively. Buffering's first group class win came in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes at Randwick in his ninth start. Two starts later Buffering ran in his first Group 1 race, the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington finishing fourth on Victoria Derby Day. Buffering continued to perform well despite running into an impressive selection of successful sprinters during
960-590: The Manikato Stakes and fourth in the Darley Classic , a race where he met Chautauqua and Terravista for the first time, with the latter winning. Buffering was then sent abroad for the first time. In December 2014, Buffering raced in the Hong Kong Sprint and, having been defeated at his prior two starts, was sent out as a 40/1 chance. He finished an admirable sixth in his first foray into international racing. Illness and injury plagued his seven-year-old season, as he
1000-655: The Stradbroke Handicap but after failing to win in either of his two starts in the Group 1 BTC Cup and Group 1 Doomben 10,000 Buffering was spelled. As a seven-year-old, Buffering returned to Melbourne to compete in the Spring Racing Carnival , where he won his next Group 1 race, the Moir Stakes, turning the tables on his TJ Smith Stakes conqueror Lankan Rupee. He was subsequently defeated at his next two starts, running seventh behind Lankan Rupee when defending
1040-548: The Takamatsunomiya Kinen on 29 March but finished unplaced behind Aerovelocity. After this race Keita Tosaki took over as the mare's regular jockey and rode her in all of her remaining races. As in 2016, the mare then stepped up in trip to tackle the Victoria Mile and started at odds of 13.1/1 in a field of eighteen fillies and mares at Tokyo on 17 May. The 2014 Yushun Himba winner Nuovo Record started favourite while
1080-412: The coronary band, the hoof may be both dark and light, corresponding with the hair coat immediately above. Where the leopard gene is present, the hoof may be striped even if markings are not visible at the coronary band. From tallest to shortest, common leg markings are: Additional terms used to describe white leg markings include: A horse's genes influence whether it will have white markings, though
1120-585: The exact genes involved could differ between breeds. Chestnut horses generally have more extensive white markings than bay or black horses. Horses with the W20 allele typically have white face and leg markings. Horses may have isolated body spots that are not large or numerous enough to qualify them as an Appaloosa , Pinto or Paint . Such markings are usually simply called "body spots," sometimes identified by location, i.e. "belly spot," "flank spot," etc. When this type of isolated spotting occurs, it may involve one of
1160-575: The first time for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen over 1200 metres at Chukyo and finished third of the eighteen runners behind Copano Richard and Snow Dragon . Having spent most of her career running in sprint races the mare was moved up in distance for the Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse in May. In a closely contested finish she came home third behind Verxina and Meisho Mambo beaten just over half
1200-536: The following year she finished third to Marialite in the Best Older Filly or Mare category. Straight Girl did not race after her second win in the Victoria Mile and was retired at the end of the season to become a broodmare. Her first foal, a colt sired by Frankel was born in 2018. Star (horse marking) Markings on horses are usually distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color . Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify
1240-423: The horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life. Most markings have pink skin underneath most of the white hairs, though a few faint markings may occasionally have white hair with no underlying pink skin. Markings may appear to change slightly when a horse grows or sheds its winter coat, however this difference is simply a factor of hair coat length;
Straight Girl - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-424: The late summer and autumn of 2011. After finishing unplaced on her debut on 21 August she recorded her first success in a maiden race over 1200 metres six days later. She was beaten in her next two races before moving to Hanshin Racecourse where she finished seventh in a minor event on 10 December. In 2012, Straight Girl finished unplaced in two starts at Kyoto Racecourse early in the year and then returned from
1320-471: The leaders before launching a strong run in the last 200 metres and won by three quarters of a length from Sakura Gospel. Following the race Hideaki Fujiwara commented "I owe it to the owner who has been so understanding as to let me keep her in training towards this long-awaited goal, and the stable staff that had put in every effort to make this happen. She's such a special mare to be able to keep turning in such consistent results throughout her career and to win
1360-408: The mare in fourth place before moving up on the inside to take the lead soon after the final turn. Straight Girl broke clear of her rivals in the closing stages and came home two and a half lengths in front of Mikki Queen, with Shonan Pandora a nose away in third place. The winning time of 1:31.5 was a new record for the race. Tosaki commented "Her response was terrific and we were very fortunate to find
1400-457: The middle part of his career. After the Coolmore Stud Stakes as a three-year-old, he competed in a further 16 Group 1 races before he won one, with Black Caviar, Sepoy, Foxwedge, Hay List and Sea Siren among the horses that defeated Buffering during this time. Of the first 17 Group 1 races he competed in, he placed in ten. He also managed to win five lesser group races during this time. It wasn't until October 2013, at his 36th racetrack start and as
1440-483: The other runners included Shonan Pandora , Meisho Mambo and Red Reveur ( Hanshin Juvenile Fillies ). Straight Girl was settled in fifth place as the 290/1 outsider Minaret set the pace from her fellow long-shot Kaiei Elegant. In the straight she made a sustained run on the outside, overtook the two outsiders in the final strides and won by a neck and one and three quarter lengths from Kaiei Elegant and Minaret. After
1480-415: The race Kosaki said "She broke really well today. I thought that the pace would be somewhat fast and that she will stretch well if I can save her energy until the right moment. The frontrunners were holding off well in the straight but the mare showed a magnificent turn of foot. I rode her for the first time today but she was easy to ride and ran a strong race". After a summer break, Straight Girl returned in
1520-481: The underlying pattern does not change. On a gray horse , markings visible at birth may become hidden as the horse turns white with age, but markings can still be determined by trimming the horse's hair closely, then wetting down the coat to see where there is pink skin and black skin under the hair. Recent studies have examined the genetics behind white markings and have located certain genetic loci that influence their expression . In addition to white markings on
1560-529: Was forced to miss the Sydney Autumn and Brisbane Winter carnivals for the first time in his career. It wasn't until his eight-year-old season, in spring 2015, that Buffering returned to the track, winning his track return in the Moir Stakes, making him a three-time winner. That win was followed up by him being sent to Perth and winning the Winterbottom Stakes for the second time. In January 2016 he raced at
1600-420: Was ridden in all of her races by Yasunari Iwata . She began her campaign in the Grade 3 Silk Road Stakes on 2 February at Kyoto, in which started at odds of 4.2/1 and won by two and a half lengths from the favourite Lady of Opera. She failed to win again that year but established herself as a high class performer as she put up several excellent efforts in defeat. In March she was stepped up to Grade 1 level for
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