Narita Brian was born at Hayata Farm. His sire was Brian’s Time, imported by Koichiro Hayata, head of the farm. Hayata’s first choice had been Sunshine Forever, but negotiations collapsed, and instead the closely related Brian’s Time was brought in as a stallion. Even as a

Narita Brian was not a horse that carried lofty expectations from the start. He was small, and the farm worried whether he could ever grow into a true racehorse. When he was about a month old, trainer Masaaki Okubo—who had conditioned Mejiro Palmer and Narita Taishin—came to the

The farm staff gradually began to understand what kind of horse Narita Brian was. One day, while he was being ridden along a path, a small puddle appeared ahead. Brian startled, twisted his body to avoid it, and threw the rider off. He had a delicate, highly sensitive

On May 28, 1993, Narita Brian entered the Masaaki Okubo stable at the Ritto Training Center. At last, his life as a racehorse had begun. As the younger brother of Biwa Hayahide—who had finished runner-up in both the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby that same year—reporters

At last came his debut. Hakodate, turf, 1200 meters. When the gates sprang open, Narita Brian broke reasonably well. But almost immediately he slammed on the brakes. Alarmed, thinking he might be injured, Katsumi Minai eased him back through the field.

Whether Narita Brian would even secure a gate in the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes—the race that essentially crowned the two-year-old champion—was uncertain. So instead, his team aimed for the Kyoto Sansai Stakes (Kyoto, 1800m), even though it meant a grueling

After crushing the field in the Kyoto Sansai Stakes and adding to his earnings, Narita Brian earned his place in the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (now the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes)—the race that decided the champion of his generation. It was the same race

With the shadow roll, Narita Brian awakened. He was not just strong—his dark bay frame set against the stark white of the shadow roll became iconic. It was so distinctive that fans would see a stuffed toy horse and exclaim, “That’s Narita Brian!!” The

For the older-horse division, there was Biwa Hayahide. For the Classic trail, there was Narita Brian. Media and fans alike believed: “This year’s racing will revolve around these two brothers.” Racing magazines even launched serialized features with the pair as their central

After his easy win in the Kyodo News Service Hai, the original plan was to give Narita Brian a short break before heading straight to the Satsuki Sho. But soon—“He’s too full of energy…” Brian grew restless, unsettled. Was it irritation? Or simply excess vitality? Okubo began

Okubo, more than ever, showed confidence. Even the long van ride to Nakayama Racecourse posed no problem for Narita Brian. His preparation went smoothly, and on March 27 he entered the Spring Stakes as the overwhelming favorite at 1.2 to 1. Breaking

Already, voices were saying: “The Triple Crown is a foregone conclusion.” Still, among fans and journalists, one concern lingered: “Isn’t he being raced too much?” By the time of the Satsuki Sho, Narita Brian would already be making his 10th career start, without ever having

On the rain-soaked woodchip track, left heavy from showers the night before, Narita Brian’s final workout took place. With trainer Okubo absent, all eyes were on the colt. At Minai’s signal, Brian’s body sank, and in an instant he exploded forward. Near the final hundred meters,

At last, on the morning before the Satsuki Sho, tension flared between Narita Brian’s camp and the press. Trainer Masaaki Okubo was nowhere to be found on the eve of the big race. Jockey Katsumi Minai was away at Hanshin for his rides there. That left only Murata, the exercise

Let us return to Narita Brian. Whatever turmoil swirled around him, he knew nothing of it. At 1.6 to 1, he was the overwhelming favorite for the Satsuki Sho. The starter raised the flag, the fanfare blared, and a roar went up from the grandstands. The

As he brought Narita Brian back, Katsumi Minai raised his left arm in salute to the crowd near the finish line. Beaming, he gave his interview: “I was never worried about the horse. Honestly, I was more worried about myself—this was the only ride I had today. For the next one,

The Festival of Racing—the Japanese Derby—was drawing near. Trainer Masaaki Okubo, recovered from appendicitis, had returned to the front lines. “Narita Brian came out of the Satsuki Sho without a scratch. He’s been calm throughout this period, and that’s the most important

On May 23 in Tokyo, at a public event, Katsumi Minai made a bold declaration. The program featured a mock race call: an announcer offered an imagined play-by-play of the Derby from start to finish, pausing here and there to ask the five jockeys of the leading contenders where

The 1994 Japanese Derby was shaping up to be Narita Brian’s race. On May 25 came his final workout before the big day, with Minai in the saddle. The jet-black colt used his neck with mastery, running in a low, powerful frame yet moving with lightness. Under a snug hold, he

On May 27, the barrier draw for the Japanese Derby was announced: Narita Brian drew the far outside, gate 17. That same day, the colt took part in an open workout at Tokyo Racecourse. He cantered easily over the turf. A touch keyed up, perhaps, but

The second crown was his. “Mi–na–i! Mi–na–i!” The chant for Katsumi Minai thundered across Tokyo Racecourse, 187,000 voices swallowed into one. Narita Brian had delivered at 1.2 to 1—the lowest Derby payout in history. Minai, holding back tears, said:

The voices of those defeated in the Japanese Derby: “With a horse like that (Narita Brian), it’s best not to get clever. Letting him stay wide and run at his own rhythm—that was the right ride. When you’ve been beaten five lengths, there’s no point looking back at what you might

Just like his younger brother in the Japanese Derby, Biwa Hayahide went to the Takarazuka Kinen sent off as the 1.2 favorite. And like Brian, he delivered—crushing the field by five lengths in a new Japan record time. The symmetry was striking: both brothers, both winning their

There is, in fact, a story even the reporters who followed Narita Brian most closely never knew at the time. It surfaced six years later, in a 2000 racing magazine, recounting an episode from his summer layoff in 1994. “During the Sapporo meeting, I was at Hakodate Racecourse to

On September 16, Narita Brian returned from Hakodate to the Ritto Training Center. Trainer Okubo reassured the press that all was well: “Everything has gone just as I planned. For the time being Murata will keep riding him, and starting a week before the Kyoto Shimbun Hai, Minai

In the Kyoto Shimbun Hai, Narita Brian went off at odds of 1.0—so heavily favored that a win ticket returned only the stake. And yet, he lost. By the narrowest of margins—a neck. The winner was Starman, who slipped through along the inside to snatch

Narita Brian’s defeat was a national shock. His camp insisted all was going according to plan, but the press was in turmoil. This was the colt who had dominated so absolutely—now he had been beaten. It was front-page news. The next day’s headlines read: “For rivals who had been

Biwa Hayahide was retired. The long-dreamed Arima Kinen showdown with Narita Brian—the great brother-against-brother duel—was gone forever. For Brian, the path to the Triple Crown now narrowed to a single race: the Kikuka Sho, just days away. As Okubo’s stable carried out final

On November 1, trainer Okubo met the press with a faint, knowing grin. “The instructions were to keep it ordinary since he was so full of energy—but the clock came up too fast. That just shows how well he’s feeling, how much spirit he has.” By the November 3 workout, jockey

November 6, Kikuka Sho Day. From the morning, rain fell steadily over Kyoto Racecourse. The going was officially listed as “slightly yielding.” Narita Brian entered the race the overwhelming favorite at 1.7 to 1. The television broadcast buzzed with debate: Could he complete the