T M Precure: Let the Light Shatter the Impossible!

IRL Horses

In horse racing, names are often nothing more than decoration. But sometimes, a name gathers meaning over time.

Named after a popular series about courage and companionship, our protagonist today, T M Precure (テイエムプリキュア), carried a title that promised far more than her modest beginnings suggested. For a while, it felt like just a hopeful name. But racing, like the stories that inspired it, is never that simple.

Her career would not unfold in steady triumph, but in setbacks, surprises, and moments that burned brightly when few expected them to.

Her Name Came from an Anime? No Way!

T M Precure was born on April 8, 2003, at Taniguchi Farm (タニグチ牧場). Her father was Paradise Creek, a four-time G1 winner in the United States who achieved decent results as a stallion in Japan. Her mother, Feriado (フェリアード), had a rather modest racing record and came from an unremarkable bloodline.

Soon after giving birth, Feriado developed a life-threatening volvulus and required emergency surgery. Though she survived, her condition was not good enough to nurse her foal. Thus, the farm owner’s wife and daughter stepped in, bottle-feeding the young filly and helping her through those fragile early days.

Because of her modest bloodline, despite her strong build, she was sold for just 2.5 million yen to Masatsugu Takezono (竹園正繼), the owner known for giving his horses the crown name “T M,” including champions like T M Opera O (テイエムオペラオー) and T M Ocean (テイエムオーシャン). She was the cheapest horse he had purchased at the time, yet he still believed she would one day become a graded race winner.

For this foal, the crown name was undoubtedly “T M.” But what would follow it?

In the end, it was the owner’s daughter who chose her name: “T M Precure.” And you might be wondering, what exactly does “Precure” mean?

The full name of “Precure” comes from Pretty Cure (ふたりはプリキュア), an anime television series that first aired in February 2004. It quickly rose to popularity thanks to its bold concept and intense fight scenes that relied on physical strength rather than magical powers, drawing in not only children but teenagers as well.

And thus, her name was decided: “T M Precure.” Next, she needed a trainer to teach her how to compete. However, her unimpressive background led several trainers to turn her down. In the end, it was Tadao Igarashi (五十嵐忠男) who finally gave her a chance.

Her unimpressive background meant few paid much attention on her when she made her debut, on the 1,200-meter turf at Kokura Racecourse. In a field of sixteen, she went off as the fifth favorite.

But as if to prove she could still be a magical girl despite her modest origins, she shook off her pursuers and won by a length and a quarter, the perfect opening chapter to a classic magical-girl tale.

After some discussion between her owner and trainer, her next target was a relatively modest one: the Kaede Sho at Kyoto, a one-win class race for juveniles. Once again, she went off as the fifth favorite, this time in a field of twelve.

But she completed the challenge beautifully and won once again, this time using a pace-chasing style.

Showing My True Strength! Claiming My Own Glory!

Breaking through another stage, her team finally felt she had acquired her “transformation item.” With that belief, they entered her in the top race for two-year-old fillies: the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies.

Unlike her first two races, the “antagonists” in this episode came armed with formidable resumes.

Among them was Alluring Voice (アルーリングボイス), owned by Sunday Racing and ridden by the legendary Yutaka Take (武豊), already a two-time graded stakes winner.

There was also Fusaichi Pandora (フサイチパンドラ), a daughter of Sunday Silence (サンデーサイレンス) who had crushed her debut field by six lengths just a month earlier.

And then there was Koiuta (コイウタ), whose beautiful name means “love song.” A filly sired by Fuji Kiseki (フジキセキ), a son of Sunday Silence, she had already finished third in a G2 race against male rivals.

Despite winning her first two races, T M Precure went off as only the eighth favorite.

As if setting the stage for a climactic first showdown among magical girls, rain lashed down upon Hanshin Racecourse, lightning flashing across the sky like a battle signal before the start. Yet despite the storm, the turf remained officially rated good.

After the start, unlike her first two races, T M Precure remained in the middle of the pack. A runner-up style is the way she deal with this challenge this time. Approaching the final turn, she was still boxed in. But instead of waiting for the race to open for her, she created her own path, driving forward with relentless physical power.

At the same time, Fusaichi Pandora made her move down the outside. In the final stretch, the two magical girls came together, stride for stride, locked in a dramatic duel.

In the end, T M Precure proved strongest in the duel. With her momentum carrying her forward, she overtook the remaining rivals ahead of her and crossed the finish line first, completing her transformation into an undefeated two-year-old princess.

After proving his partner was a true Pretty Cure, jockey Shigefumi Kumazawa (熊沢重文) kissed his “transformation item” — the wedding ring on his left hand — in gratitude to both T M Precure and his fiancee. He was about to be married at the time, and this victory marked his first G1 win in fourteen years. It felt like a gift at just the right moment.

The win also carried special meaning for her trainer, as it was his first G1 success as well.

No one expected T M Precure to win a G1 that day. In fact, some of those who appeared in the commemorative shot were merely fellow owners who happened to be at Hanshin and were invited at the last minute. After the race, reporters unfamiliar with the trending anime behind her name were left scratching their heads, trying to figure out a proper way to introduce her.

Why Can’t I Win? Don’t Leave Me Behind!

For a G1-winning filly, pursuing the Triple Tiara was almost inevitable. T M Precure began her campaign in the G3 Tulip Sho, but was turned away by Admire Kiss (アドマイヤキッス), finishing fourth.

In the G1 Oka Sho, she watched another “magical girl,” Kiss to Heaven (キストゥヘヴン), repeat the same path she had once taken to victory and claim the classic. T M Precure could manage no better than eighth.

Determined to reclaim her glory, she returned less than a month later in another trial race, the G2 Flora Stakes, but could manage only seventh.

Then came the G1 Japanese Oaks. As she struggled to make an impact, she watched her old rival Fusaichi Pandora battle bravely with the undefeated rising star Kawakami Princess (カワカミプリンセス) in front. T M Precure, however, could do little and finished eleventh.

Next, she was forced to rest for half a year due to a problem with her leg. When she finally returned, she seemed no longer the undefeated princess of her youth. Her team experimented with distances from 1,400 to 3,400 meters and even switched her to dirt at Oi Racecourse, searching for a spark that never quite came. Most of the time, she finished well down the field.

Her brightest moment in that period was a third-place finish in the G2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai in 2008, contested under light rain. But most of the time, she ran without the sparkle that had once made her seem special.

It was said that her dramatic decline in result came down to her temperament. If she wasn’t in the mood, she simply wouldn’t play along. And yet, when other horses panicked, she barely blinked. She ran on her own terms, like a princess with a mind of her own.

After her twenty-fourth defeat, Igarashi concluded it was time to draw the curtain. But T M Precure seemed unwilling to exit the stage just yet.

On January 18, 2009, she made what was announced as her final appearance in the G2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai, bidding farewell to the so-called “grown-up fans” who continued to stand by their fallen princess. By then, she was already six years old, and her partner in the race was Takuma Ogino (荻野琢真), a rookie jockey just twenty at the time.

The 49 kilograms on her back felt less like a handicap and more like sympathy, giving her the lightest burden in the field. Even the light rain that day seemed to favor her.

After the start, she rushed to the lead, stepping back into the spotlight for one final act. She controlled her pace well, and stayed away from the rest of the pack.

Approaching the final turn, when many expected her to begin fading, she instead seemed to glow brighter. The lead continued to widen. Seven lengths. Eight lengths.

By the time they reach the final stretch, she was no longer merely ahead, but illuminated against the chasing pack. She gave everything she had, driving forward to outrun the darkness itself, even unaware that her tongue hung out in the middle of her final surge.

「テイエムプリキュアようやく勝った！テイエムプリキュア、苦しかった3年間報われました！ハッピーエンドです！」

"T M Precure has finally done it! The hardship of those three difficult years has finally paid off! It’s a happy ending!"

Yuzuru Okayasu (岡安譲), announcer from Kansai Television.

At last, T M Precure stormed past the finish line with a lead of three and a half lengths, giving the young rider on her back his first graded race victory, and granting herself one more chance to tell the world that the princess had never stopped fighting.

Moved by her determination to shine once more for her grown-up fans, her trainer decided to grant her one more year.

It Takes Two to Cast the Spell! Thank You, My Partner!

But that race proved to be little more than a beautiful firework, as T M Precure finished near the back in her next two starts, the G2 Hanshin Daishoten and the G1 Tenno Sho Spring. It became clear that the front-running strategy was unlikely to succeed for her in longer-distance races.

Then T M Precure had a rest until autumn, and started her autumn campaign with tht G2 Kyoto Daishoten, a 2,400 meter turf race. There, she met Queen Spumante (クィーンスプマンテ), a mare a year younger than her, born exactly one year and a day later. She had just become an open-class runner and won a 2,600-meter open-class race in August.

In the race, Queen Spumante remained just behind as T M Precure surged ahead in a bold escape. To those chasing them, it felt like two lights were setting the rhythm of the race.

But in the stretch, the light faltered. One by one they were passed, and before long both had drifted back into the field, finishing ninth and last.

Despite their stumble in the previous race, the two magical girls returned side by side toward their next stage, the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, where formidable rivals awaited them on the grand stage.

First, Kawakami Princess, T M Precure’s old rival, who had been struggling in her recent races;

Broad Street (ブロードストリート), a shining filly who finished third in the G1 Shuka Sho that year but was later promoted to second;

Shalanaya, an unpredictable star from France who had captured the G1 Prix de l'Opera less than a month earlier; and finally,

Buena Vista (ブエナビスタ), the supernova who had claimed two jewels of the Triple Tiara that year, only to be demoted to third in her attempt to complete it.

In a field of stars, T M Precure was overlooked at twelfth in the betting, her partner scarcely better regarded at eleventh. But soon after the start, they moved as one, taking command of the race and shaping it to their own rhythm.

The rest of the field showed little urgency in responding to their pace, letting the pair stride on unchallenged. Before reaching the third turn, their advantage had stretched to more than twenty lengths. And even as they reach the final stretch, they still held a commanding lead.

Only then did the field awaken to the danger. At the same time Buena Vista started her spurt with overwhelming force, her acceleration flashing like a final spell cast in defiance.

She surged past the field, closing the gap with relentless momentum. For a heartbeat, it felt as though destiny had shifted in her favor.

Then she saw them.

Two lights still blazing in the distance, running as one.

Finding the appalling truth, Buena Vista gave everything she had, straining in a final, desperate charge. But even beyond the 200-meter mark, the margin remained eight lengths.

And in that instant, the realization swept through the crowd. The two lights at the front were not fading. They were about to seize the stage.

「これはとんでもない波乱になるのか！これが競馬だ、これが競馬の恐ろしさ！」

"Is this an unimaginable shock in the making? This is horse racing. This is the terrifying beauty of the sport!"

Tetsushi Baba (馬場鉄志), announcer from Kansai Television

Moments after announcer Baba’s words echoed across the course, Queen Spumante crossed the line first, T M Precure followed, and just beside her came Buena Vista, lunging desperately in a final surge.

Before the race, all eyes had been fixed on one star. Now, two unexpected lights had eclipsed her brilliance.

As Kyoto Racecourse erupted into chaos, Queen Spumante, her jockey Hiroyasu Tanaka (田中博康), and her owner Green Farm Co. Ltd. (株式会社グリーンファーム) celebrated their first G1 triumph.

And in that moment, T M Precure gave deeper meaning to the origin of her name. Futari wa Pretty Cure — Pretty Cure was never meant to shine alone, but together.

The Magical Girl’s Story Goes On!

The light she had rekindled at Kyoto carried her to the G1 Arima Kinen. Yet in a field of glittering stars, including Buena Vista and Dream Journey (ドリームジャーニー), her glow dimmed once more as she finished near the back.

In 2010, the results were much the same. Race after race, she finished near the back, until her final appearance in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup. There, she once again took the lead, trying to summon the miracle of the year before. But this time she stood alone. In the stretch, she was passed one by one and came home last.

After her retirement, she returned to her birthplace, Taniguchi Farm, where she began her second career as a broodmare. She produced ten foals. Nine of them were purchased by her longtime owner, Takezono, though most did not go on to stand at stud or become broodmares themselves.

Her final daughter, Kibou no Chikara (キボウノチカラ), whose name means “The Strength of Hope” and also echoes a series within the Pretty Cure franchise, now resides as a broodmare at a new farm named Hope Farm in Miyazaki Prefecture.

After retiring as a broodmare in 2022, T M Precure was selected as one of the beneficiaries of a crowdfunding initiative organized by the Retired Horse Association (引退馬協会), part of the “Nice Nature’s 33rd Birthday Donation Project.”

Yes, it was the same project that ultimately raised nearly 36 million yen, an extraordinary 1,791 percent of its original 3 million yen goal, riding the wave of Umamusume’s explosive popularity across Japan. In the end, the campaign helped secure new futures for 23 retired racehorses.

Now, T M Precure spends her days in quiet comfort at Calm Days Farm, with the Retired Horse Association sharing regular updates about her well-being and life after racing.

May the light she once carried on the track continue to shine gently beneath the wide skies of Hokkaido.
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My past work:

The Versailles Kingdom: A Story of Versailles Resort Farm and Rose Kingdom

Sanei Thank You: The Sorrow Known Only By Jizō

The Root of the Undefeated Triple Tiara: Daring Tact’s Journey to Her Debut

African Gold: In Search of the Golden Eggs

Meiner Fanrong: A Never-Ending Dice Journey

Oguri Roman: A Silver Bloom in the Shadow

Sakura Star O: Spirit of the Ink-Black Cherry Blossom

Spring Song: Curren Chan's "Big Bro" In Real Life

Kiseki: A Trail of Miracles and Its Followers