El Condor Pasa JP
A jet-set ace with skyline confidence. El Condor Pasa looks like she just stepped off a transatlantic red-eye and straight onto the track—tailored jacket, traveler’s charm, zero turbulence. She races with pilot’s calm: settle into a high, economical cruise, then pour on relentless pressure until the field blinks. When others panic in the stretch, she’s still cool, still climbing.
She loves big stages and unfamiliar air—the thrill of winning away from home. Around the dorms she’s the dependable senior who prints everyone’s itineraries and triple-checks gate times, then sneaks you a souvenir chocolate from wherever she’s just conquered. Elegant, worldly, and quietly competitive, she lives for the moment the backstretch opens like a runway and the engines spool up.
“File the flight plan. Own the horizon.”
Flavour cues: cosmopolitan captain; long rolling cadence; black/navy base with gold trim and a discreet tricolour ribbon; feather/condor crest; travel-tag charm on the stopwatch.
Race Results
| Date | Race | Grade | Course | Going | Dist | Pos | Draw | Jockey | Wgt | SP | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-10-03 | Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe | G1 | Longchamp (JP) | Heavy | 2400 m | 2 | 2 | M. Ebina | 59.5 kg | - | - |
| 1999-09-12 | Prix Foy | G2 | Longchamp (JP) | Good | 2400 m | 1 | 1 | M. Ebina | 58.0 kg | - | 2:31.4 |
| 1999-07-04 | Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud | G1 | Saint-Cloud (JP) | Good/Soft | 2400 m | 1 | 1 | M. Ebina | 61.0 kg | - | 2:28.8 |
| 1999-05-23 | Prix d'Ispahan | G1 | Longchamp (JP) | — | 1850 m | 2 | 2 | M. Ebina | 58.0 kg | - | - |
| 1998-11-29 | Japan Cup | G1 | Tokyo (JP) | Good | 2400 m | 1 | 6 | M. Ebina | 55.0 kg | 6.0 | 2:25.9 |
| 1998-10-11 | Mainichi Okan | G2 | Tokyo (JP) | Good | 1800 m | 2 | 4 | M. Ebina | 57.0 kg | 5.3 | 1:45.3 |
| 1998-05-17 | NHK Mile Cup | G1 | Tokyo (JP) | Good/Soft | 1600 m | 1 | 5 | H. Matoba | 57.0 kg | 1.8 | 1:33.7 |
| 1998-04-26 | New Zealand Trophy Yonsai Stakes | G2 | Tokyo (JP) | Soft | 1400 m | 1 | 17 | H. Matoba | 56.0 kg | 2.0 | 1:22.2 |
| 1998-02-15 | Kyodo News Service Hai Yonsai Stakes | Listed | Tokyo (JP) | Heavy | 1600 m | 1 | 8 | H. Matoba | 55.0 kg | 1.2 | 1:36.9 |
| 1998-01-11 | 4yo Allowance (1 Win) | ALW (1 Win) | Nakayama (JP) | Heavy | 1800 m | 1 | 11 | H. Matoba | 55.0 kg | 1.3 | 1:52.3 |
| 1997-11-08 | 3yo Debut (Dirt) | — | Tokyo (JP) | Good | 1600 m | 1 | 6 | H. Matoba | 54.0 kg | 2.5 | 1:39.3 |
IRL Info
- Foaled: 1995-03-17
- Died: 2002-07-16
- Sex: Stallion
- Colour: Dark Bay
- Trainer: Yoshitaka Ninomiya
- Owner: Takashi Watanabe
- Breeder: Takashi Watanabe
- Sire: Kingmambo
- Dam: Saddler's Gal
- Damsire: Sadler's Wells
- Record: 11 starts: 8-3-0
- Earnings: JPY 4530008.00
Type: US-bred, Japan-trained champion
Record: 11: 8–2–1
Range: Mile to 2400 m (sustained pace, top-class stamina)
Snapshot
El Condor Pasa was the globetrotting standard-bearer who proved a Japanese champion could go abroad and boss the conversation. As a three-year-old in 1998 he leapt from the NHK Mile Cup straight to the Japan Cup (G1) and won, announcing himself as a world horse. The following season he campaigned in Europe, winning the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) and the Prix Foy, then ran a legendary second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe after setting a bold, relentless pace—beaten only late by Montjeu. That Arc remains one of Japan’s most respected near-misses.
Style & strengths
- Signature trip: Take a position, lift the tempo early, and keep raising the throttle.
- Weapons: Enormous cruising speed, efficient action, and iron resolve—he forced top fields out of their comfort zones.
- Temperament: Professional, tractable, and unflappable on travel—he shipped like a seasoned campaigner.
Career highlights (selected)
- NHK Mile Cup (G1, 1998) — class edge at a mile.
- Japan Cup (G1, 1998) — three-year-old beating an international cast.
- Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1, 1999) — decisive European Group 1.
- Prix Foy (G2, 1999) — authoritative Arc prep.
- Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1, 1999) — heroic 2nd after a front-running masterclass.
After racing
Retired to stud in Japan, he died young in 2002. Despite the short stallion career, he left clear fingerprints on the breed, siring top performers such as Song of Wind (Kikuka Sho), Alondite (Japan Cup Dirt), and Vermilion (multi-G1 dirt champion).
Legacy
El Condor Pasa changed expectations. His Japan Cup at three and his near-Arc set a blueprint for bold, front-foot campaigning abroad—proof that Japanese champions could travel, impose their style, and make Europe answer hard questions. For many fans, his silhouette in front at Longchamp is the moment Japan’s international era truly took flight.
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