Stay Gold was a dark bay Japanese stallion foaled on 24 March 1994, bred by Shiraoi Farm and raced in the colors of Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd. Trained at Ritto by Yasuo Ikee, he was a son of Sunday Silence out of Golden Sash, with Dictus as his damsire. That pedigree placed him in one of the most influential sire lines in modern Japanese racing, while his female family also produced other winners including Les Clefs d'Or.
His racing career became notable not simply for what he won, but for how long and eventfully he stayed in the public eye. Stay Gold made 50 starts, compiling a record of 7 wins, 12 seconds, and 8 thirds, and his career stretched from the late 1990s into the early 2000s. The research describes him as a late bloomer and a fan favorite, a horse whose appeal grew through persistence and durability as much as through headline victories.
The biggest wins of his career came late. He captured the Meguro Kinen in 2000 and the Nikkei Shinshun Hai in 2001, but his defining moment came abroad in the 2001 Hong Kong Vase. Contemporary story material highlighted the way he ran down Ekraar in the closing stages, turning that race into the signature image of his career. That international success helped cement his reputation and was important enough for him to receive a JRA Special Award.
Financially, his campaign was substantial as well: the supplied research records JRA earnings of ¥762.99 million, while story-stage research gives total earnings of ¥1,021,138,100 and emphasizes the scale of his long career. More than a short-lived star, Stay Gold was remembered as a horse whose journey itself mattered. The existence of retrospective, story-focused coverage in later years reflects the strength of his following and the sense that he was more than just a set of race results.
After retirement, he stood at stud, with the provided evidence noting that he was posted to the Breeders Stallion Station and that netkeiba carries dedicated stud and progeny sections for him. He died on 5 February 2015. Even in a country rich with great racehorses, Stay Gold retained a special place as an enduring, hard-knocking international winner whose long golden journey left a strong mark on Japanese racing culture.
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