The Japanese horse racing community mourns the loss of one of its greatest champions. Gentildonna, the legendary mare who inspired a character in the hit game Umamusume: Pretty Derby, has passed away peacefully at the age of 16.
The Sudden News
The Sunday Thoroughbred Club announced Gentildonna’s passing on Tuesday, November 25, noting that she “passed away peacefully.” The cause of death has not been revealed. Since retiring from racing in 2014, she had resided at Northern Farm, a major breeding facility in Hokkaido, where she served as a broodmare until retiring from breeding duties in July 2024.
This marks the third Japanese racehorse featured in Umamusume: Pretty Derby to pass away this year, following Grass Wonder in August and Haru Urara in September.
Who Was Gentildonna?
Born on February 20, 2009, at Northern Farm in Hokkaido, Gentildonna came from racing royalty. She was sired by Deep Impact, himself a Japanese Triple Crown winner, and out of British mare Donna Blini, who won the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes in 2005. Her name, meaning “noble lady” in Italian, would prove prophetic.
Despite her prestigious bloodline, Gentildonna’s career started slowly. She finished second in her debut newcomers race before finally breaking through with a maiden victory heading into her three-year-old season.
A Career of Historic Achievements
The 2012 season transformed Gentildonna into a legend. As a three-year-old, she won the G3 Shinzan Kinen before challenging for the Triple Tiara, where she defeated rival Verxina in all three races – the Oka Sho, Japanese Oaks, and Shuka Sho – to become only the fourth mare in Japanese racing history to claim the Triple Tiara.
But Gentildonna wasn’t satisfied with dominating races against other fillies. After completing the Triple Tiara, she stopped running in mare-only races and began competing directly against male horses, earning her the fan nickname “Gorilla” for her masculine strength and determination.
In November 2012, Gentildonna became the first three-year-old filly to win the prestigious Japan Cup, defeating heavyweights like Triple Crown winner Orfevre and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Solemia. The victory wasn’t without controversy, though. A protest was lodged for interference involving Orfevre, and it took 20 tense minutes before Gentildonna’s victory was confirmed (her jockey Yasunari Iwata received a two-day suspension, but no penalty was assessed to the horse herself).
Her dominance in 2012 earned her the Japanese Horse of the Year award.
International Success and Second Horse of the Year
Gentildonna made history again in 2013 when she became the first horse to win the Japan Cup twice, defeating Denim And Ruby by a nose. That same year, she ventured overseas for the first time, finishing second in the Dubai Sheema Classic.
In 2014, she finally conquered Dubai, winning the Sheema Classic by a comfortable margin. Her career culminated at the 2014 Arima Kinen, where she claimed victory over a stacked field that included Gold Ship, Epiphaneia, and Just A Way. This seventh G1 victory secured her second Japanese Horse of the Year award before she retired.
In total, Gentildonna won seven G1 races throughout her career and is rated as one of the best mares internationally in the 2010s, ranking ninth all-time on the highest-earning racehorses list.
Even in retirement, Gentildonna displayed her strong personality. As a broodmare, she was fiercely protective, refusing to let other foals come near her children and chasing them away whenever they tried.
The Umamusume Connection
As one of Japan’s most legendary mares, Gentildonna was a highly anticipated addition to Umamusume: Pretty Derby. She was announced during the game’s third anniversary stream for the Japanese version and was added as a trainable character on August 23, 2024. She has yet to appear in the global version of the game.
Character Design and Personality
In Umamusume, Gentildonna embodies the strength and determination that defined her racing career. The character is described as an umamusume who believes in righteousness in strength and the principle of meritocracy, being strict with both herself and others to the point of seeming cold. “Not having any words for losers” captures the essence of this formidable lady.
Visually, the character sports short brown hair tied into two knotted rings, with a distinctive red heart-shaped ribbon on her left ear and gold decorations. Her red eyes convey the intensity she brought to every race.
The game highlights her relationships with her real-life rivals – Verxina, whom she famously defeated in all three legs of the Triple Tiara, and Orfevre, the Triple Crown winner she battled against to prove herself as the strongest.
The character’s design reflects Gentildonna’s real nickname too. Fans affectionately called the real horse “Kifujin” (Demon Lady) or “Gorilla” for her powerful, almost masculine racing style and her ability to muscle past opponents on the home stretch.
A Legacy Remembered
Gentildonna’s passing marks the end of an era for Japanese horse racing. From an uncertain start to becoming a two-time Horse of the Year, she proved that true greatness comes from the courage to challenge the strongest competition, regardless of gender.
Her legacy lives on not only in the record books and in the hearts of racing fans but also in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, where new generations continue to discover the story of the noble lady who never stopped marching forward.
Rest in peace, Gentildonna. The racing world will remember your strength, your determination, and your uncompromising pursuit of greatness.
Read More:
The Life and Legacy of Grass Wonder in Japanese Horse Racing and Uma Musume – VRSUS
How the Umamusume Community Saved Meisho Doto And The Northern Lake Farm – VRSUS
Beloved Underdog Racehorse Haru Urara Passes Away at 29 – VRSUS
