Admire Rakti

Admire Rakti
Admire Rakti in Kyoto Racecourse (May 2014).
Sire	Heart's Cry
Grandsire	Sunday Silence
Dam	Admire Teresa
Damsire	Helissio
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	20 February 2008
Country	Japan
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Northern Racing
Owner	Riichi Kondo
Trainer	Tomoyuki Umeda
Record	28: 7-6-5
Earnings	$5,170,763
Major wins
Diamond Stakes (Japan, 2013) Caulfield Cup (2014)

Admire Rakti (20 February 2008 – 4 November 2014) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Diamond Stakes in Japan and the Caulfield Cup in Australia. He died after competing in the 154th Melbourne Cup on 4 November 2014.

Admire Rakti was a bay horse with a white star, bred in Japan by Northern Racing. He was from the first crop of foals sired by Heart's Cry, a horse whose wins included the Arima Kinen and the Dubai Sheema Classic. During his racing career Admire Rakti was owned by Riichi Kondo and trained by Tomoyuki Umeda.

Admire Rakti ran twice as a two-year-old in late 2010, winning an 1800-metre maiden race at Hanshin Racecourse on his second appearance on December 11. In the following year he ran seven times, recording his only success over 2000 metres at Hanshin in September. As a four-year-old he again contested seven races, winning twice at Nakayama Racecourse and taking the 2400 metre Koto Stakes when moved in distance at Kyoto in October. In his last two races of the year he was moved up in class to finish third in both the Listed Andromeda Stakes and the Grade II Kinko Sho.

As a five-year-old, Admire Rakti showed improved form and competed in some of the most prestigious races in Japan. After finishing third on his debut he was moved up in distance to 3400 metres and won the Diamond Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse, beating the 2010 Spring Tennō Shō winner Jaguar Mail by two and half lengths. He failed to win in his remaining six races but finished fourth in both the Tennō Shō and the Japan Cup. In his first two starts of 2014 the horse finished second to Gold Ship at Hanshin before running unplaced in the Tennō Shō.

In the autumn of 2014, Admire Rakti was sent to Australia, with the Melbourne Cup as his objective. On 18 October, he prepared for the race with a run in the Grade I Caulfield Cup over 2400 metres in which he was ridden by Hong Kong-based Australian Zac Purton. Eleven days before the race he had avoided serious injury after being involved in an incident at the Werribee quarantine station in which he was attacked by his training companion Admire Inazuma.