Marvelous Crown

Marvelous Crown
Marvelous Crown at Kyoto Racecourse in 1995
Sire	Miswaki
Grandsire	Mr Prospector
Dam	Maurita
Damsire	Harbor Prince
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	19 March 1990
Country	Japan
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	Hayata Bokujo
Owner	Sadao Sasahara
Trainer	Makoto Osawa
Record	22: 7-5-2
Earnings	¥412,928,000
Major wins
Kinko Sho (1994) Kyoto Daishoten (1994) Japan Cup (1994)

Marvelous Crown (Japanese マーベラスクラウン, 19 March 1990 – 2 June 2007) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1994 Japan Cup. He showed promise as a juvenile in 1992 but became increasingly temperamental and was gelded. He was off the course for ten months before returning to win three of his four races in the following year. As a four-year-old he showed steady improvement, winning the Grade III Kinko Sho and the Grade II Kyoto Daishoten before defeating a strong international field in the Japan Cup. He remained in training until 1997 but made only five more appearances before his career was ended by injury. He died in 2007.

Marvelous Crown was a chestnut gelding with a white blaze bred in Japan by Hayata Bokujo. He was sired by Miswaki, a Florida-bred stallion who won the Prix de la Salamandre in 1980. Miswaki went on to become a very successful breeding stallion, siring many important winners including Urban Sea and Black Tie Affair. Marvelous Crown's dam Maurita was a New Zealand-bred mare who won the New Zealand Oaks in 1982 and also produced the Hollywood Turf Handicap-winner Grand Flotilla.

During his racing career Marvelous Crown was owned by Sadao Sasahara and trained by Makoto Osawa.

Marvelous Crown began his racing career by winning a maiden race over 1200 metres on the dirt at Hanshin Racecourse on 19 September 1992. When moved up in distance to 1600 metres and switched to turf at Kyoto Racecourse in October he finished third to Biwa Hiyahide a colt who was voted Japanese Horse of the Year in the following year. In his two other starts in 1992, Marvelous Crown finished fourth at Kyoto in November and second when moved up to 2000 metres at Hanshin in December. Marvelous Crown began to show serious behvioural problems and was becoming dangerous to handle: his owner therefore took the decision to have him gelded.