Gentildonna’s Passing Marks The End of a Legacy
Elle
Nov 28th 2025
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Gentildonna, the iconic Japanese racehorse that served as the inspiration for the Umamusume Pretty Derby character with the same name, has passed away at the age of 16. Her passing was first announced by the Sunday Thoroughbred Club on Wednesday, 26 November. While the cause of her death was not revealed, the statement noted that she “passed away peacefully”. She had lived at Northern Farm in Hokkaido since retiring from racing in 2014, later entering broodmare duty before stepping away from breeding work in July of this year.
The official social media accounts for Umamusume Pretty Derby also released a message of condolence, sharing Cygames’ tribute to the mare whose racing achievements helped shape one of the franchise’s most anticipated characters.
Gentildonna came into this world on 20 February 2009 at Northern Farm. She had a very impressive background as a Deep Impact son and Donna Blini, a British mare’s daughter, which made her pedigree highly desirable for the racing community. However, despite all the hype surrounding her breeding, her initial career was quite quiet and unremarkable. She started off 2011, the year of her debut, by taking the runner-up spot in a newcomers’ race and then going on to win for the first time, paving the way for her three-year-old season. A lot of people pointed out that her bloodline, especially being related to Blini, was a sign of the huge potential that she would eventually disclose.
Her 2012 season opened with a victory in the G3 Shinzan Kinen. She later placed fourth in the Tulip Sho, serving as a prelude to her attempt at the fillies’ Triple Tiara. What followed was a landmark run that would define her place in Japanese racing history.
One of Gentildonna’s aims in the Triple Tiara was to compete against, among others, Verxina, which is also a famous mare that would motivate an Umamusume character. In each of the three great races. The Oka Sho, the Japanese Oaks, and the Shuka Sho, Gentildonna came out on top. With her clean sweep, she became just the fourth female horse in Japan to achieve such a great series. In this conquest, she also overcame Verxina in the Rose Stakes, improving her legendary performance with another good moment.
In November 2012, she was the first three-year-old filly to win the Japan Cup, her season was another milestone. She left behind a competition that had among others. Orfevre, the winner of the Triple Crown and Solemia, the holder of Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, thereby confirming her as a once-in-a-generation talent.
In spite of these difficulties, she managed to come back and win her second Japan Cup in the same year by a narrow margin of a nose over Denim And Ruby. After this victory, she was the first animal to win the Japan Cup consecutively twice again after T.M. Opera O.
Her 2014 campaign looked promising following a sixth-place run in the G2 Kyoto Kinen. Later, she scored a brilliant comeback at the Dubai Sheema Classic with a considerable margin of victory. For the second time, it was the Takarazuka Kinen that got the better of her with Gentildonna coming in seventh place behind Gold Ship.
It took her a couple of races to try again the podium and she came back with a second place in the Autumn Tenno Sho. She dared to try to win the Japan Cup for the third time, but it was Epiphaneia who took the victory and Gentildonna finished off the race in fourth place. In her last outing, the 2014 Arima Kinen, she decided to make a statement and grab her seventh G1 title in a race that was also lit up by Gold Ship, Just A Way, and Epiphaneia. The party for her retirement was held right after the race, thus closing her career in a perfect way.
Gentildonna remained at Northern Farm after her racing career, where she was a broodmare. She was taken out of breeding early this year and then she passed away quietly.
Her impact extended into pop culture through Umamusume Pretty Derby, where fans highly anticipated her addition to the game. She joined the roster on 23 August 2024 during the title’s third anniversary celebration for its Japanese version. She has yet to appear in the global release.
With her passing, Gentildonna becomes the third racehorse in 2025 whose death is counted after the first two mentioned in Umamusume. These are Grass Wonder who died in August and Haru Urara who passed away in September. Gentildonna’s winning, unique traits, and her crossover into both the racing and the entertainment worlds make her the one whose legacy keeps on inspiring the fans, breeders and players.
