# Manhattan Cafe (マンハッタンカフェ)
**Manhattan Cafe** (マンハッタンカフェ; 5 March 1998 – 13 August 2015) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion who won three Grade 1 races on turf at long distances, the Kikuka Sho, the [Arima Kinen](https://www.edgepedia.org/arima-kinen), and the [Tenno Sho](https://www.edgepedia.org/tenno-sho) (spring), and later became Japanese champion sire in 2009.[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Foaled | 5 March 1998, Japan; died 13 August 2015 at age 17[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) |
| Pedigree | By Sunday Silence (USA) out of Subtle Change (IRE), by Law Society (USA)[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) |
| Racing record | 12 starts, 6 wins, earnings of ¥522,834,000; did not race at two[2](https://umaarchive.com/uma/manhattan-cafe) • [3](https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/pdf/tdn/2016/tdn161116.pdf) |
| Major wins | Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, 3,000 m turf) and Arima Kinen (2,500 m) at 3; Tenno Sho (spring, 3,200 m) at 4[4](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/pdf/parts_seiseki/Manhattan_Cafe.pdf) |
| Honors | JRA Award for Best Older Colt or Horse (2002); JRA Leading Sire (2009)[5](https://en.netkeiba.com/db/horse/1998101554/) |
| Stud career | Entered stud in Japan in 2003; sire of five Grade 1 winners including Hiruno d'Amour and Red Desire[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) |
| Connections | Bred by Shadai Farm; owner Nishikawa Yoichi; trainer Kojima Futoshi (Miho)[2](https://umaarchive.com/uma/manhattan-cafe) • [6](https://www.jbis.or.jp/horse/0000324971/) |
## Racing career
Manhattan Cafe was a dark bay or brown stallion foaled on 5 March 1998 at Shadai Farm in Chitose, Hokkaido, from an international pedigree: his sire was the American-bred Sunday Silence, then the dominant stallion in Japan, and his dam Subtle Change was a daughter of Law Society who had won the Listed Giolla Mear Race in England and Ireland.[2](https://umaarchive.com/uma/manhattan-cafe) • [6](https://www.jbis.or.jp/horse/0000324971/) • [7](https://cdn.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e_2025/pdf/black/Manhattan_Cafe.pdf) He stood 16.3 hands (1.70 m).[6](https://www.jbis.or.jp/horse/0000324971/)
He did not race at two.[3](https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/pdf/tdn/2016/tdn161116.pdf) At three, from 9 starts he recorded 5 wins, including the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) over 3,000 meters on turf and, in his next start, the Arima Kinen (Grand Prix) on 23 December 2001.[4](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/pdf/parts_seiseki/Manhattan_Cafe.pdf) • [1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) His other wins that season came in the Akanko Tokubetsu and Furano Tokubetsu, both over 2,600 meters, and he was fourth in the Yayoi Sho and the St. Lite Kinen.[4](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/pdf/parts_seiseki/Manhattan_Cafe.pdf)
At four he won the Tenno Sho (spring) over 3,200 meters, beating the then-reigning Horse of the Year Jungle Pocket, and was named Best Older Colt or Horse in Japan for 2002.[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) • [4](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/pdf/parts_seiseki/Manhattan_Cafe.pdf) His final season included one start in France, in which he did not win, and his career closed with 6 wins from 12 starts.[4](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/pdf/parts_seiseki/Manhattan_Cafe.pdf) • [2](https://umaarchive.com/uma/manhattan-cafe)
## Stud career
Manhattan Cafe entered stud in Japan in 2003 and became a major breeding force, extending the Sunday Silence male line through his own progeny.[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) • [2](https://umaarchive.com/uma/manhattan-cafe) He was crowned Japanese Champion Sire in 2009.[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe)
His best progeny, as listed by the Japan Racing Horse Association, are:
- **Hiruno d'Amour** (2007), winner of the Tenno Sho (spring) in 2011[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe)
- **Red Desire** (2006), winner of the Shuka Sho in 2009 and runner-up in the three-year-old filly classics[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) • [8](https://japanracing.jp/_pdf/news-photos/awards/jra/2010JRAAward.pdf)
- **Queens Ring** (2012), winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 2016[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe)
- **Jo Cappuccino** (2006), winner of the NHK Mile Cup in 2009[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe)
- **Grape Brandy** (2008), winner of the February Stakes in 2013[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe)
The spread of his progeny's aptitudes was wide: Grape Brandy won a Grade 1 on dirt while Hiruno d'Amour and [Red Desire](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-desire) won on turf, and Jo Cappuccino won at a mile, far short of his own staying distances.[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) Aggregated figures for his progeny racing from 2016 to 2026 show an average earnings index (AEI) of 1.66, a winners rate of 68.9%, and average earnings of 17.42 million yen per runner.[9](https://own.netkeiba.com/db/progeny_list.html?f_name=%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8F%E3%83%83%E3%82%BF%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A7&id=1998101554&match=1&page=6)
## Death and legacy
Manhattan Cafe died in 2015 at the age of 17.[1](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe) His career combined a compact but high-class racing record, six wins in twelve starts with three Grade 1 victories at 2,500 meters and beyond, with a championship-level stud record, and he is remembered as one of Japan's standout long-distance horses of the early 2000s.[2](https://umaarchive.com/uma/manhattan-cafe) He also appears as a character in the media franchise [Uma Musume Pretty Derby](https://www.edgepedia.org/uma-musume-pretty-derby), which is based on real Japanese racehorses.[2](https://umaarchive.com/uma/manhattan-cafe)
## References
1. [Manhattan Cafe, Stallions in Japan 2026, JRHA](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/horse/?name=Manhattan_Cafe)
2. [Manhattan Cafe, UmaArchive](https://umaarchive.com/uma/manhattan-cafe)
3. [Thoroughbred Daily News, 16 November 2016](https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/pdf/tdn/2016/tdn161116.pdf)
4. [Manhattan Cafe race record, JRHA](https://www.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e/pdf/parts_seiseki/Manhattan_Cafe.pdf)
5. [Manhattan Cafe, netkeiba profile](https://en.netkeiba.com/db/horse/1998101554/)
6. [マンハッタンカフェ, JBIS-Search](https://www.jbis.or.jp/horse/0000324971/)
7. [Manhattan Cafe (JPN) black-type pedigree, JRHA](https://cdn.jrha.or.jp/stallion_e_2025/pdf/black/Manhattan_Cafe.pdf)
8. [2010 JRA Awards summary, Japan Racing journal](https://japanracing.jp/_pdf/news-photos/awards/jra/2010JRAAward.pdf)
9. [マンハッタンカフェ 産駒一覧, netkeiba Owners](https://own.netkeiba.com/db/progeny_list.html?f_name=%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8F%E3%83%83%E3%82%BF%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A7&id=1998101554&match=1&page=6)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Equestrian and animal sports › Horse racing › Racehorses and breeding › Individual Thoroughbred flat racehorses*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license