Photo: Ogiyoshisan — CC BY 4.0Source
Admire Rakti
- February 20, 2008 · Abira
- November 4, 2014
- 6 years
- cardiac arrest
About Admire Rakti
Admire Rakti, 6, Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse, won Caulfield Cup (2014), cardiac arrest.
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Full Biography
|Admire Rakti (Japanese: アドマイヤラクティ, Hepburn: Adomaiya Rakuti; 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 in his stall just minutes after competing in the 154th Melbourne Cup on 4 November 2014.
Background
Admire Rakti was a bay horse with a white star, bred in Japan by Northern Farm. 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.
Racing career
2010–2014: racing in Japan
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 a 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.
2014: Australian campaign
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.
Starting at odds of 10/1 in the Caulfield Cup, Admire Rakti moved to the outside to make his challenge in the straight, took the lead in the closing stages, and won by half a length from the New Zealand filly Rising Romance, with the Australian favourite Lucia Valentina a further half length away in third place. After the race, his trainer Tomoyuki Umeda said, "I am so happy I am crying. A Japanese horse has never won this race before so I am so honoured to win this race. He had a handicap of 58kg [today] and hasn't done much big racing in Japan so we weren't sure how he would go, but possibly he likes Australia."
2014 Melbourne Cup and death
Admire Rakti's victory at Caulfield meant that his weight for the Melbourne Cup was increased to 58.5 kg, a weight higher than any winner of the race had carried since Think Big in 1975. Admire Rakti started 9/2 favourite, but weakened badly in the last 600 metres and finished last of the twenty-two runners. Just five minutes after the race, he collapsed and died from cardiac arrest after ventricular fibrillation.
Following Admire Rakti's death, Purton commented "I knew he was in trouble when he didn't tow me into the race around halfway from home, so I eased him down straight away, the horse's welfare comes first. It's very sad. He gave me a great thrill at Caulfield and for this to happen to him is just not fair."
Admire Rakti's remains were interred at the Memorial Garden of Living Legends in Greenvale.
Racing form
Admire Rakti won seven races and placed in another 11 out of 28 starts. This data is available in JBIS, netkeiba and racing.com.
Legend:
Turf
Pedigree
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admire_Rakti
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Admire Rakti's archived record and the sources above.
1.How many total career starts did Admire Rakti have?
- A.22
- B.18
- C.7
- D.28correct
Admire Rakti had 28 career starts, winning seven races and placing in 11 others.
Source: racing form section
2.Who owned Admire Rakti during his racing career?
- A.Northern Farm
- B.Tomoyuki Umeda
- C.Riichi Kondocorrect
- D.Zac Purton
Admire Rakti was owned by Riichi Kondo during his racing career.
Source: background section
3.What physical feature did the bay horse Admire Rakti have?
- A.A grey mane
- B.A black blaze
- C.A white starcorrect
- D.White socks
Admire Rakti was described as a bay horse with a white star.
Source: background section
4.In the 2014 Melbourne Cup, what position did Admire Rakti finish?
- A.Lastcorrect
- B.First
- C.Fourth
- D.Second
Admire Rakti weakened in the final stages and finished last of the twenty-two runners.
Source: 2014 Melbourne Cup and death section
5.Which horse attacked Admire Rakti at the Werribee quarantine station?
- A.Gold Ship
- B.Think Big
- C.Admire Inazumacorrect
- D.Heart's Cry
Admire Rakti was attacked by his training companion Admire Inazuma at the Werribee quarantine station.
Source: Australian campaign section
6.What was the margin of victory for Admire Rakti in the Caulfield Cup?
- A.Two and a half lengths
- B.Two lengths
- C.Half a lengthcorrect
- D.One length
Admire Rakti won the Caulfield Cup by half a length from Rising Romance.
Source: Australian campaign section
7.How much weight was Admire Rakti assigned for the 2014 Melbourne Cup?
- A.58.5 kgcorrect
- B.59 kg
- C.58 kg
- D.57.5 kg
Admire Rakti's weight for the Melbourne Cup was increased to 58.5 kg following his Caulfield Cup victory.
Source: 2014 Melbourne Cup and death section
8.What was the cause of death for Admire Rakti after the 2014 Melbourne Cup?
- A.Leg fracture
- B.Cardiac arrestcorrect
- C.Dehydration
- D.Internal bleeding
Admire Rakti died from cardiac arrest after ventricular fibrillation shortly after the race.
Source: 2014 Melbourne Cup and death section
9.Where were the remains of Admire Rakti interred?
- A.Northern Farm
- B.Memorial Garden of Living Legendscorrect
- C.Hanshin Racecourse
- D.Werribee quarantine station
Admire Rakti's remains were interred at the Memorial Garden of Living Legends in Greenvale.
Source: 2014 Melbourne Cup and death section
10.On what date was Admire Rakti born?
- A.20 February 2008correct
- B.20 February 2014
- C.11 December 2010
- D.4 November 2014
Admire Rakti was born on 20 February 2008.
Source: biography header
11.Which farm bred Admire Rakti in Japan?
- A.Hanshin Farm
- B.Northern Farmcorrect
- C.Southern Farm
- D.Kyoto Farm
Admire Rakti was bred in Japan by Northern Farm.
Source: background section
12.Who was the trainer of Admire Rakti during his racing career?
- A.Jaguar Mail
- B.Tomoyuki Umedacorrect
- C.Zac Purton
- D.Riichi Kondo
Admire Rakti was trained by Tomoyuki Umeda during his racing career.
Source: background section
13.Which horse sired Admire Rakti?
- A.Think Big
- B.Gold Ship
- C.Heart's Crycorrect
- D.Admire Inazuma
Admire Rakti was from the first crop of foals sired by Heart's Cry.
Source: background section
14.At which racecourse did Admire Rakti win an 1800-metre maiden race in December 2010?
- A.Nakayama Racecourse
- B.Kyoto Racecourse
- C.Tokyo Racecourse
- D.Hanshin Racecoursecorrect
Admire Rakti won an 1800-metre maiden race at Hanshin Racecourse on December 11, 2010.
Source: racing in Japan section
15.Admire Rakti beat which horse to win the Diamond Stakes in Tokyo?
- A.Lucia Valentina
- B.Gold Ship
- C.Jaguar Mailcorrect
- D.Rising Romance
Admire Rakti won the Diamond Stakes by beating the 2010 Spring Tennō Shō winner Jaguar Mail.
Source: racing in Japan section
16.Who rode Admire Rakti in the 2014 Caulfield Cup?
- A.Riichi Kondo
- B.Tomoyuki Umeda
- C.Heart's Cry
- D.Zac Purtoncorrect
Admire Rakti was ridden in the Caulfield Cup by Hong Kong-based Australian Zac Purton.
Source: Australian campaign section
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