Mejiro Tenma

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Mejiro Tenma (目白天马)
Alias(es)	Pegasus
Species/Race	Horse; racehorse
Gender	Mare
Affiliation	Nishiken Farm (daily care and conditioning); Tanaka Stable (racing management) 7
Occupation/Role	Dirt racehorse; Nishiken Farm’s lead horse 38
Owner	Kitano 7
Trainer	Tanaka Junji 7 41
Regular Jockey	Ochiai Genta 7
Status	Active racehorse; later transferred from regional racing to the central circuit 352
First Appearance	Chapter 6, as Mejiro Pegasus 6

Background

Tanaka initially considered Tenma an ordinary prospect. At two years and two months old, she weighed 467 kilograms, had a dusty gray coat with uneven gray spotting, and showed no standout musculature, gait, or flexibility. Kitano nevertheless chose to keep her daily conditioning at the smaller Nishiken Farm while Tanaka Stable managed her racing career, allowing the Ogawas to continue their close care. Ochiai was selected as her regular jockey, though Tenma rejected his first attempt to befriend her with a carrot 7.

Her early development was slow. She was a picky eater who preferred specially cut apples to grass or formulated feed, and her weight initially changed little. However, Ochiai identified unusually efficient movement, quick command learning, and an excellent memory, leading the team to enter her in a 1,000-meter Monbetsu debut 8.

After her maiden win, Kitano rejected an overly demanding schedule. Nishiken Farm focused on strength and muscle development while using races primarily for experience, as Tenma remained physically immature for dirt competition 14. Her gradual growth became visible at 469 kilograms—two kilograms above her debut weight—with increased chest musculature 23.

Appearance

Tenma began as a dusty gray mare whose appearance and ordinary build caused professionals to underestimate her. By her later career, she is described as a white racehorse 7 165.

• Recorded at 467 kg at two years and two months old 7.
• Recorded at 469 kg after gradual physical development 23.
• Has broad hooves considered suitable for Monbetsu dirt 8.
• Often wears green earmuffs or blinkers in races 10 145.
• Later appears in white-and-green race gear associated with Mejiro 165.

Personality

Tenma is intelligent, proud, and highly self-directed. Rather than merely obeying commands, she assesses training and racing situations for herself; when she approves of a task, she commits fully, while dissatisfaction produces visibly perfunctory effort 17 21.

Her confidence can become difficult behavior. She is temperamental in her stall, dislikes being disturbed in certain moods, threatens neighboring horses, and became Nishiken Farm’s lead horse despite lacking a size advantage 38. She also dislikes unsolicited patting, steals towels and Kitano’s cap, and has caused repeated trouble during bathing and turnout 11 14 158.

Beneath that defiance, Tenma forms strong bonds with handlers she respects. She cooperates with Ogawa Joe and Masaru during care, tests Ochiai’s confidence rather than simply rejecting him, and gradually becomes more composed after injury and experience 21 41 165.

Abilities & Skills

Racing Intelligence

Tenma learns commands quickly, retains them well, and can interpret subtle rein, posture, and pace cues from Ochiai 8 43.

• Can accelerate, slow down, and turn smoothly during controlled exercise 41.
• Adjusts her own stride without an explicit command, allowing her to participate actively in race tactics 128.
• Understands when to settle after an overexcited break, as demonstrated in the Niikappu-bred 1,500-meter race 42.
• Is tactically flexible enough to win both from the front and from a mid-pack position 128 224.

Front-Running and Pace Control

Tenma’s signature style is controlled front-running. Ochiai uses her ability to subtly reduce stride length while retaining position to disguise pace changes from the field—a tactic called “Escape Magic.” 128

• Can maintain a self-directed rhythm when given measured freedom rather than constant restraint 51 135.
• Uses sustained pace and repeated acceleration better than a single late finishing burst 128.
• Her kickback can disrupt pursuing horses when she runs several paths off the rail 43.
• Won the North Sea Yushun by maintaining an uninterrupted, slightly fast rhythm that forced the field to expend energy chasing her 135.

Competitive Instinct

Tenma becomes exceptionally determined when challenged for the lead. Her debut victory and 1,500-meter victory both came from refusing to yield under direct pressure 10 11 44.

• Reacts immediately to nearby rivals and can produce strong instinctive acceleration 10.
• Held off Lapis Doll and Demon King Opera while trapped between them in the final 100 meters 44.
• Defeated older champions in the Dōei Memorial after being patiently held in second before her final charge 288.
• Her pride can be a liability: Beier Jiajun’s early challenge provoked her into an exhausting duel in the Macrocosm Memorial 206.

Limitations and Health

Tenma’s development has repeatedly required patience despite her ability.

• Her early growth, muscle mass, and appetite lagged behind expectations 8 14.
• Her smaller frame remained a disadvantage against larger, older dirt horses 206.
• She may lose momentum when she concludes that a task is impossible, most notably during the JBC Juvenile Yushun 43 62 65.
• She developed synovitis; scans found no cartilage damage or early osteoarthritis, but the condition required a lengthy rehabilitation and caused her to miss the Dōei Memorial that season 158.
• Her later comeback confirmed recovery, though her connections remained cautious about her longer-term condition 165.

Equipment / Race Gear

• Green earmuffs — Used for her debut because she was considered potentially sensitive to the race environment 10.
• Green blinkers — Worn during the Satomi Crown Prize 145.
• White-and-green gear — Used during her return race after synovitis recovery 165.

Racing Career

Race / Milestone	Distance	Result	Notes
Monbetsu debut	1,000 m	1st	Won wire to wire over Rag Supreme after contesting the lead from the break 8 11
Makayama Special	1,200 m	2nd	Lost narrowly to Kaga Tide after Ochiai’s physical condition limited his finishing push 17 18
Niikappu-bred race	1,500 m	1st	Held off Lapis Doll and Demon King Opera by a nose and a neck after leading throughout 42 44
Monbetsu Future Star	1,200 m	7th	Failed to show a class advantage against stronger Hokkaido local graded competition 55
JBC Juvenile Yushun	—	10th	Entered partly to support Mejiro Sakuya’s overall strategy; abruptly decelerated late in the race 49 65
NEXT STAR Northern Japan	1,200 m	1st	Returned from a long hiatus with a front-running victory by one length 112
Hokuto Cup	1,600 m	1st	Used “Escape Magic” to control the pace and claimed the first leg of the Hokkaido Triple Crown 128
North Sea Yushun	2,000 m	1st	Won in a dominant solo performance to complete the Double Crown 134 135
Satomi Crown Prize	1,800 m	1st	Became the eighth Hokkaido Triple Crown winner and the first since Bell Hollow in 2023 145
Post-synovitis comeback	—	1st	Led from start to finish against older horses after three months away from racing 165
Macrocosm Memorial	—	2nd	Lost an early duel to Beier Jiajun, exposing the tactical danger of her pride being provoked 206
Red Brick Memorial	2,000 m	1st	Defeated Beier Jiajun decisively after abandoning her expected front-running style for a mid-pack trip 224
Dōei Memorial	2,000 m	1st	Defeated Beier Jiajun, Soldier Field, and other older Triple Crown winners in a decisive final charge 288
Epsom Cup	Turf	4th	Finished fourth as the ninth favorite in her first documented turf attempt after transferring to central racing 352

Relationships

• Kitano — Owner. Chose patient, welfare-focused development over immediate prize money and remains deeply attached to Tenma despite her difficult behavior 7 14 158.
• Ochiai Genta — Regular jockey. Their initially imperfect cooperation develops into a highly synchronized partnership based on mutual trust and subtle communication 7 41 128 288.
• Tanaka Junji — Trainer. Initially underestimated Tenma but later guided her Triple Crown campaign and continued to plan cautiously around her health and physical limits 7 145 206.
• Ogawa Joe — Nishiken Farm trainer and caretaker. Oversees Tenma’s conditioning, recovery, and strength-building while recognizing both her potential and her limitations 14 23.
• Ogawa Masaru — Primary stablehand and close caretaker. Their relationship is affectionate but exhausting; Tenma frequently dirties, steals from, and demands attention from him 14 21 58.
• Ocean Fleet2024 — Stablemate frequently intimidated by Tenma. Tenma’s fearlessness nevertheless helped Ocean Fleet2024 begin desensitization training 38 39.
• Beier Jiajun — Major older-horse rival. Beier defeated Tenma in the Macrocosm Memorial, but Tenma later reversed the result in the Red Brick Memorial and Dōei Memorial 206 224 288.

Trivia

• Kitano named her Pegasus, though he initially saw little resemblance between the dusty young filly and the legendary winged horse 7.
• Tenma rejects most treats, including Ochiai’s carrots, but has a particular preference for carefully cut apples 7 8 158.
• She became Nishiken Farm’s lead horse and uses the position to intimidate other horses, especially Ocean Fleet2024 38.
• Her appearances in Mejiro Farm’s official vlogs became popular enough that she began behaving like a celebrity 154.
• After defeating Beier Jiajun in the Red Brick Memorial, she rejected Ochiai’s celebratory touch before offering her reserved approval:

  “[Not bad.]” 224