Where is Happy Grin now?
Hokkaido, Horse Trust Hokkaido / Reservation required / confirmed September 13, 2026
Happy Grin now lives at Horse Trust Hokkaido in Hokkaido, Japan. Foaled in 2015, this gelding is 11 years old as of 2026. Note that a reservation or an enquiry is needed before visiting.
Horse Trust Hokkaido keeps at least 13 other retired racehorses that this site has confirmed.
Where this horse lives was confirmed on September 13, 2026 from published sources (4 references). Farms change their visiting arrangements, so check the farm's own site or social media before you travel.
| Where it lives now | Horse Trust Hokkaido |
|---|---|
| Location | Hokkaido |
| Visiting | Open to visitors with a reservation |
| Foaled / age | foaled in 2015 (age 11) |
| Sex | gelding |
| Tags | Graded stakes winner／Regional racing star／Great supporting act |
| Listed or supported by | NPO Horse Trust Hokkaido |
| Location confirmed | September 13, 2026 |
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Can you visit Happy Grin?
Visits are by reservation only: contact the farm by the day before and go only once permission has been given (bookings open one month ahead; viewing is 13:30-15:00, from 1 May to the end of February, excluding the Obon period and the New Year holidays).
A page about Happy Grin (www.horse-trust-hokkaido.org)
Other horses at Horse Trust Hokkaido: Nakayama Knight, Passion Dance, Tosen Homareboshi, Port Brians, Silent Deal, Meiner Morgen and more (all 14 horses)
Happy Grin's racing career
5 wins from 31 starts (2 from 19 under JRA rules, 3 from 11 in regional racing, 1 start overseas). Won the 2018 ORO Cup at Morioka plus the Saintpaulia Sho and the STV Sho, and finished 7th in the Japan Cup and 8th in the Champions & Chater Cup in Hong Kong.
Happy Grin after racing
An unusual globetrotter who stayed registered with Hokkaido regional racing while taking on the JRA classic trials, the Japan Cup and even a trip to Hong Kong. In 2018 he won the ORO Cup at Morioka, showing what a regionally based horse could do. An injury ended his career in the spring of 2021, and that September he joined the herd in the paddocks of Horse Trust Hokkaido.
How to support Happy Grin
- Go and visit (Open to visitors with a reservation)
- Sponsorship scheme
- Donating to the trust fund
Simply turning up at the farm helps too: admission and anything you buy there goes towards upkeep. Five ways in are set out in how to support a retired racehorse.
Where this information comes from
The 4 sources consulted as of September 13, 2026. They mix published information from the farms and organisations that confirmed the horse's whereabouts with material used to trace its racing career.
- https://www.horse-trust-hokkaido.org/2021/09/05/%E3%83%8F%E3%83%83%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3/
- https://www.horse-trust-hokkaido.org/%E9%A6%AC%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB/
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8F%E3%83%83%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3
- https://www.oddspark.com/keiba/HorseDetail.do?lineageNb=2015104624
Retired racehorses near Happy Grin
See all retired racehorses in Hokkaido120 horses listedRetired racehorses at Horse Trust Hokkaido14 horses listedHorses tagged "Graded stakes winner": Hagino Hybrid, Hayayakko, Noble Saturn, Battle Plan, Neko Punch
Horses here foaled in 2015: Narita Minister, Blast Onepiece, Dream Sweeble, Meiner Fanrong, Solist Thunder, Meiner Mississippi and more (19 on this site)