Where is Meisho Kaido now?
Shiga, Ono Farm / Reservation required / confirmed October 9, 2026
Meisho Kaido now lives at Ono Farm in Shiga, Japan. Foaled in 1999, this stallion is 27 years old as of 2026. Note that a reservation or an enquiry is needed before visiting.
Where this horse lives was confirmed on October 9, 2026 from published sources (7 references). Farms change their visiting arrangements, so check the farm's own site or social media before you travel.
| Where it lives now | Ono Farm |
|---|---|
| Location | Shiga |
| Visiting | Open to visitors with a reservation |
| Foaled / age | foaled in 1999 (age 27) |
| Sex | stallion |
| Tags | Graded stakes winner／Demon of Kokura／Senior／Lead pony／Shinto sacred horse／Meritorious horse |
| Listed or supported by | Listed on the Meritorious Horse Keeping Support Programme (meiba.jp) |
| Location confirmed | October 9, 2026 |
Starred horses collect in your favourites (saved in this browser only).
Can you visit Meisho Kaido?
Visits are only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, from 08:30 to 17:00. You must apply by email (learngotoonebyheart@gmail.com) at least seven days before the date you want; a member of staff shows you round and you may go inside the barn. In April and May, when the shrine festivals fall, requests are sometimes declined, and a visit can be called off at short notice depending on the weather or the horse's condition.
Meisho Kaido's page on the Meritorious Horse Keeping Support Programme (meiba.jp)
Meisho Kaido's racing career
41 JRA starts for 10 wins (354.484 million yen) plus 2 starts and 1 win in regional racing: 43 starts, 11 wins and career earnings of 356.984 million yen. He won the Kokura Kinen in both 2004 and 2005, and in 2005 added the Kokura Daishoten and the Kitakyushu Kinen to become the fourth horse in history to complete the Kokura triple; he also took the Tanabata Sho in 2006. Four of his five graded victories came at Kokura, where his eight career wins equal the track record.
Meisho Kaido after racing
Top weight never troubled him at Kokura, and in 2005 he won the Kokura Daishoten, the Kitakyushu Kinen and the Kokura Kinen in the same year to complete the course's triple. After leaving racing he served nine and a half years as a lead horse at Kokura Racecourse, then worked as a riding horse for stable-staff trainees in Iwaki, before moving in 2021 to Ono Farm in Toyosato, Shiga, where he came under the meritorious horse support programme in 2025. His work now is to serve as a sacred horse at shrine festivals in Shiga and Kyoto, and his keeper reported in April 2026 that he is in good health.
How to support Meisho Kaido
- Go and visit (Open to visitors with a reservation)
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 7 sources consulted as of October 9, 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://meiba.jp/horses/view/1999104536
- https://meiba.jp/horses/list/all
- https://meiba.jp/horses/newest
- https://uma-furusato.com/search_horse/0000616814.html
- https://uma-furusato.com/search_farm/entry-65424.html
- https://www.jbis.or.jp/horse/0000616814/
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%82%A6%E3%82%AB%E3%82%A4%E3%83%89%E3%82%A6
Retired racehorses near Meisho Kaido
See all retired racehorses in Shiga12 horses listedHorses tagged "Graded stakes winner": Meikei Diehard, Meisho Naruto, Mikki Swallow, Meisho Bushido, Maruka Hannibal
Horses here foaled in 1999: Hishi Miracle, Tanino Gimlet, Strong Blood, Summer Night City, Air Rikako, Asakusa Den'en (7 on this site)