Where is Narita Crystal now?
Niigata, Matsubara Stables / Reservation required / confirmed October 1, 2026
Narita Crystal now lives at Matsubara Stables in Niigata, Japan. Foaled in 2006, this stallion is 20 years old as of 2026. Note that a reservation or an enquiry is needed before visiting.
Where this horse lives was confirmed on October 1, 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 | Matsubara Stables |
|---|---|
| Location | Niigata |
| Visiting | Open to visitors with a reservation |
| Foaled / age | foaled in 2006 (age 20) |
| Sex | stallion |
| Tags | Graded stakes winner／Meritorious horse／Lead pony／Senior |
| Listed or supported by | Listed on the Meritorious Horse Keeping Support Programme (meiba.jp)／Listed on the Racehorse Hometown Information Centre |
| Location confirmed | October 1, 2026 |
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Can you visit Narita Crystal?
Visiting is free, but you must contact the farm by the day of your visit (groups should call the day before). Viewing hours are 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-15:30; 12:00-14:00 is the horses' rest period. The farm is closed on the second and fourth Friday of the month, and other closures are announced on its Facebook page. Staff will show you round and you may enter the stable building. On arrival, read the sign and blackboard beside the vending machine before you start. Do not enter areas marked off with ropes or barriers. Visits may be cancelled depending on the weather or the horses' condition. Kyohei, another horse supported by the care scheme, lives at the same farm.
Narita Crystal's page on the Meritorious Horse Keeping Support Programme (meiba.jp)
Narita Crystal's racing career
36 starts and 8 wins under JRA rules, with earnings of 261,043,000 yen. He won the Niigata Kinen (GIII) in both 2010 and 2011 — the first horse ever to take the race twice in a row — and added the Chukyo Kinen (GIII) in 2011. He was second in the 2010 Kokura Daishoten and seventh in the 2011 Tenno Sho (Autumn). His registration was cancelled after the Niigata Daishoten in May 2014.
Narita Crystal after racing
By Special Week, he suited Niigata's long straight: he won his first graded race in the Niigata Kinen in the summer of his four-year-old season, then took the same race again the following year to become the first horse to win it twice in succession. He stayed on at Niigata after retiring, became a riding horse and served as a lead pony from 2015 to 2022; once a back injury meant he could no longer carry a rider he moved to a retirement farm in Tainai, and since 2025 he has lived there at twenty with support from the meritorious-horse care scheme.
How to support Narita Crystal
- Go and visit (Open to visitors with a reservation)
- Riding experience
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 1, 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/2006102847
- https://meiba.jp/farms/view/1000391
- https://meiba.jp/horses/archive/all
- https://uma-furusato.com/search_horse/entry-65449.html
- https://uma-furusato.com/search_farm/entry-65446.html
- https://www.niigata-nippo.co.jp/articles/-/883825
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AA%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%AB
Retired racehorses near Narita Crystal
Browse the list of retired horsesFilter by region, farm and whether you can visitHorses tagged "Graded stakes winner": Namura Titan, Neko Punch, Nakayama Knight, Noble Saturn, Dream Dolce
Horses here foaled in 2006: Namura Titan, Neko Punch, Nakayama Festa, Forgettable, Nike Planet, Fusaichi Seven and more (12 on this site)