# Hokuto Vega

Hokuto Vega (in Japanese: ホクトベガ, March 26, 1990 – April 3, 1997) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 1993 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

## Career

Hokuto Vega's first race was on January 5, 1993, at Nakayama, where she came in first. She picked up her next win at the 1993 Cattleya Sho on February 20. She competed in her first graded race on March 20, 1993, when she won the 1993 Flower Cup. This win helped her gain entry into the 1993 Oka Sho, where she came in 5th place. On May 23, 1993, she competed in the Grade-1 Yushun Himba, where she came in 6th. She came in 2nd place at the October 3, 1993, Grade-3 Queen Stakes. On November 14, 1993, she scored a major upset by winning the 1993 Grade-1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, the biggest win of her career.
In 1994, she faced a winless season except for victories at the June 12th Sapporo Nikkei Open and the Grade-3 Sapporo Kinen. It wasn't until June 13th, 1995, that she secured her sole victory of the year, winning the 1995 Empress Hai.
She had her most successful racing season in 1996. She won 8 of the 10 races she competed in during the 1996 season. Her wins in 1996 included victories at the Kawasaki Kinen, the February Stakes, the Diolite Kinen, the Gunma Kinen, the Grade-1 Teio Sho, the Grade-1 Mile Championship Nambu Hai and the Urawa Kinen. In November, she attempted to repeat her win in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, with the race newly being open to fillies and mares of all ages 3 and over, but came up short behind three younger mares, with the first place being Dance Partner. At the end of the year, she was awarded the JRA Award for Best Dirt Horse.
Hokuto Vega's 8 year old season in 1997 started off strong. She repeated her win in the Kawasaki Kinen on February 5, becoming the only filly or mare to win the race twice. A couple months later, Hokuto Vega was invited to the second running of the Dubai World Cup, which was scheduled to be her retirement race. She broke well from the gates and settled in the back of the pack, but rounding the corner into the final straight, she suddenly fell, colliding with Bijou d'Inde. She had a poor prognosis, and was euthanized shortly after as a result. Due to quarantine regulations, her body was never repatriated to Japan. As she died before she could become a broodmare, she produced no foals. Shortly after her death, Kawasaki Racecourse established the Sparking Lady Cup, also called the Hokuto Vega Memorial in her honor, which is run over a 1600 meter dirt track.

## Pedigree

Pedigree of Hokuto Vega (JPN), 1990 :
| Sire Nagurski (CAN) 1981 | Nijinsky (CAN) 1967 | Northern Dancer | Nearctic |
| Sire Nagurski (CAN) 1981 | Nijinsky (CAN) 1967 | Northern Dancer | Natalma |
| Sire Nagurski (CAN) 1981 | Nijinsky (CAN) 1967 | Flaming Page | Bull Page |
| Sire Nagurski (CAN) 1981 | Nijinsky (CAN) 1967 | Flaming Page | Flaring Top |
| Sire Nagurski (CAN) 1981 | Deceit (USA) 1968 | Prince John | Princequillo |
| Sire Nagurski (CAN) 1981 | Deceit (USA) 1968 | Prince John | Not Afraid |
| Sire Nagurski (CAN) 1981 | Deceit (USA) 1968 | Double Agent | Double Jay |
| Sire Nagurski (CAN) 1981 | Deceit (USA) 1968 | Double Agent | Conniver |
| Dam Takeno Falcon (JPN) 1982 | Philip of Spain (GB) 1969 | Tudor Melody | Tudor Minstrel |
| Dam Takeno Falcon (JPN) 1982 | Philip of Spain (GB) 1969 | Tudor Melody | Matelda |
| Dam Takeno Falcon (JPN) 1982 | Philip of Spain (GB) 1969 | Lerida | Matador |
| Dam Takeno Falcon (JPN) 1982 | Philip of Spain (GB) 1969 | Lerida | Zepherin |
| Dam Takeno Falcon (JPN) 1982 | Cool Fair (JPN) 1978 | Yellow God | Red God |
| Dam Takeno Falcon (JPN) 1982 | Cool Fair (JPN) 1978 | Yellow God | Sally Deans |
| Dam Takeno Falcon (JPN) 1982 | Cool Fair (JPN) 1978 | Sharkskin | Silver Shark |
| Dam Takeno Falcon (JPN) 1982 | Cool Fair (JPN) 1978 | Sharkskin | Atrevida |