RARE THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE 競馬: Is pure white SODASHI ソダシ the world’s most beautiful horse?

A new name was added to the history books in December 2020, as two-year-old Sodashi narrowly took the Group 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies at Hanshin racecourse, Japan. The victory maintained her perfect race record; she is now four wins from four starts. The filly comes from the line of Shirayukihime, a daughter of legendary sire Sunday Silence. The mare was born white and named Shirayukihime, which translates to Snow White in Japanese. Her white colouring was caused by a gene mutation, the KIT gene, which plays a role in colour during embryo development. Her best progeny was the white-spotted mare and dam of Sodashi, Buchiko. She herself was talented at the track, winning four races and gaining cult status amongst the Japanese public. She has seemingly passed her ability on – and more – to daughter Sodashi, which means pure and radiant in Sanskrit. Heading into her three-year-old Classic year, Sodashi’s fairytale story may not yet be over. Her train