aoraki (racehorse)
Named after the Māori name of Mount Cook.
Real-Life Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Gold Ship and foaled by (New Zealand-bred white horse) Casta Diva. A third-generation descendant of The Opera House's lineage of white horses, he is himself a white horse with blue eyes and a wild disposition that is a perfect match for "Horse Whisperer" jockey Ikezoe Ken'ichi.
He is actually the first of three white horses sired by Gold Ship, the two others being Satono Jasmine's 2022 and 2023 foals (Satono Jasmine being from the White Beauty lineage), both fillies.
After being winless in 17 races in Central, he was sent to the regionals in Nagoya, where, in his second try at Kasamatsu, he finally won his first race.