2019: two-year-old season Contrail made his racecourse debut in a contest for previously unraced juveniles over 1800 metres at Hanshin Racecourse on 15 September and won from the filly Frevo and seven others. On 16 November the colt was stepped up in class for the
Grade 3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes over 1800 metres at
Tokyo Racecourse in which he was ridden by
Ryan Moore and started the
1.5/1 favourite in an eight-runner field. After racing in fifth place he moved forward on the outside approaching the final turn, took the lead 400 metres from the finish and drew away to win by five
lengths from Al Jannah. His winning time of 1:44.5 was a new record for the race. After the race Fukunaga said "He was really strong. I didn't have to do anything but just sit on him... I was confident that we could make it through to the end. He does tend to be a little keen but the training staff had conditioned him to be in a good motivated mood so it worked well in the race. He really changed his gear effortlessly but did [look] a little lost once up front... the colt really showed his potential towards his three-year-old campaign next year." In the official Japanese rankings however, Salios was rated the best two-year-old of 2019, one pound ahead of Contrail.
2020: three-year-old season Contrail did not contest any trial races in the early spring of 2020 and made his three-year-old debut in the 80th running of the
Satsuki Sho over 2000 metres at Nakayama on 19 April. Ridden by Fukunaga he started the 17/10 favourite ahead of Satono Flag (
Yayoi Sho) and Salios in an eighteen-runner field which also included Weltreisende, Black Hole, Crystal Black (
Keisei Stakes), Darlington Hall (
Tokinominoru Kinen), My Rhapsody (
Kyoto Nisai Stakes), Galore Creek (
Spring Stakes) and Cortesia (
Kisaragi Sho). The favourite raced towards the rear of the field on the inside rail as Chimera Verite set the pace, before switching to the outside as the runners approached the final turn. He produced strong late run, got the better of a sustained struggle with Salios and won by half a length, with three and a half lengths back to Galore Creek in third. After the race Fukunaga said "The race itself wasn't the way as I had expected... he wasn't keen to go up front early and I didn't push him so we were positioned much farther behind going around the second corner... but with the way he was moving in the post parade and the response once I took him to the outside, I had every confidence in him entering the stretch. His power was so that I thought we might pull away but Salios didn't let us win so easily. Winning the way he did today, I am confident that he has every reason to handle the extended distance in the
Tokyo Yushun". On 31 May Contrail was stepped up in distance to contest the 87th edition of the Tokyo Yushun over 2400 Metres at Tokyo and headed the betting at odds of 2/5. Salios was the second choice while the other sixteen runners included Wakea, Satono Flag, Darlington Hall, Galore Creek, Deep Bond (
Kyoto Shimbun Hai), Satono Impresa (
Mainichi Hai), Weltreisende, My Rhapsody, Cortesia and Black Hole. Contrail raced in third place as Win Carnelian set a steady pace before My Rhapsody rushed up on the outside to take the lead at half way. The favourite exited the final turn in fourth place, made rapid progress down the centre of the straight, took the lead 200 metres from the finish and drew away in the closing stages to come home three lengths clear of Salios. Fukunaga commented "I was just focusing on finishing this race on a high note and although he still has room for improvement— he tends to lose his focus when he's leading— he still is able to win like he did today, so he's got great potential and there's a lot to look forward to in this colt". After the summer break Contrail returned to the track in the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai over 2200 metres at
Chukyo Racecourse on 27 September and started the 1/10 favourite in a field of eighteen. He raced in mid division before taking the lead in the straight and broke clear to win by two lengths from Weltreisende. His assistant trainer Yusaku Oka subsequently commented "It was a good win... he were relieved by that". Four weeks later at
Kyoto Racecourse the colt was stepped up in distance and attempted to complete the Japanese Triple Crown in the 3000 metre Kikuka Sho in which he was ridden as usual by Fukunaga. He was again made the 1/10 favourite, with the best-fancied of the other seventeen contenders being Weltreisende, Babbitt (
St Lite Kinen), Aristoteles, Satono Flag, Valcos and Deep Bond. After settling behind the leaders as the outsider Chimera Verite set a steady pace, the favourite moved up on the outside approaching the straight and gained the advantage 300 metres from the finish. Contrail was strongly challenged by Aristoteles but kept on well to prevail by a neck with the pair finishing well clear of Satono Flag in third place. After the race Fukunaga commented "I can't say that I was successful in keeping him relaxed during the race with so much pressure from Aristoteles. It turned out to be a tough race for us with Aristoteles looking quite strong and persistent, and this race may not have been his best performance, but I kept my faith in Contrail and he certainly showed how strong he is". He became only the third colt after Deep Impact and
Symboli Rudolf to complete the Triple Crown while still undefeated. On November 29, Contrail was matched against older horses for the first time when he started second favourite for the 40th edition of the
Japan Cup over 2400 metres at Tokyo. He settled in mid-division before launching a strong late challenge down the centre of the straight but failed to catch the favoured
Almond Eye and sustained his first defeat as he was beaten one and a quarter lengths into second place. The 2020
Japanese Fillies Triple Crown winner
Daring Tact finished third, while the other runners included
Glory Vase,
World Premiere,
Kiseki and
Makahiki. Fukunaga commented about Contrail that "He never gave up but Almond Eye was strong. The result was regrettable, but his condition was good and he showed his ability." In January 2021 Contrail was unanimously voted
Best Three-Year-Old Colt at the
JRA Awards for 2020. In the
2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, Contrail was rated on 124, making him the equal tenth best racehorse in the world and the best three-year-old over long distances.
2021: four-year old season On April 4, Contrail started the season off with the Grade I
Ōsaka Hai. In that race, he was the most favored to win, with his opponents including the likes of
Gran Alegria, who won the
JRA Award for Best Sprinter or Miler the previous year but never ran a race of medium distance up until that point; Salios, whom Contrail had beaten twice before; and the undefeated
Lei Papale, who was running a Grade I race for the first time. However, the race, which was held on a soft track due to the rain, saw Contrail struggle to catch up from the mid-field position; before ultimately finishing third behind Lei Papale and . After the Ōsaka Hai, the horse was initially planned to race the
Takarazuka Kinen, only to skip the race to head to the Autumn
Tennō Shō later that year as the horse's condition was not sufficiently recovering. On October 31, Contrail was entered to contest the Autumn
Tennō Shō held at Tokyo Racecourse. In that race, he was unable to make a good start, having to pace behind Gran Alegria and
Efforia for most of the race. On the final stretch, Contrail managed to pass Gran Alegria, but failed to catch up to Efforia, who won by a
length against Contrail. On November 28, Contrail was entered to run the Japan Cup once again, this time having been announced prior that the horse would retire after this race. The race saw four Tokyo Yushun winners enter the race for the first time, Contrail,
Makahiki,
Wagnerian, and
Shahryar; who was that year's Derby winner that beat Efforia in that race. During the race, Aristoteles was the front runner while Contrail ran in the middle of the pack, before
Kiseki took over the lead at the third corner. Kiseki came in the final stretch with a four length lead but , Shahryar, and Contrail closed in before Contrail took over the lead, finishing his final race with a two length lead. Following the Japan Cup, a retirement ceremony for the horse was held at the parade ring of the Tokyo Racecourse. During the ceremony, Fukunaga thanked the horse, saying "I believe that we were able to achieve the Triple Crown with the breeder, trainer, and jockey forming a trinity; and the fact that Contrail was able to accomplish that makes him such a talented horse. As a jockey, I was able to experience something that a horse man could hardly achieve. That I am very grateful for. I also believe that Contrail is the only hose that can continue the trend of 'an undefeated Triple Crown winner born out of another undefeated Triple Crown winner', and I hope that some day this horse could send such a horse to the tracks." Meanwhile, Yahagi commented "It was a battle against pressure, but it was a fun two years. This is the first time I rode the horse myself, but it felt as if I was flying. I believe his offsprings will do so too. I'd like to win the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with one of his progenies some day." On January 2022, Contrail was awarded the
JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse, although he lost the
Japanese Horse of the Year to Efforia. In addition, Contrail was given a rating of 126 and ranked fifth in the
2021 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, while the JRA gave the same rating on their JPN Thoroughbred Ranking, with Contrail given the highest rating of all older horses. Contrail was inducted into the
Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 2024. == Racing form ==