2011: two-year-old season Gold Ship began his racing career in Hokkaido by winning a maiden race at
Hakodate Racecourse on 9 July and followed up with a win in the nine-
furlong Cosmos Shō at
Sapporo Racecourse on 10 September. He was then moved up to
Grade Three class to contest the
Sapporo Nisai Stakes over the same course and distance on 1 October. He started at odds of
7/2 and finished second, half a
length behind the winner, . On his only other start of the season, he finished second to in the Grade Three
Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes over ten furlongs at
Hanshin Racecourse on 24 December.
2012: three-year-old season On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Gold Ship contested the Grade Three
Kyodo Tsushin Hai at
Tokyo Racecourse in February. Ridden for the first time by , he overtook the leader,
Deep Brillante, inside the final furlong to record his first win by one and three quarter lengths. In April at
Nakayama Racecourse Gold Ship started at odds of 6.1/1 for the
Satsuki Shō, the first leg of the
Japanese Triple Crown. Apparently relishing the extremely wet conditions, he came from last place to take the lead in the straight and won by two and a half lengths from and Deep Brilante, with Grandezza and Adam's Peak unplaced. For Gold Ship's jockey, Uchida, this Satsuki Shō marked his first victory after recovering from a broken back sustained in a fall in May 2011. Gold Ship was made the 2.1/1 second favourite for the
Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) over one and a half miles and finished fifth, one and a half lengths behind the winner, Deep Brillante. Gold Ship returned from the summer break in the Grade Two
Kobe Shimbun Hai, a trial race for the
Kikuka-shō (Japanese St Leger), at Hanshin on 27 September. He started the 1.3/1 favourite and won by two and a half lengths from fifteen opponents. A month later, he started odds-on favourite for the Kikuka-shō over fifteen furlongs at
Kyoto Racecourse and won by one and three quarter lengths from Sky Dignity. As in the Satsuki Shō, the colt came from last place before he "cruised" to victory, although the competition was less strong than anticipated following the late withdrawal of Deep Brillante, who had sustained a tendon injury. Gold Ship was one of sixteen horses to be invited to contest the all-aged
Arima Kinen at Nakayama on 23 December. He was towards the back of the field before moving up on the wide outside on the approach to the straight. In the closing stages, he overtook the leaders and won by one and a half lengths from , with Uchida standing up in the irons and saluting the crowd as he crossed the line.
Naosuke Sugai said that the horse would stay in Japan in 2013 before challenging for international races such as the
Dubai World Cup and
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2014, saying that "this is just the beginning for him". Britain's
Racing Post described the winner's performance as "a stunning display" whilst pointing out that Japan's other two outstanding middle-distance horses,
Orfevre and
Gentildonna, had bypassed the race.
2013: four-year-old season Gold Ship began his four-year-old season on 17 March in the Grade Two
Hanshin Daishoten, a trial race for the Spring
Tennō Shō. Starting at odds of 1/10 he won the fourteen-furlong race by two lengths from . On 28 April, the colt was moved up further in distance for the two-mile Spring Tennō Shō at Kyoto. He started odds-on favourite and finished fifth of the eighteen runners behind
Fenomeno. On 23 June, Gold Ship met Fenomeno again in the
Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse where the field, which was decided by public ballot, also included Gentildonna. Orfevre was withdrawn from the race after bleeding after an exercise gallop on 14 June. Uchida positioned the grey just behind the early leaders before moving up on the outside in the straight. He hit the front inside the final furlong and drew clear to win by three and a half lengths from the five-year-old , with Gentildonna third and Fenomeno fourth. Gold Ship's autumn campaign began in the Grade II
Kyoto Daishoten on 2 October. He was made the 1/5 favourite and finished fifth of the thirteen runners behind the 165/1 outsider . Sugai offered several explanations for the colt's poor run, including the unseasonably hot weather, the fast track, and an unfavourable draw. On 24 November, Gold Ship started second favourite behind Gentildonna for the
Japan Cup. He was never in contention at any stage and finished fifteenth of the seventeen runners. For the horse's last race of the year, the British jockey
Ryan Moore took over from Uchida in the Arima Kinen. He started at odds of 17/5 and finished third behind
Orfevre and .
2014: five-year-old season Gold Ship began his fourth season by repeating his 2013 success in the Hanshin Daishoten: he started the 7/10 favourite and won by three and a half lengths from
Admire Rakti. On 4 May, Gold Ship started 3.3/1 second favourite for the Tennō Shō but was never near enough to challenge and finished seventh of the eighteen runners behind Fenomeno. On 29 June at Hanshin, he attempted to become the first horse to record back-to-back victories in the Takarazuka Kinen. Ridden by
Norihiro Yokoyama, he started the 17/10 favourite in a field of twelve which included Gentildonna,
Meisho Mambo, ,
Verxina, , and Win Variation. Gold Ship started poorly but recovered well and raced behind the leaders on the outside before taking the lead in the straight. He drew away in the closing stages to win by three lengths from the 55/1 outsider . After the race, Yokoyama said, "He's a clever horse and whether he performs well or not depends on his mood. So I'm relieved that he lived up to the expectations of many fans". Gold Ship was then aimed at the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France and began his preparation for the race with a run in the Grade 2
Sapporo Kinen over ten furlongs at
Sapporo Racecourse on 24 August. He finished second, beaten three-quarters of a length by
Oka Shō winner
Harp Star. Sugai said that it was "no disgrace to fail" when attempting to concede eleven pounds to the three-year-old filly. In the Arc de Triomphe on 5 October, Gold Ship started at odds of 12.9/1 in a three-horse Japanese challenge which also included Harp Star and
Just A Way. After becoming agitated in the pre-race parade, he started poorly and raced at the back of the twenty-runner field for most of the way. He made some progress in the straight but never looked likely to make a serious challenge and finished fourteenth of the twenty runners, seven lengths behind the winner,
Treve. Shortly after his return from Europe, Gold Ship topped the poll to decide the runners for the Arima Kinen. At Nakayama on 28 December he started the favourite for the Arima Kinen ahead of
Epiphaneia, Just A Way and Gentildonna. He made steady progress on the outside in the straight but was unable to reach the leaders and finished third, beaten three quarters of a length and a nose by Gentildonna and .
2015: six-year-old season On his first appearance of the new year, Gold Ship produced what the
Racing Post described as a "dismal display" when finishing unplaced in the
American Jockey Club Cup at Nakayama on 25 January. On 23 March, Gold Ship recorded his 2015 campaign by winning the Hanshin Daishoten for the third consecutive time. On 4 May, he made his third attempt to win the spring edition of the Tennō Shō and started second favourite behind
Kizuna in a seventeen-runner field. He started slowly and was towards the rear for the first half of the race, but made rapid progress on the back straight and turned for home in fourth place. Curren Mirotic opened up a clear lead, but Gold Ship produced a sustained run to take the lead in the final strides and won by a neck from the fast-finishing . After the race Yokoyama said "I was thinking of going front if he started well, which obviously was not the case. From there on, I just concentrated on following the pace and careful not to turn him off. In the straight, he really showed his stamina and perseverance". On 28 June, the grey started 9/10 favourite as he attempted a record third win in the Takarazuka Kinen. In what would later be referred to as the "12 billion yen incident", Gold Ship appeared to panic in the starting stalls. He lost many lengths at the start and finished fifteenth of the sixteen runners behind
Lovely Day. This is estimated to have lost 12 billion yen ($135 million) in betting tickets. Yokoyama commented "I'm not sure what had happened in his mind because he can't tell us... he is just Gold Ship". Gold Ship returned in the autumn of 2015 for two more races before retirement. On 29 November he started the 3.7/1 second favourite for the Japan Cup. He finished tenth but was only three lengths behind the winner
Shonan Pandora. He ended his racing career by running for the fourth time in the Arima Kinen on 27 December. He was made 3.1/1 favourite but finished eighth of the sixteen runners behind
Gold Actor. Gold Ship's retirement ceremony followed the race. == Racing record ==