Tamamo Cross

“I haven't lost ta' poverty yet! That's 'cause I'm Naniwa's White Lightning!”

―Tamamo Cross

Tamamo Cross
Name	Tamamo Cross
Kana	タマモクロス
Romaji	Tamamo Kurosu
T. Chn.	玉藻十字
Other Names	White Lightening
Characteristics
Species	Horse Girl
Birthday	May 23
Gender	Female
Height	140cm
Weight	Unmeasurable
Three Sizes	B72 W51 H73
Occupation	Student
Affiliation	Ritto Dormitory
Voice Actor
Japanese	Naomi Oozora

Profile

There are two instantly recognisable things about Tamamo Cross at first glance: she's really short and she speaks in a very thick Kansai-ben accent. But despite her small stature she is the very meaning of energy and takes every opportunity to make a sharp quip, no matter in her daily life and races. She grew up in a very financially challenged household but her power comes from a hungry spirit that keeps her motivated to not let that get the best of her.

As an Osakan, she loves manzai comedy and is usually the tsukkomi, with Oguri Cap as a great boke character.

Appearance

Tamamo Cross is a horse girl who has long silver hair with a fringe in the front. She also has blue eyes, and wears red ear covers, as well as a red headband and a red & blue hairband. A spherical ball-like ornament is attached to the hairband, positioned in front of her right ear.

Her racing outfit consists of an oversized dark blue sailor shirt with a red and blue neckerchief, an oversized belt of the same color, and a black pleated skirt and ribbed gray thighhighs.

Relationships

Oguri Cap - Roomate and friend

Songs

• My Against Fight (Solo song)
• Yumezora
• Make Debut!
• Hashire Uma Musume
• NEXT FRONTIER
• BLOW my GALE
• We are DREAMERS!!
• GIRLS' LEGEND U
• Umapyoi Densetsu

Special Commentary

Uma Musume	Real Life
タマモクロス！ タマモクロスです！ シニアの意地！　クラシック級の期待株をねじ伏せて 天皇賞春秋連覇であります！	タマモクロス！　タマモクロスです！ 5歳馬の意地！ 4歳馬をねじ伏せました！ 5歳馬、タマモクロスが勝ちました！ 春秋、天皇賞連覇であります！
Tamamo Cross! It's Tamamo Cross! Pride of a senior! She defeated the expected classic, and won both Tenno Sho in a row, spring and autumn!	Tamamo Cross! It's Tamamo Cross! Pride of a five-year-old horse! He defeated the four-year-old! The winner is Tamamo Cross, five years old! He won both Tenno Sho in a row, spring and autumn!

• Requirement: Winning senior Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho
• Reference: 1988 Tenno Sho Autumn, by Masayuki Sakai (Fuji TV)

Notes

• the "four-year-old" means Oguri Cap.
• Until 1980, Tenno Sho winner couldn't make entries again. Tamamo Cross is the first winner of both Spring and Autumn.

Trivia

• She speaks Kansai dialect. Despite about two thirds of horse girls belong to Kansai in real life, other horse girls speak in Kanto dialect.
  • Even Special Week, who speaks Hokkaido Dialect, belongs to Kansai.
• Tamamo Cross is rumored as a model of Midori Makiba O. It is reflected in Uma Musume episodes.
  • In game version, she mimics Makiba O's speaking.
  • Cinderella Gray Tamamo Cross collaborated with Midori Makiba O on Young Jump illustration. Each author drew their own characters.

Real Life

IRL: Tamamo Cross
Basic profile
Name	Tamamo Cross
Kana	タマモクロス
Romaji	Tamamo Kurosu
Hong Kong	玉藻十字
Nickname	White Lightening II
Sex	Stallion
Color	Gray
Birth	May 23, 1984
Death	April 10, 2003
Birthplace	Niikappu Town, Hokkaido, Japan
Breeder	Nishikino Farm
Owner	Tamamo Co., Ltd.
Racing silk	Skyblue, red two hoops, red sleeves
Family
Father	C.B. Cross (JPN)
Mother	Green Chateau (JPN)
Damsire	Chateaugay (USA)
Relatives	Miyama Poppy (half-sister)
Children	Kanetsu Cross
Great-grandchildren	Naran Huleg
Racing Info
First run	March 1, 1987
Last run	December 25, 1988
Traning Center	Ritto
Trainer	Isami Obara
Jockeys	Katsumi Minai, 15 times Seiki Tabara, 1 time Tomio Yasuda, 1 time Mikio Matsunaga, 1 time
Result
Runs	18
Wins	9
Earnings	491,614,000 JPY
Major wins	1987 Naruo Kinen, G2 1988 Kin Pai West, G3 1988 Hanshin Dai Shoten, G2 1988 Tenno Sho Spring, G1 1988 Takarazuka Kinen, G1 1988 Tenno Sho Autumn, G1
Honors	1988 JRA Award for Horse of the Year 1988 JRA Award for Best Older Male Horse 1988 JRA Award for Best Horse by Home-bred Sire 1988 Tokyo Horseracing Reporter Club Award 1988 Kansai Horseracing Reporter Club Award

“In 1988, Tenno Sho Autumn.
'Gray horses aren't strong.' People had said until these two horses appeared.
The showdown by a gray and a gray.
A rival gives strength.
Wind or light, that horse's name is― Tamamo Cross.”

―2012 Tenno Sho Autumn TV commercial, by JRA

Tamamo Cross is a racehorse in the end of Showa. He broke a superstition that gray horses were not strong, winning three G1s in a row, including victories of both Tenno Sho. He fought several times with Oguri Cap as Gray Showdown, and excited the second horseracing boom in Japan.

• His nickname "White Lightening II" came from his father C.B. Cross.
• Though he is often compared with Oguri Cap, a member of Heisei Top Three, Tamamo Cross himself is not counted as the member. He retired by the end of 1988, before Heisei era started.
• It is said that he is one of models of fictional racehorse Midori Makiba O, appearing in a manga Midori no Makiba O.
• His owner belongs to Hanshin owners' association. Perhaps it is why horse girl Tamamo Cross speaks Kansai Dialect.
• Nishikino Farm, which produced him, had lots of debt when he was born. Later Tamamo Cross earned enough rewards, though, the farm was bankrupted before that.
• He didn't succeed as a studhorse. But his great-grandson Naran Huleg won 2022 Takamatsunomiya Kinen. This was the first G1 win in his descendants.