Black Tide was a high-class performer in his own right, winning the Spring Stakes in 2004[3] before his career was severely disrupted by an injury sustained in the Satsuki Sho.

[5][6] Kitasan Black began his track career in a contest for unraced three-year-olds over 1800 metres at Tokyo Racecourse on 31 January 2015 and won by a length from Mikki Joy and fourteen others.

He started at odds of 11.3/1 against eleven opponents including Danon Platina, who had been named Japanese champion two-year-old colt after winning the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes and Real Steel who had defeated Duramente in the Grade III Tokinominoru Kinen.

Ridden as in most of his races that year by Hiroshi Kitamura he won by a neck from Real Steel, with Danon Platina three quarters of a length back in third place.

After a break of almost four months, Kitasan Black returned on 21 September for the Grade II St Lite Kinen (a trial race for the Kikuka Sho) over 2200 metres.

He started at odds of 11.5/1 in a field headed by Satono Rasen who had finished second in the Tokyo Yushun, with the other fancied contenders including the Grade III winners Bright Emblem and Beruf.

[9] On 25 October Kitasan Black was partnered by Kitamura when he started at odds of 12.4/1 in an eighteen-runner field for the Kikuka Sho over 3000 metres at Kyoto Racecourse.

The favourite was Lia Fail, the winner of the Grade II Kobe Shimbun Hai, whilst the other runners included Real Steel, Satono Rasen, Beruf, Bright Emblem, Musee Alien and Jun Tsubasa.

After racing in fifth place on the inside, Kitasan Black took the lead early in the straight and held off the late challenge of Real Steel by a neck with Lia Fail half a length back in third.

[11] On his final appearance of 2015 Kitasan Black was matched against older opponents for the first time when he was one of sixteen horses invited by public vote to contest the Arima Kinen over 2500 metres at Nakayama on 27 December.

On 1 May Kitasan Black moved back up in distance for the spring edition of the Grade I Tenno Sho over 3200 metres at Kyoto and started second favourite behind Gold Actor.

The other sixteen runners included Cheval Grand (Hanshin Daishoten), Fame Game (runner-up in the 2015 race), Albert (Stayers Stakes), Sounds of Earth and Toho Jackal (2014 Kikuka Sho).

On 10 October Kitasan Black returned from a three and a half month absence for the Grade II Kyoto Daishoten and started 4/5 favourite against eight opponents headed by Lovely Day and Sounds of Earth.

The leading Japanese contenders included Real Steel (who had won the Dubai Turf in March), Gold Actor, Dee Majesty (Satsuki Sho), Sounds of Earth, Cheval Grand and the filly Rouge Buck.

Kitasan Black led from the start, established a clear lead entering the straight and stayed on strongly in the closing stages to win by two and a half lengths from Sounds of Earth.

Breaking quickly from an inside draw, Kitasan Black settled in second place behind the outsider Maltese Apogee before moving into the lead entering the straight.

On 2 April, Kitasan Black began his five-year-old campaign in the Osaka Hai, which had been elevated to Grade I level for the first time and started the 2.4/1 favourite against thirteen opponents headed by Makahiki and Satono Crown.

After racing in second place behind the outsider Yamakatsu Raiden he took the lead entering the straight, opened up a clear advantage and stayed on in the closing stages to win by one and a half lengths.

[25] His bid to take the prize for a record third time was opposed by seventeen rivals including Satono Crown, Real Steel, Makahiki and the three-year-old filly Soul Stirring (Yushun Himba).

He took the lead soon after the start and maintained his advantage into the straight but was overtaken in the closing stages and finished third behind Cheval Grand and the three-year-old Rey de Oro.

On his farewell appearance at Nakayama on 24 December Kitasan Black made his third attempt to win the Arima Kinen and started favourite in a sixteen-runner field, with the best fancied of his opponents were Satono Crown, Cheval Grand and the improving three-year-old Suave Richard.

After taking the lead from the start he broke clear of his rivals in the straight and recorded a "comfortable" length and a half victory from the mare Queens Ring, with Cheval Grand and Suave Richard close behind in third and fourth.