The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (''Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup'' until 2012) is an International Grade 1

flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

in Japan for three-year-old and above

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

and

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

s run over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximately 1 mile 3 furlongs) on the turf at

Kyoto Racecourse is located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 120,000. It was built in 1999. History Kyoto Race Course opened on December 1, 1925. In preparation for the track's 100th anniversary ...

in November.

History

The race was first run in 1976 over a distance of 2,400 metres (1 mile 4 furlongs). It was originally for three-year-old fillies only and was the third leg of the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown. In 1996, it was opened to older female horses and was reduced to its present distance. In the same year the

Shuka Sho Shuka ( sa, शुक , also Shukadeva ) is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism. He is the son of the sage Vyasa and the main narrator of the scripture ''Bhagavata Purana''. Most of the ''Bhagavata Purana'' consists of Shuka reciting the story to the k ...

was established and became the third leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown. Since 1999 it turned into International Grade 1 race. In 2010 Snow Fairy from England, being the first winner outside Japan. The following year she made Japanese flat racing history of being the first ever non-Japanese trained horse to win the same Grade 1 flat race back-to-back (second ever including

Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

, which

Karasi Karasi (born 1995) is an Australian Racing Hall of Fame champion steeplechase horse bred in Ireland. The horse is best known for winning the world's richest steeplechase race, the Nakayama Grand Jump at Nakayama Racecourse, Japan for three ...

winning

Nakayama Grand Jump The Nakayama Grand Jump (中山グランドジャンプ) is a Japanese horse racing steeplechase, held at Nakayama Racecourse every year in mid-April. It is for thoroughbreds, four years old and older, run at a distance of 4250m (2 5/8 miles + 84 f ...

between 2005 and 2007). It is the only Grade 1 race that is restricted to fillies and mares aged three or above. The other Grade 1 races for older female horses in Japan, the

Victoria Mile The Victoria Mile () is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for four-year-old and above thoroughbred fillies and mares run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) on the turf at Tokyo Racecourse in May. Winners See also * Horse ...

, excludes three-year-olds.

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins): * Mejiro Dober – ''1998, 1999'' * Admire Groove – ''2003, 2004'' * Snow Fairy – ''2010, 2011'' *

Lucky Lilac Lucky Lilac ( ja, ラッキーライラック, link=no, foaled 3 April 2015) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2017 she was undefeated in three races including the Artemis Stakes and Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and took th ...

– ''2019, 2020''

Winners since 1996

Kawakami Princess finished first in 2006 but was demoted to 12th place following a Stewards' Inquiry. The 2020, 2021 and 2022 races took place at

Hanshin Racecourse is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and it is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After the World War II, GH ...

over a distance of 2200 metres.

Earlier winners

* 1976 – Diamante * 1977 – Inter Gloria * 1978 – Lead Swallow * 1979 – Miss Kaburaya * 1980 – Hagino Top Lady * 1981 – Agnes Tesco * 1982 – Victoria Crown * 1983 – Long Grace * 1984 – Kyowa Thunder * 1985 – Reward Wing * 1986 – Mejiro Ramonu * 1987 – Talented Girl * 1988 – Miyama Poppy * 1989 – Sand Peeress * 1990 – Kyoei Tap * 1991 – Rinden Lily * 1992 – Takeno Velvet * 1993 –

Hokuto Vega Hokuto Vega (in Japanese: ホクトベガ, March 26, 1990 – April 3, 1997) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 1993 Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Career Hokuto Vega's first race was on January 5, 1993, at Nakayama, where h ...

* 1994 – Hishi Amazon * 1995 – Sakura Candle

References

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...

: **, , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , ,

External links

Horse Racing in Japan
{{Japanese Grade I horse races Middle distance horse races for fillies and mares Turf races in Japan