The , also called the is a

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by re ...

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

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 ...

colts and

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 ...

run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately 1 mile 4 furlongs) at the

Tokyo Racecourse is located in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1933 for horse racing, it is considered the "racecourse of racecourses" in Japanese horseracing. It has a capacity of 223,000, with seating for 13,750. Tokyo Racecourse hosts numerous G1 (Grade 1) r ...

Fuchū, Tokyo 260px, Fuchū City Hall is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a commuter town for workers in central Tokyo. The city hosts large scale manufacturing facilities for Toshiba, NEC a ...

in late May or early June. It was first run in 1932 and is the Japanese equivalent of the English

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

. It is the second leg of the Japanese Triple Crown, preceded by the

Satsuki Shō The is a Japanese Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies run over a distance of 2,000 metres (approximately mile) at the Nakayama Racecourse, Funabashi, Chiba, in April. It was first run in 1939 and ...

(the Japanese equivalent of the English

2,000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

) in mid-late April and followed by the Kikuka Shō (the Japanese equivalent of the English

St. Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...

) in mid-late October. Since 2010, the Tokyo Yūshun (along with several other JRA Japanese domestic Grade 1 races, including the other Japanese classics such as the Satsuki Shō and the Kikuka Shō) is open to international competition due to Japan's inclusion in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' ICS Part I category, in which all graded black-type races in the JRA calendar are open to international competition. Races prior to 2001 (along with the other Japanese classics) were only limited to Japanese-bred horses. Since 2001, foreign-bred horses are allowed, but until 2010 this race (and the other classics) were only limited to Japanese-trained horses. The current rule allows fielding at most seven entries either not bred/trained in Japan.

Step races

If horses from the

National Association of Racing The National Association of Racing ( ja, 地方競馬全国協会 ''Chiho Keiba Zenkoku Kyokai'', or NAR) is the authority for horse races operated by local governments in Japan (Prefectures, cities/ towns/villages or unions of them). NAR itself ...

win any 3-year-old JRA Grade 2 or 3 races before the Derby, they will be eligible to enter the Japanese Derby if ranked high enough in prize money. Priority entry rights cannot be applied to them; should they finish in such position in such races, extra entry right will be given out to Kyoto Shimbun Hai (at most of two). The Satsuki Shō, the Aoba Shō and the Principal Stakes are the official trial races for the Japanese Derby. The top five finishers in the Satsuki Shō, the top two finishers in the Aoba Shō and the winner of the Principal Stakes are guaranteed a place in the field for the Derby, regardless of prize money. Overall, there are seven automatic qualifying spots in the Derby; the other 10 entries are "at-large" horses determined by prize money earned prior to racing in the Derby. The Kyoto Shimbun Hai is officially considered a step race even though it does not normally give entry rights. The NHK Mile Cup, the only non-Triple Crown three-year-old GI horse race, is not an official step race, but has gained importance in recent years as horses such as Tanino Gimlet (2002), King Kamehameha (2004, won) and Deep Sky (2008, won) participated in that race and would eventually win the Derby.

Winners since 1990

Earlier winners

* 1932 - Wakataka * 1933 - Kabutoyama * 1934 - Fray Mor * 1935 - Governor * 1936 - Tokumasa * 1937 - Hisatomo * 1938 - Sugenuma * 1939 - Kumohata * 1940 - Ieryu * 1941 - St Lite * 1942 - Minami Homare * 1943 - Kurifuji * 1944 - Kaiso * 1945 - ''No race'' * 1946 - ''No race'' * 1947 - Matsu Midori * 1948 - Miharu O * 1949 - Tachikaze * 1950 - Kumono Hana * 1951 - Tokino Minoru * 1952 - Kurino Hana * 1953 - Bostonian * 1954 - Golden Wave * 1955 - Otokitsu * 1956 - Hakuchikara * 1957 - Hikaru Meiji * 1958 - Daigo Homare * 1959 - Komatsu Hikari * 1960 - Kodama * 1961 - Hakusho * 1962 - Fair Win * 1963 - Meizui * 1964 -

Shinzan Shinzan (シンザン; 2 April 1961 – 13 July 1996) was a thoroughbred racehorse that won the Japanese Triple Crown. Background Shinzan was a bay horse bred by Yoshimatsu Matsuhashi. He was sired by Irish Derby winner Hindostan. His dam ...

* 1965 - Keystone * 1966 - Teito O * 1967 - Asa Denko * 1968 - Tanino Harromore * 1969 - Daishin Volgard * 1970 - Tanino Moutiers * 1971 - Hikaru Imai * 1972 - Long Ace * 1973 - Take Hope * 1974 - Colonel Lancer * 1975 - Kaburaya O * 1976 - Climb Kaiser * 1977 - Lucky Ruler * 1978 - Sakura Shori * 1979 - Katsurano Haiseiko * 1980 - Opec Horse * 1981 - Katsu Top Ace * 1982 - Bamboo Atlas * 1983 -

Mr. C.B. Mr C B (Japanese : ミスターシービー, April 7, 1980 - December 15, 2000) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the Japanese Triple Crown in 1983. He died of old age in 2000. Background Mr C B was a bay horse bred in Japan by ...

* 1984 -

Symboli Rudolf Symboli Rudolf (Japanese : シンボリルドルフ, March 13, 1981 - October 4, 2011) was a Japanese thoroughbred racehorse who won the Japanese Triple Crown, sired by Partholon, a son of Milesian, out of Sweet Luna, a daughter of Speed Sym ...

* 1985 - Sirius Symboli * 1986 - Dyna Gulliver * 1987 - Merry Nice * 1988 - Sakura Chiyono O * 1989 - Winner's Circle

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 ...

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Step races

Winners since 1990

Earlier winners

See also

References