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 ...

flat

horse race Horse racing is an equestrianism, 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, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

for four-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 ...

s. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) at Chukyo Racecourse in late March. The forerunner of this race was the . It was started as the when the victory cup was designed by Prince Takamatsu in 1971, and was given Domestic Grade 2 status when race grading was introduced to Japan in 1984. It was run over a distance of 2,000 metres. This was shortened to 1,200 metres and elevated to Domestic Grade 1 in 1996, and to its present level in 2006. Horses trained outside Japan have been eligible to run in the race since 2001. It was renamed the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in 1998 because the family of Prince Takamatsu stopped designing the victory cup. From 2011 The Takamatsunomiya Kinen has taken over from the

Centaur Stakes The is a Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) at Hanshin Racecourse in September. It was first run in 1987 and takes its name from a statue at ...

as a Japanese leg of the

Global Sprint Challenge The Global Sprint Challenge is a Thoroughbred horse racing series inaugurated in 2005 as a series of six sprint races run across three racing jurisdictions in Australia, England and Japan. In 2006 the series expanded to seven races across four ra ...

Series it is the second leg of the series preceded by the Lightning Stakes and from 2012 followed by the Dubai Golden Shaheen It is also the only JRA Grade 1 race not held at one of the 4 major racecourses: (

Hanshin , derived from the second kanji from and the first kanji from (but in ''on''-reading instead of ''kun''-reading), refers generally to Osaka, Kobe, and the surrounding area in the Kansai region of Japan. In the context of a region of Hyōgo ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...

, Nakayama,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

Winners since 1996

* The 2011 race 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 World War I ...

Past Winners

*1971: Shunsakuo *1972: Josetsu *1973: Takeden Bird *1974: Haiseiko *1975: Itto *1976: Fujino Parthia *1977: Tosho Boy *1978: Yamanin Goro *1979: Nehai Jet *1980: Lindo Pleben *1981: Hagino Top Lady *1982: Kazushige *1983: Hagino Kamui O *1984: Kyoei Rare *1985: Mejiro Mont Cenis *1986: Rugby Ball *1987: Land Hiryu *1988:

Oguri Cap Oguri Cap ( Japanese : オグリキャップ, 27 March 1985 – 3 July 2010) was a Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, sired by Dancing Cap. Oguri Cap was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 1991. Racing career In May 198 ...

*1989: Mejiro Ardan *1990: Bamboo Memory *1991: Daitaku Helios *1992: Mr. Spain *1993: Longchamp Boy *1994: Nice Nature *1995: Matikanetannhauser

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 ...

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External links

Horse Racing in Japan
{{Japanese Grade I horse races Open sprint category horse races Horse races in Japan Turf races in Japan

Winners since 1996

Past Winners

See also

References

External links