The Oka Sho (桜花賞) is a Japanese Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan. The race is restricted to three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies and is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) at Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, Hyōgo. Run in early April, it is the traditional start to the annual classic races for three-year-olds in Japan.[2]
| Grade 1 race | |
 2021 Oka Sho winner Sodashi | |
| Location | Hanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyōgo |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1939 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1600 meters |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed (outer course) |
| Qualification | 3-y-o , Fillies |
| Weight | 55 kg |
| Purse | ¥ 302,400,000 (as of 2024) 1st: ¥ 140,000,000 2nd: ¥ 56,000,000 3rd: ¥ 35,000,000 |
| Bonuses | Fillies Triple Crown Winner of Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, Shuka Sho[1] ¥ 100,000,000 |
The Oka Sho was first contested in 1939, and is the Japanese equivalent of the English 1,000 Guineas.
The race was run at Nakayama Racecourse until 1944 when it was run at Tokyo Racecourse. After a two-year hiatus the Oka Sho was staged at Kyoto Racecourse from 1947 to 1949. The race was also run at Kyoto in 1967, 1991 and 1995.
Winners of the Oka Sho usually go on to contest the Yushun Himba and the double has been completed by Sweet Sue (1952), Yamaichi, Miss Onward, Kane Keyaki, Tesco Gaby, Titania, Mejiro Ramonu, Max Beauty, Vega, Still In Love, Buena Vista, Apapane, Gentildonna, Almond Eye and Daring Tact. Still In Love, Apapane, Gentildonna and Almond Eye went on to take the Shuka Sho and secure the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown.
Trial races
editTrial races provide automatic berths to the winning horses or placed horses as specified.[3]
| Race | Grade | Racecourse | Distance | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulip Sho | II | Hanshin | 1,600 meters | Top 3 horses |
| Anemone Stakes | Listed | Nakayama | 1,600 meters | Top 2 horses |
| Fillies' Revue | II | Hanshin | 1,400 meters | Top 3 horses |
Winners since 1990
edit| Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Agnes Flora | Hiroshi Kawachi | Hiroyuki Nagahama | Takao Watanabe | 1:37.1 |
| 1991 | Sister Tosho | Koichi Tsunoda | Akio Tsurudome | Masaaki Fujita | 1:33.7 |
| 1992 | Nishino Flower | Hiroshi Kawachi | Masahiro Matsuda | Masayuki Nishiyama | 1:37.5 |
| 1993 | Vega | Yutaka Take | Hiroyushi Matsuda | Kazuko Yoshida | 1:37.2 |
| 1994 | Oguri Roman | Yutaka Take | Tsutomu Setoguchi | Koichi Oguri | 1:36.4 |
| 1995 | Wonder Perfume | Seiki Tabara | Masazo Ryoke | Nobuyuki Yamamoto | 1:34.4 |
| 1996 | Fight Gulliver | Seiki Tabara | Kentaro Nakao | Noboru Shinagawa | 1:34.4 |
| 1997 | Kyoei March | Mikio Matsunaga | Akihiko Nomura | M Matsuoka | 1:36.9 |
| 1998 | Phalaenopsis | Yutaka Take | Mitsumasa Hamada | North Hills Management Co | 1:34.0 |
| 1999 | Primo Ordine | Yuichi Fukunaga | Toyoji Nishihashi | Hidekazu Date | 1:35.5 |
| 2000 | Cheers Grace | Kenji Yamauchi | Mikio Matsunaga | Kazue Kitamura | 1:34.9 |
| 2001 | T M Ocean | Masaru Honda | Katsuichi Nishiura | Masatsugu Takezono | 1:34.4 |
| 2002 | Arrow Carry | Kenichi Ikezoe | Kenji Yamauchi | Hideharu Yano | 1:34.3 |
| 2003 | Still in Love | Hideaki Miyuki | Shoichi Matsumoto | North Hills Management Co. | 1:33.9 |
| 2004 | Dance in the Mood | Yutaka Take | Kazuo Fujisawa | Shadai Racehorse co. | 1:33.6 |
| 2005 | Rhein Kraft | Yuichi Fukunaga | Tsutomu Setoguchi | Shigemasa Ōsawa | 1:33.5 |
| 2006 | Kiss to Heaven | Katsumi Andō | Hirofumi Toda | Kazuko Yoshida | 1:34.6 |
| 2007 | Daiwa Scarlet | Katsumi Andō | Kunihide Matsuda | Keizo Ōshiro | 1:33.7 |
| 2008 | Reginetta | Futoshi Komaki | Hidekazu Asami | Shadai Racehorse | 1:34.4 |
| 2009 | Buena Vista | Katsumi Andō | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Sunday Racing. | 1:34.0 |
| 2010 | Apapane | Masayoshi Ebina | Sakae Kunieda | Kaneko Makoto Holdings | 1:33.3 |
| 2011 | Marcellina | Katsumi Andō | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Shadai Racehorse co. | 1:33.9 |
| 2012 | Gentildonna | Yasunari Iwata | Sei Ishizaka | Sunday Racing Co. Ltd | 1:34.6 |
| 2013 | Ayusan | Cristian Demuro | Takahisa Tezuka | Juichi Hoshin | 1:35.0 |
| 2014 | Harp Star | Yuga Kawada | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | U Carrot Farm | 1:33.3 |
| 2015 | Let's Go Donki | Yasunari Iwata | Tomoyuki Umeda | Toshihiro Hirosaki | 1:36.0 |
| 2016 | Jeweler | Mirco Demuro | Kenichi Fujioka | Yoichi Aoyama | 1:33.4 |
| 2017 | Reine Minoru | Kenichi Ikezoe | Masaru Honda | Minoru Yoshioka | 1:34.5 |
| 2018 | Almond Eye | Christophe Lemaire | Sakae Kunieda | Silk Racing | 1:33.1 |
| 2019 | Gran Alegria | Christophe Lemaire | Kazuo Fujisawa | Sunday Racing | 1:32.7 |
| 2020 | Daring Tact | Kohei Matsuyama | Haruki Sugiyama | Normandy Thoroughbred Racing | 1:36.1 |
| 2021 | Sodashi | Hayato Yoshida | Naosuke Sugai | Kaneko Makoto Holdings | 1:31.1 |
| 2022 | Stars On Earth | Yuga Kawada | Mizuki Takayanagi | Shadai Racehorse co. | 1:32.9 |
| 2023 | Liberty Island | Yuga Kawada | Mitsumasa Nakauchida | Sunday Racing | 1:32.1 |
| 2024 | Stellenbosch | João Moreira | Sakae Kunieda | Katsumi Yoshida | 1.32.2 |
Earlier winners
edit- 1939 - Soul Lady
- 1940 - Tairei
- 1941 - Brand Sol
- 1942 - Banner Goal
- 1943 - Miss Theft
- 1944 - Yamaiwai
- 1945 - no race
- 1946 - no race
- 1947 - Browny
- 1948 - Hamakaze
- 1949 - Yashima Daughter
- 1950 - Tosa Mitsuru
- 1951 - Tsuki Kawa
- 1952 - Swee Sue
- 1953 - Kansei
- 1954 - Yamaichi
- 1955 - Yashima Belle
- 1956 - Miss Lilas
- 1957 - Miss Onward
- 1958 - Hoshu Queen
- 1959 - Kiyo Take
- 1960 - Tokino Kiroku
- 1961 - Sugi Hime
- 1962 - Kenho
- 1963 - Miss Masako
- 1964 - Kane Keyaki
- 1965 - Hatsuyuki
- 1966 - Wakakumo
- 1967 - Sea Ace
- 1968 - Koyu
- 1969 - Hide Kotobuki
- 1970 - Tamami
- 1971 - Nasuno Kaori
- 1972 - Achieve Star
- 1973 - Nitto Chodori
- 1974 - Takaeno Kaori
- 1975 - Tesco Gaby
- 1976 - Titania
- 1977 - Inter Gloria
- 1978 - Oyama Tesco
- 1979 - Horsemen Tesco
- 1980 - Hagino Top Lady
- 1981 - Brocade
- 1982 - Riesengross
- 1983 - Shadai Sophia
- 1984 - Diana Tholon
- 1985 - Erebus
- 1986 - Mejiro Ramonu
- 1987 - Max Beauty
- 1988 - Ara Hotoku
- 1989 - Shadai Kagura
See also
editReferences
edit- Netkeiba:[4][5]
- 1956 en, 1957 en, 1958 en, 1959 en, 1960 en, 1961 en, 1962 en, 1963 en, 1964 en, 1965 en, 1966 en, 1967 en, 1968 en, 1969 en, 1970 en, 1971 en, 1972 en, 1973 en, 1974 en, 1975 en, 1976 en, 1977 en, 1978 en, 1979 en, 1980 en, 1981 en, 1982 en, 1983 en, 1984 en, 1985 en, 1986 en, 1987 en, 1988 en, 1989 en, 1990 en, 1991 en, 1992 en, 1993 en, 1994 en, 1995 en, 1996 en, 1997 en, 1998 en, 1999 en, 2000 en, 2001 en, 2002 en, 2003 en, 2004 en, 2005 en, 2006 en, 2007 en, 2008 en, 2009 en, 2010 en, 2011 en, 2012 en, 2013 en, 2014 en, 2015 en, 2016 en, 2017 en, 2018 en, 2019 en, 2020 en, 2021 en, 2022 en, 2023 en, 2024 en
- ^ "同一年度に本会が定める競走に優勝した馬に対する褒賞金交付基準" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association.
- ^ Kieckhefer, Bob (5 April 2024). "Japan's Classics Season Kicks off with the Oka Sho". The Blood-Horse. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
The Japanese classics season kicks off April 7 at Hanshin Racecourse...
- ^ "競馬番組一般事項(Horseracing Program General Information) - Page 19" (PDF). JRA. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "桜花賞". Netkeiba.
- ^ "Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas)". Netkeiba.