Wikipedia

Oka Shō

The Ōka Shō (桜花賞) is a 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]

Ōka Shō
Japanese 1,000 Guineas
桜花賞
2021 Ōka Shō winner Sodashi
ClassGrade 1
LocationHanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyōgo
InauguratedApril 9, 1939
Race typeThoroughbred Flat racing
Race information
Distance1600 meters
SurfaceTurf
TrackRight-handed (outer course)
Qualification3-y-o, Fillies
Weight55 kg
Purse¥ 302,400,000 (as of 2025)
  • 1st: ¥ 140,000,000
  • 2nd: ¥ 56,000,000
  • 3rd: ¥ 35,000,000
BonusesFillies Triple Crown
Winner of Ōka Shō, Yushun Himba, Shuka Sho[1]
¥ 100,000,000

The Ōka Shō was first contested in 1939 as Nakayama Yonsai Himba Tokubetsu (中山四歳牝馬特別) over a distance of 1,800 metres at Nakayama Racecourse, 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 race was renamed to the Ōka Shō in 1947 and it was staged at Kyoto Racecourse over a distance of 1,600 metres from 1947 to 1949, then settled at Hanshin Racecourse since 1950. The race was also run at Kyoto in 1967, 1991 and 1995.

It is one of Japan's five Classic races, and the first of two restricted to fillies. It can also serve as the opening leg of the Japanese Triple Tiara, followed by the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and the Shuka Sho.

Winners of the Ōka Shō usually go on to contest the Yushun Himba, run in May, and the double has been completed by Swee Sue, Yamaichi, Miss Onward, Kane Keyaki, Tesco Gaby, Titania, Mejiro Ramonu, Max Beauty, Vega, Still In Love, Buena Vista, Apapane, Gentildonna, Almond Eye, Daring Tact, Stars On Earth and Liberty Island. Still In Love, Apapane, Gentildonna, Almond Eye, Daring Tact and Liberty Island also went on to take the Shuka Sho and secure the Japanese Triple Tiara, whereas Mejiro Ramonu became the only mare who won the Japanese Triple Tiara by winning its original third leg, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

Trial races

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Trial races provide automatic berths to the winning horses or placed horses as specified.[3]

Race Grade Racecourse Distance Condition
Tulip Sho GII Hanshin 1,600 meters Top 3 horses
Anemone Stakes Listed Nakayama 1,600 meters Top 2 horses
Fillies' Revue GII Hanshin 1,400 meters Top 3 horses

Other step races

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Races listed below does not provide automatic berths, but still important steps for this race.

Race Grade Racecourse Distance
Fairy Stakes GIII Nakayama 1,600 meters
Kobai Stakes Listed Kyoto 1,400 meters
Elfin Stakes Listed Kyoto 1,600 meters
Queen Cup GIII Tokyo 1,600 meters
Flower Cup GIII Nakayama 1,800 meters

Winners since 1990

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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 Mikio Matsunaga Kenji Yamauchi 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[a]
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
2025 Embroidery João Moreira Kazutomo Mori Silk Racing 1:33.1
2026 Star Anise Kohei Matsuyama Tomokazu Takano Katsumi Yoshida 1:31.5[4]
  1. ↑ Set the current race record

Earlier winners

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  • 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

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References

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  1. ↑ "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.
  2. ↑ 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...
  3. ↑ "競馬番組一般事項(Horseracing Program General Information) - Page 19" (PDF). JRA. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ "OKA SHO (JAPANESE 1000 GUINEAS)". 12 April 2026. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "桜花賞". Netkeiba.
  6. ↑ "Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas)". Netkeiba.
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