Japan Cup
| Grade 1 race | |
 
ジャパンカップ (Japan Kappu)
Japan's most prestigious horse race |
|
| Location |
Tokyo Racecourse Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1981 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Website | Japan Cup - Racing Information |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2400 meters (About 12 furlongs / 1 1⁄2 miles) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | 3-y-o & Up, Thoroughbreds (safety factor: 18 horses; up to ten foreign-trained starters are allowed in the race) |
| Weight | 3-y-o 55 kg \ 4-y-o & up 57kg Allowances 2 kg for fillies and mares 2 kg for S. Hemisphere 3-y-o |
| Purse |
¥ 624,000,000 (as of 2015) 1st: ¥ 300,000,000 |
| Bonuses | Additional money awarded if winner won in qualified international races (see below) plus ¥3,500,000 to the winning owner |
The Japan Cup (ジャパンカップ Japan Kappu?, JPN G-1) is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about 1 1⁄2 miles) run under weight for age conditions with a maximum of 18 horses on turf (grass). With a purse of ¥476 million (about US $5.8 million), the Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world.
The Japan Cup is an invitational event. During a relatively short history, the race has established itself as an international contest with winners from Japan, North America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy.
The Japan Cup has produced some of the most memorable finishes seen in Japanese racing. Along with the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Melbourne Cup and the Breeders' Cup, the race ranks as one of the great end-of-year events.
The Japan Racing Association established the Japan Cup as an international invitational race in order for local racehorses to have the opportunity to compete against horses of an international calibre and to promote goodwill within the racing community worldwide.
With the economic crisis of 2008, the Japanese yen went under 100 yen per dollar, which makes the Japan Cup the world's second richest turf horse race, after the Melbourne Cup (and third richest horse race of any kind, after the Dubai World Cup), passing the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, which in 2008 was the world's richest turf race.
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Wikipedia