The 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.
The Ōka Shō was first contested in 1939 as 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 Trial races provide automatic berths to the winning horses or placed horses as specified. RaceGradeRacecourseDistanceConditionTulip ShoGIIHanshin1,600 metersTop 3 horsesAnemone StakesListedNakayama1,600 metersTop 2 horsesFillies' RevueGIIHanshin1,400 metersTop 3 horses
Other step races Races listed below does not provide automatic berths, but still important steps for this race. RaceGradeRacecourseDistanceFairy StakesGIIINakayama1,600 metersKobai StakesListedKyoto1,400 metersElfin StakesListedKyoto1,600 metersQueen CupGIIITokyo1,600 metersFlower CupGIIINakayama1,800 meters
Winners since 1990 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 2022 Stars On Earth Yuga Kawada Mizuki Takayanagi Shadai Racehorse co. 1:32.9 2023 Liberty Island Yuga Kawada Mitsumasa Nakauchida Sunday Racing 1:32.12024StellenboschJoão MoreiraSakae KuniedaKatsumi Yoshida1:32.22025EmbroideryJoão MoreiraKazutomo MoriSilk Racing1:33.12026Star AniseKohei MatsuyamaTomokazu TakanoKatsumi Yoshida1:31.5
Earlier winners
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 Horse racing in Japan List of Japanese flat horse races
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