Japan Cup prize money
The Japan Cup is worth £5,493,600 for the 2025 running , £2,520,000 of it to the winner . That makes it the 3rd richest of the 997 races on this site and the 1st richest in Japan.
The race announces its purse as ¥1,090,000,000, and every figure here is that money converted. The currency control at the top swaps the whole page.
What the Japan Cup is
Group 1 · 2,400 metres (about 12 furlongs / miles) · Turf · Tokyo Racecourse
- Racecourse
- Tokyo Racecourse
- Country
- Japan
- Grade
- Group 1
- Distance
- 2,400 metres (about 12 furlongs / miles)
- Surface
- Turf
- Race type
- Thoroughbred
- Open to
- 3-year-olds & up, Thoroughbreds (safety factor: 18 horses; up to ten foreign-trained starters are allowed in the race)
- Direction
- Left-handed
- As published
- ¥1,090,000,000
The winner takes 46% of the fund. The remaining £2,973,600 is shared between the horses behind, on a scale the racecourse sets race by race rather than a fixed one.
Run in 2:20.30 in 2025, the Japan Cup pays £39,156 for every second of the race, which is 6th of the 611 races in horse racing prize money per second and 1st in Japan.
Every Japan Cup winner
45 runnings, 1981 to 2025, newest first
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Calandagan4 · 2:20.3 | Mickael Barzalona | Francis-Henri Graffard | Aga Khan Studs SCEA |
| 2024 | Do Deuce5 · 2:25.5 | Yutaka Take | Yasuo Tomomichi | Kieffers Co. Ltd. |
| 2023 | Equinox4 · 2:21.8 | Christophe Lemaire | Tetsuya Kimura | Silk Racing |
| 2022 | Vela Azul5 · 2:23.7 | Ryan Moore | Kunihiko Watanabe | U. Carrot Farm |
| 2021 | Contrail4 · 2:24.7 | Yuichi Fukunaga | Yoshito Yahagi | Shinji Maeda |
| 2020 | Almond Eye5 · 2:23.0 | Christophe Lemaire | Sakae Kunieda | Silk Racing |
| 2019 | Suave Richard5 · 2:25.9 | Oisin Murphy | Yasushi Shono | NICKS Co, Ltd |
| 2018 | Almond Eye3 · 2:20.6 | Christophe Lemaire | Sakae Kunieda | Silk Racing |
| 2017 | Cheval Grand5 · 2:23.7 | Hugh Bowman | Yasuo Tomomichi | Kazuhiro Sasaki |
| 2016 | Kitasan Black4 · 2:25.8 | Yutaka Take | Hisashi Shimizu | Ōno Shoji |
| 2015 | Shonan Pandora4 · 2:24.7 | Kenichi Ikezoe | Tomokazu Takano | Tetsuhide Kunimoto |
| 2014 | Epiphaneia4 · 2:23.1 | Christophe Soumillon | Katsuhiko Sumii | U. Carrot Farm |
| 2013 | Gentildonna4 · 2:26.1 | Ryan Moore | Sei Ishizaka | Sunday Racing |
| 2012 | Gentildonna3 · 2:23.1 | Yasunari Iwata | Sei Ishizaka | Sunday Racing |
| 2011 | Buena Vista5 · 2:24.2 | Yasunari Iwata | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Sunday Racing |
| 2010 | Rose Kingdom3 · 2:25.2 | Yutaka Take | Kojiro Hashiguchi | Sunday Racing |
| 2009 | Vodka5 · 2:22.4 | Christophe Lemaire | Katsuhiko Sumii | Yuzo Tanimizu |
| 2008 | Screen Hero4 · 2:25.5 | Mirco Demuro | Yuichi Shikato | Teruya Yoshida |
| 2007 | Admire Moon4 · 2:24.7 | Yasunari Iwata | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Darley Japan Farm Co. Ltd. |
| 2006 | Deep Impact4 · 2:25.1 | Yutaka Take | Yasuo Ikee | Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. |
| 2005 | Alkaased5 · 2:22.1 | Frankie Dettori | Luca Cumani | Michael Charlton |
| 2004 | Zenno Rob Roy4 · 2:24.2 | Olivier Peslier | Kazuo Fujisawa | Shinobu Oosako |
| 2003 | Tap Dance City6 · 2:28.7 | Tetsuzo Sato | Shozo Sasaki | Yushun Horse Syndicate |
| 2002 | Falbrav4 · 2:12.2 | Frankie Dettori | Luciano d'Auria | Scuderia Rencati |
| 2001 | Jungle Pocket3 · 2:23.8 | Olivier Peslier | Sakae Watanabe | Yomoji Saito |
| 2000 | T. M. Opera O4 · 2:26.1 | Ryuji Wada | Ichizo Iwamoto | Masatsugu Takezono |
| 1999 | Special Week4 · 2:25.5 | Yutaka Take | Toshiaki Shirai | Hiroyoshi Usuda |
| 1998 | El Condor Pasa3 · 2:25.9 | Masayoshi Ebina | Yoshitaka Ninomiya | Takashi Watanabe |
| 1997 | Pilsudski5 · 2:25.8 | Michael Kinane | Michael Stoute | Lord Weinstock |
| 1996 | Singspiel4 · 2:23.8 | Frankie Dettori | Michael Stoute | Sheikh Mohammed |
| 1995 | Lando5 · 2:24.6 | Michael Roberts | Heinz Jentzsch | Gestüt Haus Ittlingen |
| 1994 | Marvelous Crown4 · 2:23.6 | Katsumi Minai | Makoto Osawa | Sadao Sasahara |
| 1993 | Legacy World4 · 2:24.4 | Hiroshi Kawachi | Hideyuki Mori | Horse Tajima Co. |
| 1992 | Tokai Teio4 · 2:24.6 | Yukio Okabe | Shoichi Matsumoto | Masanori Uchimura |
| 1991 | Golden Pheasant5 · 2:24.7 | Gary Stevens | Charles Whittingham | Bruce McNall |
| 1990 | Better Loosen Up5 · 2:23.2 | Michael Clarke | David Hayes | Gabe Farrah, et al. |
| 1989 | Horlicks6 · 2:22.2 | Lance O'Sullivan | Dave O'Sullivan | Graham de Gruchy |
| 1988 | Pay the Butler4 · 2:25.5 | Chris McCarron | Robert J. Frankel | Edmund A. Gann |
| 1987 | Le Glorieux3 · 2:24.9 | Alain Lequeux | Robert Collet | Sieglinde Wolf |
| 1986 | Jupiter Island7 · 2:25.0 | Pat Eddery | Clive Brittain | Marquess of Tavistock |
| 1985 | Symboli Rudolf4 · 2:28.8 | Yukio Okabe | Yuji Nohira | Symboli Bokujo |
| 1984 | Katsuragi Ace4 · 2:26.3 | Katsuichi Nishiura | Kazumi Domon | Ichizo Node |
| 1983 | Stanerra5 · 2:27.6 | Brian Rouse | Frank Dunne | Frank Dunne |
| 1982 | Half Iced3 · 2:27.1 | Don MacBeth | Stanley M. Hough | Bertram R. Firestone |
| 1981 | Mairzy Doates5 · 2:25.3 | Cash Asmussen | John Fulton | Arno Schefler |
45 of the 45 runnings name the rider, 45 name the trainer and 45 name the owner, who is the one of the three the prize money actually belongs to.
Who wins the Japan Cup more than once
The fact the table above holds and cannot show
Most wins by a jockey
| Horse | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Almond Eye | 2 | 2018, 2020 |
| Gentildonna | 2 | 2012, 2013 |
Races worth about the same
Either side of the Japan Cup in the world money order
| # | Race | Country | Prize money | As published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 989 | Prix JuignéLongchamp Racecourse | France | £21,368 | €25,000 |
| 990 | 2,000 Guineas Trial StakesAscot / Salisbury | Great Britain | £20,000 | £20,000 |
| 991 | Bénazet-RennenIffezheim Racecourse | Germany | £17,094 | €20,000 |
| 992 | Grand Prix-AufgaloppKöln-Weidenpesch | Germany | £17,094 | €20,000 |
| 993 | Gold Cup at GreyvilleGreyville Racecourse | South Africa | £17,080 | R400,000 |
| 994 | Burrumbeet CupBurrumbeet racecourse | Australia | £15,873 | AU$30,000 |
| 996 | Takeyoriwake ShoKochi Racecourse | Japan | £12,600 | ¥2,500,000 |
| 997 | Whirl StakesEmpire City Race Track, Yonkers, New York, | United States | £3,008 | $4,000 |
| 1 | The EverestRandwick Racecourse, | Australia | £10,582,011£10.6m | AU$20,000,000 |
| 2 | Dubai World CupMeydan Racecourse | United Arab Emirates | £9,022,556£9.0m | $12,000,000 |
| 5 | Melbourne CupFlemington Racecourse | Australia | £5,291,005£5.3m | AU$10,000,000 |
| 6 | Breeders' Cup ClassicNorth America | United States | £5,263,158£5.3m | $7,000,000 |
| 7 | Dubai Sheema ClassicMeydan Racecourse | United Arab Emirates | £4,511,278£4.5m | $6,000,000 |
| 8 | Dubai TurfMeydan Racecourse | United Arab Emirates | £4,511,278£4.5m | $6,000,000 |
| 9 | Prix de l'Arc de TriompheLongchamp Racecourse | France | £4,273,504£4.3m | €5,000,000 |
| 11 | Hong Kong CupSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | £3,800,000£3.8m | HK$40,000,000 |
| 12 | Breeders' Cup TurfNorth America | United States | £3,759,399£3.8m | $5,000,000 |
| 13 | Kentucky DerbyChurchill Downs | United States | £3,759,399£3.8m | $5,000,000 |
| 15 | Hong Kong MileSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | £3,040,000£3.0m | HK$32,000,000 |
| 16 | Queen Elizabeth II CupSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | £2,850,000£2.9m | HK$30,000,000 |
The 20 races closest to the Japan Cup in what they pay, above and below it. Follow the ranking all the way up on the richest races in the world.
The rest of the money in Japan
21 races, 1st of them is this one
| Race | Racecourse | Grade | Prize money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Princess Sho | Oi Racecourse, Shinagawa, Tokyo | South Kanto Grade I (SI) | £100,800 |
| Ban'ei Kinen | Obihiro Racecourse | Ban'ei Grade 1 | £50,400 |
| Tokai Derby | Nagoya Racecourse | £35,280 | |
| Takeyoriwake Sho | Kochi Racecourse | £12,600 | |
| Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | Changes yearly | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) | £856,800 |
| Tokyo Derby | Ohi Racecourse | Domestic Grade 1 (JpnI) International Listed | £856,800 |
| Mile Championship Nambu Hai | Morioka Racecourse | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) | £705,600 |
| Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Sprint | Changes yearly | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) | £685,440 |
Every race in Japan we hold a purse for is on the Japan prize money list.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Japan Cup winner get?
£2,520,000. That is 46% of the £5,493,600 the Japan Cup is worth, and the rest is shared down the field.
What is the total Japan Cup prize money?
£5,493,600, for the 2025 running. The race announces it as ¥1,090,000,000.
Where does the Japan Cup rank among the richest races in the world?
3rd of 997. 2 races pay more, the nearest of them Prix Juigné. In Japan it is 1st of 21.
Which horse has won the Japan Cup most often?
Almond Eye, 2 times, in 2018, 2020.
Which jockey has won the Japan Cup most often?
Yutaka Take, with 5 wins between 1999 and 2024.
When was the Japan Cup first run?
This page holds 45 runnings, from 1981 to 2025.
How far is the Japan Cup?
2,400 metres (about 12 furlongs / miles), on turf, at Tokyo Racecourse.
Where to next
The rest of the racing money