HORSE RACING · 21 RACES
Horse racing prize money in Japan
21 races in Japan put up £13.1m between them, 4% of all the prize money we hold. the Japan Cup leads them on £5,493,600.
the Japan Cup is the 3rd richest race in the world, and the average race here is worth £624,936 against £332,712 across every race on this site.
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY £13.1m
RICHEST RACE £5.5m
RACES 21
AVERAGE RACE £625k
SHARE OF ALL RACING 4%
The twelve richest
In Japan, by prize money
Every race, ranked
21 races, biggest purse first
| # | Race | Course | Grade | Prize money | As published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan Cup 2,400 metres (about 12 furlongs / miles) | Tokyo Racecourse | Group 1 | £5,493,600£5.5m | ¥1,090,000,000 |
| 2 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic Changes yearly | Changes yearly | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) | £856,800 | ¥170,000,000 |
| 3 | Tokyo Derby 2,000 meters (About 10 furlongs or miles) | Ohi Racecourse | Domestic Grade 1 (JpnI) International Listed | £856,800 | ¥170,000,000 |
| 4 | Mile Championship Nambu Hai 1,600 meters | Morioka Racecourse | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) | £705,600 | ¥140,000,000 |
| 5 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Sprint Changes yearly | Changes yearly | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) | £685,440 | ¥136,000,000 |
| 6 | Kashiwa Kinen 1,600 meters (About 8 furlongs) | Funabashi Racecourse | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) | £685,440 | ¥136,000,000 |
| 7 | Teio Sho 2,000 meters | Ohi | Domestic Grade I (Jpn I) | £685,440 | ¥136,000,000 |
| 8 | Japan Dirt Classic 2000 meters (About 10 furlongs or miles) | Ohi Racecourse | Domestic Grade 1 (JpnI) International Listed | £599,760 | ¥119,000,000 |
| 9 | Haneda Hai 1,800 meters (about 9 furlongs or miles) | Ohi Racecourse | Domestic Grade 1 (JpnI) International Listed | £514,080 | ¥102,000,000 |
| 10 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Ladies' Classic Changes yearly | Changes yearly | Domestic Grade I (JpnI) | £514,080 | ¥102,000,000 |
| 11 | Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun 1,600 meters (about 8 furlongs or a mile) | Kawasaki Racecourse | Domestic Grade 1 (JpnI) International Listed | £359,856 | ¥71,400,000 |
| 12 | Derby Grand Prix 2,000 meters | Mizusawa Racecourse | £201,600 | ¥40,000,000 | |
| 13 | Nippon TV Hai 1,800 meters | Funabashi Racecourse | Domestic Grade II (JpnII) | £201,600 | ¥40,000,000 |
| 14 | Tokyo Okan Sho 1,800 meters | Ohi Racecourse | £201,600 | ¥40,000,000 | |
| 15 | Tokyo Kinen 2,400 meters | Ohi Racecourse | South Kanto Grade II (SII) | £151,200 | ¥30,000,000 |
| 16 | Kimpai 2,600 meters | Ohi Racecourse | South Kanto Grade II (SII) | £110,880 | ¥22,000,000 |
| 17 | Oka Sho (Urawa) 1,600 meters | Urawa Racecourse | £100,800 | ¥20,000,000 | |
| 18 | Tokyo Princess Sho 1,800 meters | Oi Racecourse | South Kanto Grade I (SI) | £100,800 | ¥20,000,000 |
| 19 | Ban'ei Kinen 200 meters (About 1 furlongs) | Obihiro Racecourse | Ban'ei Grade 1 | £50,400 | ¥10,000,000 |
| 20 | Tokai Derby 2,100 meters (about 10.5 furlongs / 1.3 miles) | Nagoya Racecourse | £35,280 | ¥7,000,000 | |
| 21 | Takeyoriwake Sho 1,400 meters (about 8 furlongs / 1 mile) | Kochi Racecourse | £12,600 | ¥2,500,000 |
Which courses hold the money
10 racecourses in Japan
| # | Racecourse | Races | Total prize money | Biggest race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo Racecourse | 1 | £5,493,600£5.5m | Japan Cup |
| 2 | Ohi Racecourse | 8 | £3,220,560£3.2m | Tokyo Derby |
| 3 | Funabashi Racecourse | 2 | £887,040 | Kashiwa Kinen |
| 4 | Morioka Racecourse | 1 | £705,600 | Mile Championship Nambu Hai |
| 5 | Kawasaki Racecourse | 1 | £359,856 | Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun |
| 6 | Mizusawa Racecourse | 1 | £201,600 | Derby Grand Prix |
| 7 | Urawa Racecourse | 1 | £100,800 | Oka Sho (Urawa) |
| 8 | Obihiro Racecourse | 1 | £50,400 | Ban'ei Kinen |
| 9 | Nagoya Racecourse | 1 | £35,280 | Tokai Derby |
| 10 | Kochi Racecourse | 1 | £12,600 | Takeyoriwake Sho |
Tokyo Racecourse holds 42% of the Japan prize money on this page across 1 race. A racecourse's standing in racing is usually told through its history; this is the same standing told through the till.
Who wins in Japan
Winning rides across the 21 races on this page
| # | Jockey | Wins | Races | Span | Biggest win | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yutaka Take | 30 | 10 | 1997 to 2024 | Japan Cup | £5,493,600£5.5m |
| 2 | Keita Tosaki | 20 | 8 | 2007 to 2026 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 3 | Norifumi Mikamoto | 17 | 9 | 2007 to 2023 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 4 | Yuga Kawada | 15 | 9 | 2009 to 2026 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| 5 | Hiroto Yoshihara | 13 | 8 | 2014 to 2024 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| 6 | Hiroyuki Uchida | 12 | 8 | 2005 to 2017 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 7 | Christophe Lemaire | 11 | 6 | 2009 to 2025 | Japan Cup | £5,493,600£5.5m |
| 8 | Hideaki Miyuki | 10 | 5 | 2005 to 2015 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| 9 | Yasunari Iwata | 9 | 5 | 2006 to 2014 | Japan Cup | £5,493,600£5.5m |
| 10 | Taito Mori | 9 | 6 | 2016 to 2024 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 11 | Takayuki Yano | 8 | 7 | 2015 to 2026 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 12 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 7 | 6 | 2002 to 2021 | Japan Cup | £5,493,600£5.5m |
| 13 | Kota Motohashi | 7 | 5 | 2012 to 2024 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 14 | Tadanari Konno | 6 | 4 | 2007 to 2018 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 15 | Takayuki Ishizaki | 6 | 4 | 2000 to 2004 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
The world list of winning jockeys is dominated by whoever rode most in the biggest country. Asked of Japan on its own it gives a different set of names.
The trainers
Winning runners across the same 21 races
| # | Trainer | Wins | Races | Span | Biggest win | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masayuki Kawashima | 20 | 8 | 2003 to 2013 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 2 | Satoshi Kokubo | 15 | 7 | 2015 to 2026 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 3 | Kenji Sato | 10 | 6 | 2000 to 2020 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 4 | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | 9 | 4 | 2002 to 2011 | Japan Cup | £5,493,600£5.5m |
| 5 | Akira Murayama | 8 | 5 | 2009 to 2017 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| 6 | Kazuo Watanabe | 8 | 6 | 2016 to 2025 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| 7 | Akio Adachi | 8 | 3 | 2008 to 2013 | Mile Championship Nambu Hai | £705,600 |
| 8 | Katsunori Arayama | 8 | 7 | 2010 to 2025 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Sprint | £685,440 |
| 9 | Yoshito Yahagi | 7 | 5 | 2012 to 2025 | Japan Cup | £5,493,600£5.5m |
| 10 | Hidetaka Otonashi | 7 | 5 | 2013 to 2022 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| 11 | Hiroyasu Tanaka | 7 | 6 | 2024 to 2026 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| 12 | Noboru Takagi | 7 | 5 | 2015 to 2026 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| 13 | Hirofumi Matsui | 7 | 1 | 2007 to 2024 | Ban'ei Kinen | £50,400 |
| 14 | Katsuhiko Sumii | 6 | 4 | 2005 to 2020 | Japan Cup | £5,493,600£5.5m |
| 15 | Sei Ishizaka | 6 | 3 | 2007 to 2013 | Japan Cup | £5,493,600£5.5m |
The horses that won more than once
Across every race on this page
| Horse | Wins | Races | Span | Biggest win | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espoir City | 7 | 3 | 2009 to 2013 | Mile Championship Nambu Hai | £705,600 |
| Copano Rickey | 6 | 3 | 2014 to 2017 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| Blue Concorde | 6 | 3 | 2005 to 2008 | Mile Championship Nambu Hai | £705,600 |
| Admire Don | 5 | 3 | 2002 to 2004 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| Sound True | 5 | 4 | 2015 to 2020 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| Toshin Blizzard | 5 | 5 | 2000 to 2002 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| Furioso | 5 | 4 | 2006 to 2011 | Kashiwa Kinen | £685,440 |
| Chrysoberyl | 4 | 4 | 2019 to 2020 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| Hokko Tarumae | 4 | 3 | 2013 to 2015 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| Mick Fire | 4 | 4 | 2023 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| Vermilion | 4 | 2 | 2007 to 2009 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
| Super Pegasus | 4 | 1 | 2003 to 2006 | Ban'ei Kinen | £50,400 |
| Adjudi Mitsuo | 3 | 3 | 2004 to 2006 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| Happy Sprint | 3 | 3 | 2013 to 2014 | Tokyo Derby | £856,800 |
| K T Brave | 3 | 3 | 2017 to 2018 | Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Classic | £856,800 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the richest horse race in Japan?
the Japan Cup, at £5,493,600. It announces its purse as ¥1,090,000,000. It is run at Tokyo Racecourse. Worldwide it is the 3rd richest race in the world.
How much prize money is there in Japan racing?
£13,123,656 across the 21 races here, which is 4% of all the prize money on this site. 1 of them pay £1,000,000 or more.
Does Japan pay more than anywhere else?
It is 7th of 14 countries here on total prize money. The average race in it is worth £624,936 against £332,712 across every race on the site.
Which racecourse in Japan pays the most?
Tokyo Racecourse, whose 1 race on this page put up £5,493,600 between them.
Who has won the most big races in Japan?
Yutaka Take, with 30 winning rides across 10 of these races between 1997 and 2024.
Where to next
The rest of the racing money