Japan Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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 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.

Purse

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.

(Purse value for 2015-onwards running)

Total JPN 624,000,000 (about US$5.2 million)

• 1st JPN ¥300,000,000 (about US$2.5 million)
• 2nd JPN ¥120,000,000 (about US$1 million)
• 3rd JPN ¥75,000,000 (about US$625,000)
• 4th JPN ¥45,000,000 (about US$375,000)
• 5th JPN ¥30,000,000 (about US$250,000)

Winners

See also

In Spanish: Japan Cup para niños