Japan Dirt Classic
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2022) |
| Domestic Grade I (JpnI) race | |
 Mick Fire and his jockey, Norifumi Mikamoto, winning the 2023 edition of the race | |
| Location | Oi Racecourse Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1999 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2000 meters |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | 3-year-old |
| Weight | Colt & Geldings 56 kg, Filly 54 kg |
| Purse | ¥ 102,000,000 (as of 2023) 1st: ¥ 60,000,000 2nd: ¥ 21,000,000 3rd: ¥ 12,000,000 |
The Japan Dirt Classic (ジャパンダートクラシック) is a Japanese Domestic Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies run over a distance of 2,000 metres (approximately 1 mile 2 furlongs) at the Oi Racecourse, Shinagawa, Tokyo in late July.
It was first run in 1999 as Japan Dirt Derby and is the Japanese equivalent of the American Kentucky Derby. But this race is the last leg of triple crown of minami-kanto keiba (nankan keiba), while Kentucky Derby is the first one of American triple crown races.
The majority of winners comes from the Japan Racing Association (JRA), another Japan horse racing governing body. As JRA do not host any dirt Grade 1 race exclusively for 3-year-old horses. It is also the only 3-year-old Grade 1 race in Japan that Geldings can enter.
In June 2022, it was announced that from 2024 that it will become the third leg of the Japanese Triple Crown of Dirt along with Haneda Hai and Tokyo Derby. The name of the race will be changed to Japan Dirt Classic and the schedule will be moved to October. Geldings will no longer be able to enter and prize money for 1st place will be increased to ¥ 70,000,000.[1][2]
Trial races[edit]
Trial races provide automatic berths to the winning horses or placed horses as specified.[3]
| Race | Grade | Racecourse | Distance | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuroshio Hai | SIII[a] | Oi | 1,800 meters | Winner and runner-up |
| Leopard Stakes | GIII | Niigata | 1,800 meters | Winner |
| Kozukata Sho | JpnII | Morioka | 2,000 meters | Winner |
- Notes:
- ^ Classified as a local, South Kanto Grade 3 event
Winners since 1999[edit]
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Organization |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Orion The Thanks | 3 | Shuji Hayata | Kiyomatsu Akama | Keiko Hiura | Oi | 2:06.9 |
| 2000 | Meiner Combat | 3 | Naohiro Onishi | Ryuichi Inaba | Thoroughbred Club Ruffian Co. Ltd. | JRA | 2:06.4 |
| 2001 | Toshin Blizzard | 3 | Takayuki Ishigaki | Kenji Sato | Eiichi Waizumi | Funabashi | 2:05.8 |
| 2002 | Gold Allure | 3 | Yutaka Take | Yasuo Ikee | Shadai Racehorse | JRA | 2:04.1 |
| 2003 | Big Wolf | 3 | Yutaka Take | Tadashi Nakao | U Big | JRA | 2:04.9 |
| 2004 | Cafe Olympus | 3 | Yoshitomi Shibata | Yasuhisa Matsuyama | Koichi Nishikawa | JRA | 2:04.5 |
| 2005 | Kane Hekili | 3 | Yutaka Take | Katsuhiko Sumii | Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd. | JRA | 2:04.9 |
| 2006 | Friendship | 3 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Katsuhiko Sumii | Teruya Yoshida | JRA | 2:06.1 |
| 2007 | Furioso | 3 | Tadanari Konno | Masayuki Kawashima | Darley Japan Farm Co. Ltd. | Funabashi | 2:02.9 |
| 2008 | Success Brocken | 3 | Norihiro Yokoyama | Hideaki Fujiwara | Tetsu Takashima | JRA | 2:04.5 |
| 2009 | Testa Matta | 3 | Yasunari Iwata | Akira Murayama | Katsumi Yoshida | JRA | 2:04.5 |
| 2010 | Magnifica | 3 | Keita Tosaki | Masayuki Kawashima | Teruya Yoshida | Funabashi | 2:05.2 |
| 2011 | Grape Brandy | 3 | Norihiro Yokoyama | Takayuki Yasuda | Shadai Racehorse | JRA | 2:04.9 |
| 2012 | Hatano Vainqueur | 3 | Hirofumi Shii | Mitsugu Kon | Good Luck Farm Co. Ltd. | JRA | 2:05.3 |
| 2013 | Chrysolite | 3 | Hiroyuki Uchida | Hidetaka Otonashi | U Carrot Farm | JRA | 2:04.8 |
| 2014 | Kazenoko | 3 | Shinichiro Akiyama | Kenji Nonaka | Koji Nudejima | JRA | 2:03.9 |
| 2015 | Nonkono Yume | 3 | Christophe Lemaire | Yukihiro Kato | Kotaro Yamada | JRA | 2:05.6 |
| 2016 | Kyoei Gere | 3 | Keita Tosaki | Yoshito Yahagi | Haruo Tanaka | JRA | 2:05.7 |
| 2017 | Higashi Will Win | 3 | Masashige Honda | Kenji Sato | MMC Co. Ltd. | Funabashi | 2:05.8 |
| 2018 | Le Vent Se Leve | 3 | Mirco Demuro | Kiyoshi Hagiwara | G1 Racing | JRA | 2:05.8 |
| 2019 | Chrysoberyl | 3 | Yuga Kawada | Hidetaka Otonashi | U Carrot Farm | JRA | 2:06.1 |
| 2020 | Danon Pharaoh | 3 | Ryusei Sakai | Yoshito Yahagi | Danox Co. Ltd. | JRA | 2:05.9 |
| 2021 | Castle Top | 3 | Kazuma Nakano | Nobuhiro Shibuya | Hiroshi Joichi | Funabashi | 2:05.9 |
| 2022 | Notturno | 3 | Yutaka Take | Hidetaka Otonashi | Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd. | JRA | 2:04.6 |
| 2023 | Mick Fire | 3 | Norifumi Mikamoto | Kazuo Watanabe | Koichi Hoshika | Oi | 2:04.6 |
References[edit]
- Netkeiba
- ^ "3歳ダート三冠競走を中心とした2･3歳馬競走の体系整備について、地方競馬情報サイト上に掲載しました。詳細はこちら". Twitter.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "2024年(令和6年) 開催日程及び重賞競走日程について". nankankeiba.com. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ "3歳ダート三冠競走等における地方所属馬の出走馬選定方法" (PDF). TCK. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
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