Kashiwa Kinen

The Kashiwa Kinen (かしわ記念) is a Japanese thoroughbred horse race run on dirt track for four years old and above. It is run over a distance of 1,600 meters (about 8 furlongs) at Funabashi Racecourse during the period known as Golden Week from the end of April to the beginning of May.

The Funabashi Racecourse is located in Funabashi, Chiba, but the race was named after the Kashiwa Racecourse (柏競馬場), which was located in Toyoshiki, Kashiwa City. The race began as a non grade race in 1978, when its distance was 1,800 meters. In 1997, it was graded Domestic Grade 3. And in 2002, it was elevated to Domestic Grade 2. Finally, after three years, it was graded Domestic Grade 1 race. It is considered "the dirt mile championship in spring".

The top two finishers will be granted a participation right in Teio sho, if they are not coming from Japan Racing Association(JRA).

Records
Most successful horses (3 wins):
 * Espoir City – 2009, 2010, 2012
 * Copano Rickey – 2014, 2016, 2017