 Wagnerian in the 85th Japanese Derby | |
| Class | Grade 1 |
|---|---|
| Location | Tokyo Racecourse Fuchū, Tokyo |
| Inaugurated | 24 April 1932 (1932-04-24) |
| Race type | Thoroughbred flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2400 meters (About 12 furlongs or 1+1⁄2 miles) |
| Record | 2:21.9 ; Do Deuce (2022) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old Colts & Fillies |
| Weight | 57 kg Allowances 2 kg for fillies |
| Purse | ¥ 648,000,000 (as of 2026)
|
| Bonuses | Classic Triple Crown Winner of Satsuki Shō, Tōkyō Yūshun and Kikuka Shō[1] ¥ 300,000,000 |
The Tōkyō Yūshun (東京優駿), also called the Japanese Derby (日本ダービー, Nippon Dābī), is a Japanese Grade 1 flat race for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately 1 mile 4 furlongs) at the Tokyo Racecourse, Fuchū, Tokyo in late May or early June.
History
The Tōkyō Yūshun was first contested in 1932 as Tōkyō Yūshun Daikyōsō (東京優駿大競走) over a distance of 2,400 metres at Meguro Racecourse in Meguro, Tokyo, and two years later it was staged at Tokyo Racecourse over a distance of 2,400 metres in 1934. It is the Japanese equivalent of the English Epsom Derby. It is the second leg of the Japanese Triple Crown, preceded by the Satsuki Shō (the Japanese equivalent of the English 2,000 Guineas) in mid-to-late April and followed by the Kikuka Shō (the Japanese equivalent of the English St. Leger Stakes) in mid-late October.
Since 2010, the Japanese Derby (along with several other JRA Japanese Domestic Grade 1 races, including the other Japanese classics such as the Satsuki Sho and the Kikuka Sho) is open to international competition due to Japan's inclusion in the IFHA's International Cataloguing Standards Part I category, in which all graded black-type races in the JRA calendar are open to international competition.
Races prior to 2001 (along with the other Japanese Classics) were only limited to Japanese-bred horses. Since 2001, foreign-bred horses are allowed, but until 2010 this race (and the other classics) were only limited to Japanese-trained horses. Since 2010, up to 9 foreign-trained or bred horses can enter the race.[2]
Step races
Trial races provide automatic berths to the winning horses or placed horses as specified.
| Race Name | Class | Racecourse | Distance | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satsuki Sho | GI |  Nakayama |
2,000 meters | Top 5 horses |
| Aoba Sho | GII | Tokyo |
2,400 meters | Top 2 horses |
| Principal Stakes | L | Tokyo |
2,000 meters | Winner |
If horses from the National Association of Racing win any 3-year-old JRA Grade 2 or 3 races before the Derby, they will be eligible to enter the Japanese Derby if ranked high enough in prize money. The Kyoto Shimbun Hai and NHK Mile Cup provides priority-entry-rights if these horses place first or second.[3]
| Race Name | Class | Racecourse | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHK Mile Cup | GI | Tokyo |
1,600 meters |
| Kyoto Shimbun Hai | GII | Kyoto |
2,200 meters |
The Satsuki Sho, Aoba Sho and the Principal Stakes are the official trial races for the Japanese Derby. The top five finishers in the Satsuki Sho, the top two finishers in the Aoba Sho and the winner of the Principal Stakes are guaranteed a place in the field for the Derby, regardless of prize money.[3] Overall, there are eight automatic qualifying spots in the Derby; the other 10 entries are "at-large" horses determined by prize money earned prior to racing in the Derby.[3] The Kyoto Shimbun Hai is officially considered a step race and only gives priority-entry-rights to horses registered with the NAR. The NHK Mile Cup, the only non-Triple Crown three-year-old GI horse race, is also a step race but only provides priority-entry-rights to horses registered with the NAR,[3] has gained importance in recent years as horses such as Tanino Gimlet,[4] King Kamehameha[5] and Deep Sky[6] participated in the race and would eventually win the Derby.
Records
- Fastest winning time : 2:21.9 – Do Deuce (2022)
- Slowest winning time : 2:45 2/5 – Wakataka (1932)
Leading jockey(s) :
- 6 – Yutaka Take : Special Week (1998), Admire Vega (1999), Tanino Gimlet (2002), Deep Impact (2005), Kizuna (2013), Do Deuce (2022)
Leading trainer(s) :
- 8 – Tokichi Ogata : Flame Mor (1934), Tokumasa (1936), Kurifuji (1943), Kurino Hana (1952), Haku Chikara (1956), Hakusho (1961), Meizui (1963), Lucky Ruler (1977)
Leading owner(s) :
- 5 – Sunday Racing : Orfevre (2011), Deep Brillante (2012), Duramente (2015), Shahryar (2021), Croix du Nord (2025)
Winners since 1984
| Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Symboli Rudolf (JPN) |
Yukio Okabe (JPN) |
Yuji Nohira (JPN) |
Symboli Bokujo (JPN) |
2:29.3 |
| 1985 | Sirius Symboli (JPN) |
Kazuhiro Kato (JPN) |
Toshio Nihonyanagi (JPN) |
Tomohiro Wada (JPN) |
2:31.0 |
| 1986 | Dyna Gulliver (JPN) |
Sueo Masuzawa (JPN) |
Kichisaburo Matsuyama (JPN) |
Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:28.9 |
| 1987 | Merry Nice (JPN) |
Yasuhiro Nemoto (JPN) |
Teruo Hashimoto (JPN) |
Fusako Ura (JPN) |
2:27.8 |
| 1988 | Sakura Chiyono O (JPN) |
Futoshi Kojima (JPN) |
Katsutaro Sakai (JPN) |
Sakura Commerce Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:26.3 |
| 1989 | Winner's Circle (JPN) |
Hiroyuki Gohara (JPN) |
Yasuhisa Matsuyama (JPN) |
Hiroshi Kuriyama (JPN) |
2:28.8 |
| 1990 | Ines Fujin (JPN) |
Eiji Nakano (JPN) |
Shuho Kato (JPN) |
Masaaki Kobayashi (JPN) |
2:25.3 |
| 1991 | Tokai Teio (JPN) |
Takayuki Yasuda (JPN) |
Shoichi Matsumoto (JPN) |
Masanori Uchimura (JPN) |
2:25.9 |
| 1992 | Mihono Bourbon (JPN) |
Sadahiro Kojima (JPN) |
Tameo Toyama (JPN) |
Mihono International Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:27.8 |
| 1993 | Winning Ticket (JPN) |
Masato Shibata (JPN) |
Yuji Ito (JPN) |
Yoshimi Ota (JPN) |
2:25.5 |
| 1994 | Narita Brian (JPN) |
Katsumi Minai (JPN) |
Masaaki Okubo (JPN) |
Hidenori Yamaji (JPN) |
2:25.7 |
| 1995 | Tayasu Tsuyoshi (JPN)} |
Sadahiro Kojima (JPN) |
Akio Tsurudome (JPN) |
Kanichi Yokose (JPN) |
2:27.3 |
| 1996 | Fusaichi Concorde (JPN) |
Shinji Fujita (JPN) |
Minoru Kobayashi (JPN) |
Fusao Sekiguchi (JPN) |
2:26.1 |
| 1997 | Sunny Brian (JPN) |
Naohiro Onishi (JPN) |
Senji Nakao (JPN) |
Moriyasu Miyazaki (JPN) |
2:25.9 |
| 1998 | Special Week (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Toshiaki Shirai (JPN) |
Hiroyoshi Usuda (JPN) |
2:25.8 |
| 1999 | Admire Vega (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Mitsuru Hashida (JPN) |
Riichi Kondo (JPN) |
2:25.3 |
| 2000 | Agnes Flight (JPN) |
Hiroshi Kawachi (JPN) |
Hiroyuki Nagahama (JPN) |
Takao Watanabe (JPN) |
2:26:2 |
| 2001 | Jungle Pocket (JPN) |
Koichi Tsunoda (JPN) |
Sakae Watanabe (JPN) |
Yomoji Saito (JPN) |
2:27.0 |
| 2002 | Tanino Gimlet (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Kunihide Matsuda (JPN) |
Yuzo Tanimizu (JPN) |
2:26.2 |
| 2003 | Neo Universe (JPN) |
 Mirco Demuro (ITA) |
Tsutomu Setoguchi (JPN) |
Shadai Race Horse Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:28.5 |
| 2004 | King Kamehameha (JPN) |
Katsumi Ando (JPN) |
Kunihide Matsuda (JPN) |
Makoto Kaneko (JPN) |
2:23.3 |
| 2005 | Deep Impact (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Yasuo Ikee (JPN) |
Makoto Kaneko (JPN) |
2:23.3 |
| 2006 | Meisho Samson (JPN) |
Mamoru Ishibashi (JPN) |
Tsutomu Setoguchi (JPN) |
Yoshio Matsumoto (JPN) |
2:27.9 |
| 2007 | Vodka (JPN) |
Hirofumi Shii (JPN) |
Katsuhiko Sumii (JPN) |
Yuzo Tanimizu (JPN) |
2:24.5 |
| 2008 | Deep Sky (JPN) |
Hirofumi Shii (JPN) |
Mitsugu Kon (JPN) |
Toshio Fukami (JPN) |
2:26.7 |
| 2009 | Logi Universe (JPN) |
Norihiro Yokoyama (JPN) |
Kiyoshi Hagiwara (JPN) |
Masaaki Kumeta (JPN) |
2:33.7 |
| 2010 | Eishin Flash (JPN) |
Hiroyuki Uchida (JPN) |
Hideaki Fujiwara (JPN) |
Toyomitsu Hirai (JPN) |
2:26.9 |
| 2011 | Orfevre (JPN) |
Kenichi Ikezoe (JPN) |
Yasutoshi Ikee (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
2:30.5 |
| 2012 | Deep Brillante (JPN) |
Yasunari Iwata (JPN) |
Yoshito Yahagi (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
2:23.8 |
| 2013 | Kizuna (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Shozo Sasaki (JPN) |
Shinji Maeda (JPN) |
2:24.3 |
| 2014 | One and Only (JPN) |
Norihiro Yokoyama (JPN) |
Kojiro Hashiguchi (JPN) |
Koji Maeda (JPN) |
2:24.6 |
| 2015 | Duramente (JPN) |
Mirco Demuro (ITA) |
Noriyuki Hori (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
2:23.2 |
| 2016 | Makahiki (JPN) |
Yuga Kawada (JPN) |
Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
Kaneko Makoto Holdings (JPN) |
2:24.0 |
| 2017 | Rey de Oro (JPN) |
 Christophe Lemaire (FR) |
Kazuo Fujisawa (JPN) |
Carrot Farm Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:26.9 |
| 2018 | Wagnerian (JPN) |
Yuichi Fukunaga (JPN) |
Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
Kaneko Makoto Holdings (JPN) |
2:23.6 |
| 2019 | Roger Barows (JPN) |
Suguru Hamanaka (JPN) |
Katsuhiko Sumii (JPN) |
Hirotsugu Inokuma (JPN) |
2:22.6 |
| 2020 | Contrail (JPN) |
Yuichi Fukunaga (JPN) |
Yoshito Yahagi (JPN) |
Shinji Maeda (JPN) |
2:24.1 |
| 2021 | Shahryar (JPN) |
Yuichi Fukunaga (JPN) |
Hideaki Fujiwara (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
2:22.5 |
| 2022 | Do Deuce (JPN) |
Yutaka Take (JPN) |
Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
Kieffers Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:21.9 |
| 2023 | Tastiera (JPN) |
 Damian Lane (AUS) |
Noriyuki Hori (JPN) |
Carrot Farm Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:25.2 |
| 2024 | Danon Decile (JPN) |
Norihiro Yokoyama (JPN) |
Shogo Yasuda (JPN) |
Danox Co., Ltd. (JPN) |
2:24.3 |
| 2025 | Croix du Nord (JPN) |
Yuichi Kitamura (JPN) |
Takashi Saito (JPN) |
Sunday Racing (JPN) |
2:23.7 |
| 2026 | Lovcen (JPN) |
Kohei Matsuyama (JPN) |
Haruki Sugiyama (JPN) |
Forest Racing (JPN) |
2:22.7 |
Earlier winners
- 1932 - Wakataka
- 1933 - Kabutoyama
- 1934 - Flame Mor
- 1935 - Governor
- 1936 - Tokumasa
- 1937 - Hisatomo
- 1938 - Sugenuma
- 1939 - Kumohata
- 1940 - Ieryu
- 1941 - St. Lite
- 1942 - Minami Homare
- 1943 - Kurifuji
- 1944 - Kaiso
- 1945 - No race
- 1946 - No race
- 1947 - Matsu Midori
- 1948 - Miharu O
- 1949 - Tachikaze
- 1950 - Kumono Hana
- 1951 - Tokino Minoru
- 1952 - Kurino Hana
- 1953 - Bostonian
- 1954 - Golden Wave
- 1955 - Otokitsu
- 1956 - Haku Chikara
- 1957 - Hikaru Meiji
- 1958 - Daigo Homare
- 1959 - Komatsu Hikari
- 1960 - Kodama
- 1961 - Hakusho
- 1962 - Fair Win
- 1963 - Meizui
- 1964 - Shinzan
- 1965 - Keystone
- 1966 - Teito O
- 1967 - Asa Denko
- 1968 - Tanino Harromore
- 1969 - Daishin Volgard
- 1970 - Tanino Moutiers
- 1971 - Hikaru Imai
- 1972 - Long Ace
- 1973 - Take Hope
- 1974 - Colonel Lancer
- 1975 - Kaburaya O
- 1976 - Climb Kaiser
- 1977 - Lucky Ruler
- 1978 - Sakura Shori
- 1979 - Katsurano Haiseiko
- 1980 - Opec Horse
- 1981 - Katsu Top Ace
- 1982 - Bamboo Atlas
- 1983 - Mr. C.B.
See also
References
- Netkeiba:[7][8]
- Racing Post:
- "同一年度に本会が定める競走に優勝した馬に対する褒賞金交付基準" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association.
- "第３回 東京競馬成績集計表" (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- "競馬番組一般事項(Horseracing Program General Information) - Page 19" (PDF). JRA. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- "Tanino Gimlet | Horse Profile, Pedigree, Form, Race Record". netkeiba. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- "King Kamehameha | Horse Profile, Pedigree, Form, Race Record". netkeiba. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- "Deep Sky | Horse Profile, Pedigree, Form, Race Record". netkeiba. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- "日本ダービー". Netkeiba.
- "Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby)". Netkeiba.