The is a Grade 2 flat

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

for three-year-old and above

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

s run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) at

Hanshin Racecourse is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After World War II, GHQ orde ...

in September. It was first run in 1987 and takes its name from a statue at the racecourse in the form of

centaur A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...

, a creature from

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Prior to 2000 the race was run over a distance of 1,400 metres (7 furlongs), and having originally been classed as a Domestic Grade 3 race, it was promoted to Domestic Grade 2 status in 2006 and it was promoted to International Grade 2 status in 2007. From 2005 to 2010 it was a leg of the

Global Sprint Challenge The Global Sprint Challenge is a Thoroughbred horse racing series inaugurated in 2005 as a series of six sprint races run across three racing jurisdictions in Australia, England and Japan. In 2006 the series expanded to seven races across four raci ...

series. It has now been replaced as a Japanese leg of the series by the

Takamatsunomiya Kinen The is a Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) at Chukyo Racecourse in late March. The forerunner of this race was the . It was started ...

Weight

55 kg for three-year-olds, 57 kg for four-year-olds and above. ''Allowances:'' * 2 kg for

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, th ...

mares A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

* 1 kg for southern hemisphere bred three-year-olds ''Penalties (excluding two-year-old race performance):'' * If a graded stakes race has been won within a year: ** 2 kg for a grade 1 win (1 kg for fillies / mares) ** 1 kg for a grade 2 win * If a graded stakes race has been won for more than a year: ** 1 kg for a grade 1 win

Winners

References

*Netkeiba: **, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , {{Japanese Grade II horse races Open sprint category horse races Turf races in Japan Horse races established in 1987

Weight

Winners

See also

References