Oka Sho

The Oka Sho (桜花賞) is a Japanese Grade 1 flat horse race in Japan. The race is restricted to three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies and is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) at the Hanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyōgo in April.

For the horse race in Urawa, see Oka Sho (Urawa).
Oka Sho
Japanese 1,000 Guineas
桜花賞
Grade 1 race
2021 Oka Sho winner Sodashi
LocationHanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyōgo
Inaugurated1939
Race typeThoroughbred Flat racing
Race information
Distance1600 meters
SurfaceTurf
TrackRight-handed (outer course)
Qualification3-y-o , Fillies
Weight55 kg
Purse¥ 281,800,000 (as of 2022)
1st: ¥ 130,000,000
BonusesFillies Triple Crown
Winner of Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, Shuka Sho[1]
¥ 100,000,000

It was first run in 1939 and is the Japanese equivalent of the English 1,000 Guineas.

The race was run at Nakayama Racecourse until 1944 when it was run at Tokyo Racecourse. After a two-year hiatus the Oka Sho was staged at Kyoto Racecourse from 1947 to 1949. The race was also run at Kyoto in 1967, 1991 and 1995.

Winners of the Oka Sho usually go on to contest the Yushun Himba and the double has been completed by Sweet Sue (1952), Yamaichi, Miss Onward, Kane Keyaki, Tesco Gaby, Titania, Mejiro Ramonu, Max Beauty, Vega, Still In Love, Buena Vista, Apapane, Gentildonna, Almond Eye and Daring Tact. Still In Love, Apapane, Gentildonna and Almond Eye went on to take the Shuka Sho and secure the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown.

Winners since 1990
Year
 Winner
 Jockey
 Trainer
 Owner
 Time
1990 Agnes Flora Hiroshi Kawachi Hiroyuki Nagahama Takao Watanabe 1:37.1
1991 Sister Tosho Koichi Tsunoda Akio Tsurudome Masaaki Fujita 1:33.7
1992 Nishino Flower Hiroshi Kawachi Masahiro Matsuda Masayuki Nishiyama 1:37.5
1993 Vega Yutaka Take Hiroyushi Matsuda Kazuko Yoshida 1:37.2
1994 Oguri Roman Yutaka Take Tsutomu Setoguchi Koichi Oguri 1:36.4
1995 Wonder Perfume Seiki Tabara Masazo Ryoke Nobuyuki Yamamoto 1:34.4
1996 Fight Gulliver Seiki Tabara Kentaro Nakao Noboru Shinagawa 1:34.4
1997 Kyoei March Mikio Matsunaga Akihiko Nomura M Matsuoka 1:36.9
1998 Phalaenopsis Yutaka Take Mitsumasa Hamada North Hills Management Co 1:34.0
1999 Primo Ordine Yuichi Fukunaga Toyoji Nishihashi Hidekazu Date 1:35.5
2000 Cheers Grace Kenji Yamauchi Mikio Matsunaga Kazue Kitamura 1:34.9
2001 T M Ocean Masaru Honda Katsuichi Nishiura Masatsugu Takezono 1:34.4
2002 Arrow Carry Kenichi Ikezoe Kenji Yamauchi Hideharu Yano 1:34.3
2003 Still in Love Hideaki Miyuki Shoichi Matsumoto North Hills Management Co. 1:33.9
2004 Dance in the Mood Yutaka Take Kazuo Fujisawa Shadai Racehorse co. 1:33.6
2005 Rhein Kraft Yuichi Fukunaga Tsutomu Setoguchi Shigemasa Ōsawa 1:33.5
2006 Kiss to Heaven Katsumi Andō Hirofumi Toda Kazuko Yoshida 1:34.6
2007 Daiwa Scarlet Katsumi Andō Kunihide Matsuda Keizo Ōshiro 1:33.7
2008 Reginetta Futoshi Komaki Hidekazu Asami Shadai Racehorse 1:34.4
2009 Buena Vista Katsumi Andō Hiroyoshi Matsuda Sunday Racing. 1:34.0
2010 Apapane Masayoshi Ebina Sakae Kunieda Kaneko Makoto Holdings 1:33.3
2011 Marcellina Katsumi Andō Hiroyoshi Matsuda Shadai Racehorse co. 1:33.9
2012 Gentildonna Yasunari Iwata Sei Ishizaka Sunday Racing Co. Ltd 1:34.6
2013 Ayusan Cristian Demuro Takahisa Tezuka Juichi Hoshin 1:35.0
2014 Harp Star Yuga Kawada Hiroyoshi Matsuda U Carrot Farm 1:33.3
2015 Let's Go Donki Yasunari Iwata Tomoyuki Umeda Toshihiro Hirosaki 1:36.0
2016 Jeweler Mirco Demuro Kenichi Fujioka Yoichi Aoyama 1:33.4
2017 Reine Minoru Kenichi Ikezoe Masaru Honda Minoru Yoshioka 1:34.5
2018 Almond Eye Christophe Lemaire Sakae Kunieda Silk Racing 1:33.1
2019 Gran Alegria Christophe Lemaire Kazuo Fujisawa Sunday Racing 1:32.7
2020 Daring Tact Kohei Matsuyama Haruki Sugiyama Normandy Thoroughbred Racing 1:36.1
2021 Sodashi Hayato Yoshida Naosuke Sugai Kaneko Makoto Holdings 1:31.1
2022 Stars On Earth Yuga Kawada Mizuki Takayanagi Shadai Racehorse co. 1:32.9
2023 Liberty Island Yuga Kawada Mitsumasa Nakauchida Sunday Racing 1:32.1

Earlier winners
  • 1939 - Soul Lady
  • 1940 - Tairei
  • 1941 - Brand Sol
  • 1942 - Banner Goal
  • 1943 - Miss Theft
  • 1944 - Yamaiwai
  • 1945 - no race
  • 1946 - no race
  • 1947 - Browny
  • 1948 - Hamakaze
  • 1949 - Yashima Daughter
  • 1950 - Tosa Mitsuru
  • 1951 - Tsuki Kawa
  • 1952 - Swee Sue
  • 1953 - Kansei
  • 1954 - Yamaichi
  • 1955 - Yashima Belle
  • 1956 - Miss Lilas
  • 1957 - Miss Onward
  • 1958 - Hoshu Queen
  • 1959 - Kiyo Take
  • 1960 - Tokino Kiroku
  • 1961 - Sugi Hime
  • 1962 - Kenho
  • 1963 - Miss Masako
  • 1964 - Kane Keyaki
  • 1965 - Hatsuyuki
  • 1966 - Wakakumo
  • 1967 - Sea Ace
  • 1968 - Koyu
  • 1969 - Hide Kotobuki
  • 1970 - Tamami
  • 1971 - Nasuno Kaori
  • 1972 - Achieve Star
  • 1973 - Nitto Chodori
  • 1974 - Takaeno Kaori
  • 1975 - Tesco Gaby
  • 1976 - Titania
  • 1977 - Inter Gloria
  • 1978 - Oyama Tesco
  • 1979 - Horsemen Tesco
  • 1980 - Hagino Top Lady
  • 1981 - Brocade
  • 1982 - Riesengross
  • 1983 - Shadai Sophia
  • 1984 - Diana Tholon
  • 1985 - Erebus
  • 1986 - Mejiro Ramonu
  • 1987 - Max Beauty
  • 1988 - Ara Hotoku
  • 1989 - Shadai Kagura

See also

References
  1. "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.
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