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NHK Mile Cup

Japan | FEATURE RACE GUIDE

History

CHAMPAGNE COLOR winning the NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo in Japan.
CHAMPAGNE COLOR winning the NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo in Japan. Picture: Japan Racing Association

The NHK Mile Cup is a Grade 1 race run under Set Weight conditions for three year old colts and fillies at Tokyo racecourse conducted by the Japan Racing Association.

The NHK Mile Cup is run over 1600m. It was first run in 1996 and was won by Taiki Fortune.

Before 2001, it was the only colt and fillies G1 race that non-Japanese bred three-year-olds could participate in, which led to this race being considered as the "Japanese Derby for non-Japanese bred horse".

Until 2010 it was limited to domestic-trained horses, but these restrictions were removed that year (along with the Japanese classics). A maximum of nine foreign horses are allowed entry in the NHK Mile Cup.

This is a follow on from the two classic races – the Oka Sho (1000 Guineas) and the Satsuki Sho (2000 Guineas).

The NHK Mile Cup was worth JPY281,800,000 in 2023.

Tokyo racecourse is a left handed course with the start at the end of the back straight.

El Condor Pasa was a top young horse who'd back this up winning a Japan Cup then head to France and won a Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and a Prix Foy. He was just beaten by Montjeu in the Arc when trying to make all.

2004 winner King Kamehameha was a very good horse who won the Derby only three weeks after winning this mile race. He produced the great sprinter Lord Kanaloa.

2019 winner Admire Mars would go on to win the Hong Kong Mile on International Day.

Most wins have been with Yutaka Take and Norihiro Yokoyama with three.

The trainer with most wins is Kunihide Matsuda (3).

Notable winners of the NHK Mile Cup include Danon Scorpion (2022), Admire Mars (2019), Major Emblem (2016), Mikki Isle (2014), Meiner Ho O (2013), Grand Prix Boss (2011), Deep Sky (2008), King Kamehameha (2004) and El Condor Pasa (1998).

The 2023 NHK Mile Cup was won by Champagne Color from Umbrail and Obamburumai.


Racing and Sports

Previous NHK Mile Cup Winners

Date Horse Jockey WT Trainer BP
CHAMPAGNE COLOR (JPN) 3C
DURAMENTE (JPN) - MEMORIAL LIFE (GB) RECKLESS ABANDON (GB)
H UCHIDA 57.0 TSUYOSHI TANAKA 11
DANON SCORPION (JPN) 3C
LORD KANALOA (JPN) - LEXIE LOU (CAN) SLIGO BAY (IRE)
Y KAWADA 57.0 TAKAYUKI YASUDA 18
SCHNELL MEISTER (GER) 3C
KINGMAN (GB) - SERIENHOLDE (GER) SOLDIER HOLLOW (GB)
C P LEMAIRE 57.0 T TEZUKA 15
LAUDA SION (JPN) 3C
REAL IMPACT (JPN) - ANTIPHONA (USA) SONGANDAPRAYER (USA)
M DEMURO 57.0 TAKASHI SAITO 11
ADMIRE MARS (JPN) 3C
DAIWA MAJOR (JPN) - VIA MEDICI (IRE) MEDICEAN (GB)
M DEMURO 57.0 Y TOMOMICHI 17
KEIAI NAUTIQUE (JPN) 3C
DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - KEIAI GERBERA (JPN) SMARTY JONES (USA)
Y FUJIOKA 57.0 O HIRATA 11
AEROLITHE (JPN) 3F
KUROFUNE (USA) - ASTERIX (JPN) NEO UNIVERSE (JPN)
N YOKOYAMA 55.0 K TAKE 16
MAJOR EMBLEM (JPN) 3F
DAIWA MAJOR (JPN) - CATCHY TITLE (JPN) OPERA HOUSE (GB)
C P LEMAIRE 55.0 Y TAMURA 4
CLARITY SKY (JPN) 3C
KUROFUNE (USA) - TAIKI CLARITY (JPN) SPECIAL WEEK (JPN)
N YOKOYAMA 57.0 Y TOMOMICHI 7
MIKKI ISLE (JPN) 3C
DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - STAR ISLE (IRE) ROCK OF GIBRALTAR (IRE)
S HAMANAKA 57.0 H OTONASHI 10
MEINER HO O (JPN) 3C
SUZUKA PHOENIX (JPN) - TENZAN ROSE (JPN) FRENCH DEPUTY (USA)
DAICHI SHIBATA 57.0 Y HATAKEYAMA 8
CURREN BLACK HILL (JPN) 3C
DAIWA MAJOR (JPN) - CHARLESTON HARBOR (USA) GRINDSTONE (USA)
S AKIYAMA 57.0 O HIRATA 5
GRAND PRIX BOSS (JPN) 3C
SAKURA BAKUSHIN O (JPN) - ROSY MIST (JPN) SUNDAY SILENCE (USA)
CRAIG WILLIAMS 57.0 Y YAHAGI 13
DANON CHANTILLY (JPN) 3C
FUJI KISEKI (JPN) - CHANSONNETTE (GB) MARK OF ESTEEM (IRE)
KATSUMI ANDO 57.0 K MATSUDA 13
JO CAPPUCCINO (JPN) 3C
MANHATTAN CAFE (JPN) - JO PSYKHE (JPN) FUSAICHI CONCORDE (JPN)
KOUTA FUJIOKA 57.0 K NAKATAKE 3
DEEP SKY (JPN) 3C
AGNES TACHYON (JPN) - ABI (GB) CHIEF'S CROWN (USA)
H SHII 57.0 M KON 9
PINK CAMEO (JPN) 3F
FRENCH DEPUTY (USA) - SILVER LANE (USA) SILVER HAWK (USA)
H UCHIDA 55.0 SAKAE KUNIEDA 14
LOGIC (JPN) 3C
AGNES TACHYON (JPN) - APRIL DRAMA (JPN) SAKURA YUTAKA O (JPN)
YUTAKA TAKE 57.0 K HASHIGUCHI 6
RHEIN KRAFT (JPN) 3F
END SWEEP (USA) - MUST BE LOVED (JPN) SUNDAY SILENCE (USA)
Y FUKUNAGA 55.0 TSUTOMU SETOGUCHI 12
KING KAMEHAMEHA (JPN) 3C
KINGMAMBO (USA) - MANFATH (IRE) LAST TYCOON (IRE)
KATSUMI ANDO 57.0 K MATSUDA 13
WIN KLUGER (JPN) 3C
TAIKI SHUTTLE (USA) - INVITE (IRE) BE MY GUEST (USA)
K TAKE 57.0 SHOICHI MATSUMOTO 16
TELEGNOSIS (JPN) 3C
TONY BIN (IRE) - MAKE A WISH (JPN) NORTHERN TASTE (CAN)
M KATSUURA 57.0 H SUGIURA 1