Nikkei Shinshun Hai
2012 Nikkei Shinshun Hai | |
| Class | Grade 2 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kyoto Racecourse, Fushimi-ku |
| Inaugurated | January 17, 1954 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2400 metres |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | 4-y-o+ |
| Weight | Handicap |
| Purse | ¥ 123,120,000 (as of 2026)
|
The Nikkei Shinshun Hai (日経新春杯) is a Grade 2 (GII) flat horse race in Japan.[1]
Background
The Nikkei Shinshun Hai is a Grade II Thoroughbred handicap race in Japan, open to horses aged four years and older.[2] It is held annually in mid-January at Kyoto Racecourse over a distance of 2,400 meters on turf (outer course).[2] Eligible entrants must have raced at least once, and include JRA-trained horses, up to two certified NAR (local) horses, and foreign-trained horses with priority entry.[2]
As a handicap race, weights are assigned based on each horse’s past performance to ensure competitive balance.[2] The first-place prize in 2026 was ¥57 million.[2] The race is officially titled the “Nikkei Shinshun Hai”, named after its sponsor, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) newspaper, and the winner receives the Nikkei Newspaper Prize.[3] Notably, the winner also earns priority entry into Australia’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup.[4]
History
The Nikkei Shinshun Hai was first run on January 17, 1954, as the “Nihon Keizai Shinshun Hai” (日本経済新春杯) for horses aged five and older 5.[2] It was renamed “Nikkei Shinshun Hai” in 1979.[2] Originally contested over 2,400 meters on turf at Kyoto, the race briefly shifted to Hanshin Racecourse in 1980 and 1994.[2] From 1987 to 1993, the distance was shortened to 2,200 meters.[2] Weight conditions also varied: it began as a handicap, switched to weight-for-age (別定) from 1981 to 1993, then reverted to handicap thereafter.[2] The race was elevated to Grade II status in 1984 with the introduction of JRA’s official grading system.[2] International participation expanded gradually: foreign-bred horses were allowed from 1990, foreign-trained horses from 2006 (initially 4 runners), increasing to 8 in 2007 and 9 in 2015 following Japan’s IFHA Part I status.[4] NAR horses gained eligibility in 2020.[2]
Recent years saw temporary relocations due to infrastructure projects: it was held at Chukyo Racecourse over 2,200m from 2021 to 2023 and again in 2025.[2]
Past winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Length (in m) | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Daisan Hoshiu | 4 | T2400 | Michio Ueda | Takeshi Ueda | Seijiro Ueda | 2:34.4 |
| 1955 | Fujimitsuru | 4 | T2400 | Masaru Kurita | Takeshi Ueda | Seijiro Ueda | 2:30.0 |
| 1956 | Hiya Kiohgan | 5 | T2400 | Masaru Kurita | Fumio Takeda | Chube Sakagami | 2:33.4 |
| 1957 | Nanba Ichiban | 4 | T2400 | Makoto Osawa | Keiji Tamaya | Naoko Hamada | 2:30.2 |
| 1958 | Totsu Plan | 4 | T2400 | Masaru Kurita | Fumio Takeda | Toyoji Sakaya | 2:32.0 |
| 1959 | Takaharu | 4 | T2400 | Takeo Kondo | Katsuyoshi Ito | Koho | 2:30.2 |
| 1960 | Fusaryuu | 4 | T2400 | Zenji Matsumoto | Fumio Takeda | Masayuki Atarashi | 2:34.6 |
| 1961(dh) | Taikan | 4 | T2400 | Masaru Kurita | Katsuyoshi Ito | Kumazo Hayashi | 2:30.5 |
| Kiohgan Hikari | Yoshito Matsumoto | Fumio Takeda | Chube Sakagami | ||||
| 1962 | Homare Taikou | 4 | T2400 | Shuji Kitahashi | Masao Matsumoto | Toshio Ando | 2:32.6 |
| 1963 | Ryuforel | 4 | T2400 | Noriyuki Miyamoto | Seisaku Hashimoto | Emiko Miyoshi | 2:36.9 |
| 1964 | Korai O | 4 | T2400 | Kunichi Asami | Saburo Yoshida | Masatsugu Takada | 2:35.8 |
| 1965 | Ohime | 4 | T2400 | Minoru Tashiro | Sosuke Ogawa | Masao Horiguchi | 2:31.7 |
| 1966 | Power Lassle | 4 | T2400 | Yoshito Matsumoto | Tadashi Fuse | Chuji Hozumi | 2:33.1 |
| 1967 | Taikurana | 5 | T2400 | Kunihiko Take | Heizo Take | Yoshio Akiyama | 2:29.0 |
| 1968 | Ryufaros | 5 | T2400 | Noriyuki Miyamoto | Seisaku Hashimoto | Teizo Miyoshi | 2:29.9 |
| 1969 | Date Horai | 4 | T2400 | Akihiko Uda | Izushi Hoshikawa | Date Bokujo | 2:35.6 |
| 1970 | Kinsen O | 4 | T2400 | Isami Kohara | Shoichi Sakaguchi | Josaburo Nakano | 2:27.6 |
| 1971 | Continental | 5 | T2400 | Akira Tsuda | Tomihisa Nohira | Asahi Bokujo | 2:35.1 |
| 1972 | Keishu | 5 | T2400 | Yoshitaka Matsumoto | Kunichi Asami | Keiji Yoshi | 2:37.0 |
| 1973 | Yumond | 4 | T2400 | Yoichi Fukunaga | Bungo Takeda | Masayuki Atarashi | 2:33.1 |
| 1974 | Hoshu Eito | 4 | T2400 | Kunihiko Take | Kiyoshi Hirasako | Seijiro Ueda | 2:29.4 |
| 1975 | East River | 5 | T2400 | Shuji Kitahashi | Masao Matsumoto | Katsutoshi Kawato | 2:30.7 |
| 1976 | Long Hawk | 4 | T2400 | Yukiharu Matsuda | Yutaro Matsuda | Choichi Nakai | 2:29.3 |
| 1977 | Horsemen Hope | 4 | T2400 | Yukiji Ono | Minoru Kobayashi | Tadashi Nakaji | 2:27.7 |
| 1978 | Zinkeight | 4 | T2400 | Eiji Shimizu | Masaru Fukushima | Hoyishinobu Hayashi | 2:28.6 |
| 1979 | Suzuka Shimpū | 4 | T2400 | Toshifumi Nakajima | Takeshi Ueda | Eiichi Nagai | 2:28.5 |
| 1980 | Mejiro Tranzam | 4 | T2400 | Kunihiko Take | Kunichi Asami | Mejiro Shoji Co. Ltd. | 2:27.3 |
| 1981 | Kensei Good | 4 | T2400 | Katsuichi Nishiura | Kenji Tomodashi | Kenzo Sugiyasu | 2:29.0 |
| 1982 | Ajishiba O | 4 | T2400 | Ichizo Iwamoto | Megumu Niwa | Yasuharu Sato | 2:29.8 |
| 1983 | Over Rainbow | 6 | T2400 | Yoshifumi Tanaka | Kumimi Tsuchikado | Shigezo Torii | 2:28.9 |
| 1984[a] | Erimo Laura | 5 | D2600 | Shigetoshi Saruwatari | Keizo Umeuchi | Shinichi Yamamoto | 2:43.3 |
| 1985 | Masahiko Boy | 6 | T2400 | Shigeaki Tanahara | Takeo Kubo | Sadao Miyamoto | 2:29.0 |
| 1986 | Fleet Hope | 4 | T2400 | Shigetoshi Saruwatari | Keizo Umeuchi | Kiichi Kanemura | 2:28.9 |
| 1987 | Fresh Voice | 4 | T2200 | Shigeaki Tanahara | Naoyuki Sakai | Kazuo Enjo | 2:16.1 |
| 1988 | Speed Hero | 6 | T2200 | Hiroshi Kawachi | Hiroki Sakaki | Kosuke Ichikawa | 2:15.3 |
| 1989 | Land Hiryu | 7 | T2200 | Hiroshi Kawachi | Minoru Kobayashi | Zenichi Kimura | 2:14.4 |
| 1990 | Towa Triple | 4 | T2200 | Hitoshi Mato | Takashi Karasaki | Kenichi Iyama | 2:15.0 |
| 1991 | Mercy Attra | 4 | T2200 | Hiroshi Kawachi | Koji Ono | Yasuo Nagai | 2:13.6 |
| 1992 | Kamino Cresse | 5 | T2200 | Katsumi Minai | Yoshimi Kudo | Masaji Nogami | 2:15.2 |
| 1993 | El Casa River | 4 | T2200 | Yasunari Yamada | Ryohei Tanaka | Clear Co. Ltd. | 2:14.0 |
| 1994 | Monsieur Chequeur | 6 | T2500 | Shinji Fujita | Minoru Kobayashi | Keiichi Fujitate | 2:35.5 |
| 1995 | Go Go Zetto | 4 | T2400 | Yoshinori Muramoto | Hitoshi Arai | Yoshinobu Hayashi | 2:24.8 |
| 1996 | Hagino Real King | 6 | T2400 | Shinji Fujita | Minoru Kobayashi | Kokuchi Hikuma | 2:26.7 |
| 1997 | Mejiro Lambada | 4 | T2400 | Yutaka Take | Yasuo Ikee | Mejiro Farm Ltd. | 2:27.6 |
| 1998 | Erimo Dandy | 4 | T2400 | Yutaka Take | Masaaki Okubo | Shinichi Yamamoto | 2:26.3 |
| 1999 | Mejiro Bright | 5 | T2400 | Hiroshi Kawachi | Hidekazu Asami | Mejiro Farm Ltd. | 2:31.4 |
| 2000 | Marvelous Timer | 6 | T2400 | Yutaka Take | Terumasa Yano | Sadao Sasahara | 2:24.3 |
| 2001 | Stay Gold | 7 | T2400 | Shinji Fujita | Yasuo Ikee | Shadai Race Horse Ltd. | 2:25.8 |
| 2002 | Top Commander | 5 | T2400 | Hirofumi Shii | Hiroki Sakiyama | Joy Racehorse Co. Ltd. | 2:26.4 |
| 2003 | Bamboo Juventus | 4 | T2400 | Hirofumi Shii | Yoshiyasu Tajima | Bamboo Farm Ltd. | 2:25.8 |
| 2004 | Silk Famous | 5 | T2400 | Hirofumi Shii | Ippo Sameshina | Silk Ltd. | 2:24.5 |
| 2005 | Sakura Century | 5 | T2400 | Tetsuzō Satō | Shozo Sasaki | Sakura Commerce Co. Ltd. | 2:29.0 |
| 2006 | Admire Fuji | 4 | T2400 | Yuichi Fukunaga | Mitsuru Hashida | Riichi Kondo | 2:26.3 |
| 2007 | Tokai Wild | 5 | T2400 | Katsumi Andō | Hitoshi Nakamura | Masanori Uchimura | 2:27.4 |
| 2008 | Admire Monarch | 7 | T2400 | Katsumi Andō | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Riichi Kondo | 2:27.4 |
| 2009 | T M Precure | 6 | T2400 | Takuma Ogino | Tadao Igarashi | Masatsugu Takezono | 2:26.6 |
| 2010 | Meisho Beluga | 5 | T2400 | Kenichi Ikezoe | Kaneo Ikezoe | Yoshio Matsumoto | 2:24.4 |
| 2011 | Rulership | 4 | T2400 | Umberto Rispoli | Katsuhiko Sumii | Sunday Racing Ltd. | 2:24.6 |
| 2012 | To The Glory | 5 | T2400 | Yuichi Fukunaga | Yasutoshi Ikee | Carrot Farm Ltd. | 2:23.7 |
| 2013 | Capote Star | 4 | T2400 | Ryō Takakura | Yoshito Yahagi | Toshiko Bizenjima | 2:25.0 |
| 2014 | Satono Noblesse | 4 | T2400 | Christophe Lemaire | Yasutoshi Ikee | Hajime Satomi | 2:24.4 |
| 2015 | Admire Deus | 4 | T2400 | Yasunari Iwata | Mitsuru Hashida | Riichi Kondo | 2:24.8 |
| 2016 | Reve Mistral | 4 | T2400 | Yuga Kawada | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Sunday Racing Ltd. | 2:25.9 |
| 2017 | Mikki Rocket | 4 | T2400 | Ryuji Wada | Hidetaka Otonashi | Mizuki Noda | 2:25.7 |
| 2018 | Perform A Promise | 6 | T2400 | Mirco Demuro | Hideaki Fujiwara | Sunday Racing Ltd. | 2:26.3 |
| 2019 | Glory Vase | 4 | T2400 | Mirco Demuro | Tomohito Ozeki | Silk Racing Ltd. | 2:26.2 |
| 2020 | Mozu Bello | 4 | T2400 | Kenichi Ikezoe | Naoyuki Morita | Capital System Co. Ltd. | 2:26.9 |
| 2021[b] | Shoryu Ikuzo | 5 | T2200 | Taisei Danno | Shozo Sasaki | Yoshie Ueda | 2:11.8 |
| 2022[b] | Yoho Lake | 4 | T2200 | Yuga Kawada | Yasuo Tomomichi | Kaneko Masato Holdings Co. Ltd. | 2:11.7 |
| 2023[b] | Weltreisende | 6 | T2200 | David Egan | Yasutoshi Ikee | Sunday Racing Ltd. | 2:14.2 |
| 2024 | Blow the Horn | 5 | T2400 | Akira Sugawara | Eiji Nakano | Makio Okada | 2:23.7 |
| 2025[c] | Lord del Rey | 5 | T2200 | Atsuya Nishimura | Mitsumasa Nakauchida | Road Horse Club Co. Ltd. | 2:09.8 |
| 2026 | Goltzschtal | 4 | T2400 | Ryusei Sakai | Haruki Sugiyama | Sunday Racing Ltd. | 2:25.7 |
a The 1984 running was run on Dirt at the distance of 2,600m
b The 2021, 2022 and 2023 runnings took place at Chukyo while Kyoto was closed for redevelopment.
c The 2025 running took place at Chukyo while Hanshin was closed for redevelopment.
See also
Netkeiba
- 1994 en, 1995 en, 1996 en, 1997 en, 1998 en, 1999 en, 2000 en, 2001 en, 2002 en, 2003 en, 2004 en, 2005 en, 2006 en, 2007 en, 2008 en, 2009 en, 2010 en, 2011 en, 2012 en, 2013 en, 2014 en, 2015 en, 2016 en, 2017 en, 2018 en, 2019 en, 2020 en, 2021 en, 2022 en, 2023 en, 2024 en, 2025 en, 2026 en
References
- ^ "List of JRA Graded Races 2026|List of JRA Graded Races|Horse Racing in Japan". Horse Racing in Japan. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "日経新春杯". ahonoora.com. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
- ^ "Nikkei Shinshun Hai". Horse Racing in Japan.
- ^ a b "歴史・コース:日経新春杯 今週の注目レース JRA". jra.jp. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ^ "日経新春杯". Netkeiba.
- ^ "Nikkei Shinshun Hai". Netkeiba.