Procyon Stakes

Procyon Stakes
プロキオンステークス
Silk Fortune wins the 2011 Procyon Stakes
ClassGrade 2
LocationChukyo Racecourse
InauguratedApril 13, 1996
Race typeThoroughbred Flat racing
Race information
Distance1,800 meters
SurfaceDirt
TrackLeft-handed
Qualification4-y-o+
WeightSpecial Weight
Purse¥ 119,100,000 (as of 2026)
  • 1st: ¥ 55,000,000
  • 2nd: ¥ 22,000,000
  • 3rd: ¥ 14,000,000

The Procyon Stakes (プロキオンステークス) is a Grade 2 (GII) flat horse race in Japan.[1]

Namesake

The race is named after Procyon, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor and part of the “Winter Triangle” asterism alongside Sirius and Betelgeuse.[2]

Background

The Procyon Stakes is a Grade II dirt Thoroughbred race in Japan open to horses aged four years and older.[1] It is held annually in late January at Chukyo Racecourse over a distance of 1,800 meters on dirt.[1] The race is run under weight-for-age conditions: 56 kg for 4-year-olds, 57 kg for 5-year-olds and up, with fillies and mares receiving a 2 kg allowance.[3] Additional weight penalties apply based on recent graded stakes performances.[3]

Eligibility includes JRA-trained horses (excluding maidens and unraced horses), up to four certified regional (NAR) horses, and foreign-trained horses with priority entry.[4] The first-place prize in 2026 was ¥55 million.[1] The winner receives the "Local Racing National Association Chairman’s Prize" and earns automatic priority entry into the February Stakes (G1).[4]

History

The Procyon Stakes was inaugurated on April 13, 1996, at Hanshin Racecourse over 1,400 meters on dirt as part of the Japan Racing Association’s (JRA) initiative to develop a dedicated dirt stakes program.[5] Originally restricted to horses aged five and older (equivalent to four-year-olds under current international age standards), it allowed up to five NAR horses and permitted foreign-bred entries from the outset.[1]

In 2000, the race shifted from spring (April) to summer (June–July), and the age condition was lowered to four years and older.[6] Following Japan’s adoption of international age standards in 2001, the eligibility was briefly listed as “3-year-olds and up,” though this effectively remained four-year-olds in practice.[7] The race became an international event in 2005, allowing up to four foreign-trained horses; this quota later expanded to eight in 2007 after Japan’s elevation to IFHA Part I status.[8]

The venue changed several times due to infrastructure projects: it moved to Kyoto in 2006, then permanently to Chukyo Racecourse in 2012, where it remained through 2023, except for temporary relocations during track renovations (e.g., to Kokura in 2021, 2022, and 2024 due to Hanshin stand refurbishment).[9] In 2025, the race underwent a major transformation: it was upgraded to GII, moved to January, extended to 1,800 meters, and repositioned as a direct prep for the February Stakes, effectively swapping roles and scheduling with the former Tokai Stakes.[1]

Past winners

Year Winner Age Length (in m) Jockey Trainer Owner Time
1996 Namura Kakuo 5 D1400 Hiroyuki Uemura Akihiko Nomura Nobushige Namura 1:23.6
1997 Battle Line 4 D1400 Yutaka Take Hirosuke Matsuda Shadai Race Horse Ltd. 1:22.9
1998 Tempai 5 D1400 Norihiro Yokoyama Nobuharu Fukushima Emiko Kurita 1:22.7
1999 Tayasu K Point 4 D1400 Kazuhiro Kato Kiyohiro Tadokoro Atsushi Nakamura 1:23.2
2000 Gold Tiara 4 D1400 Yutaka Take Kunihide Matsuda Kazuko Yoshida 1:21.9
2001 Broad Appeal 7 D1400 Kent Desormeaux Kunihide Matsuda Makoto Kaneko 1:22.9
2002 Sterling Rose 5 D1400 Yuichi Fukunaga Shuji Kitahashi Kyoei Co. Ltd. 1:22.9
2003 Sterling Rose 6 D1400 Yuichi Fukunaga Shuji Kitahashi Kyoei Co. Ltd. 1:23.0
2004 Nihon Pillow Cert 6 D1400 Futoshi Komaki Tetsuya Meno Hyakutaro Kobayashi 1:22.3
2005 Blue Concorde 5 D1400 Hideaki Miyuki Toshiyuki Hattori Ogibushi Racing Club Co. Ltd. 1:21.9
2006 Meisho Battler 6 D1400 Tetsuzo Sato Shigetada Takahashi Yoshio Matsumoto 1:22.0
2007 Wild Wonder 5 D1400 Masayoshi Ebina Takashi Kubota Tsunefumi Kusama 1:22.7
2008 Vaincre Tateyama 6 D1400 Kotaro Akagi Isao Yasuda Yukio Tsuji 1:22.0
2009 Lanzarote 6 D1400 Yutaka Take Yasutoshi Ikee Carrot Farm Ltd. 1:22.7
2010 Keiai Gerbera 4 D1400 Yasunari Iwata Osamu Hirata Keiai Prosthetic Materials Sales Co. Ltd. 1:21.8
2011 Silk Fortune 5 D1400 Kota Fujioka Norio Fujisawa Silk Ltd. 1:22.1
2012 Toshi Candy 6 D1400 Manabu Sakai Shoichi Temma Kanae Kamimura 1:22.6
2013 Admire Royal 6 D1400 Hirofumi Shii Mitsuru Hashida Riichi Kondo 1:21.9
2014 Best Warrior 4 D1400 Keita Tosaki Sei Ishizaka Yukio Baba 1:22.6
2015 Best Warrior 5 D1400 Yuichi Fukunaga Sei Ishizaka Yukio Baba 1:22.5
2016 Nobo Baccara 4 D1400 Mirco Demuro Shoichi Temma LS.M Co. Ltd. 1:22.1
2017 King's Guard 6 D1400 Yusuke Fujioka Ryo Terashima Nisshin Farm Ltd. 1:22.9
2018 Matera Sky 4 D1400 Yutaka Take Hideyuki Mori Tsuyoshi Ono 1:20.3
2019 Arctos 4 D1400 Hironobu Tanabe Toru Kurita Koichiro Ono 1:21.2
2020 Sunrise Nova 6 D1400 Fuma Matsuwaka Hidetaka Otonashi Takao Matsuoka 1:21.8
2021 Meisho Kazusa 4 D1700 Kohei Matsuyama Akio Adachi Yoshio Matsumoto 1:40.9
2022 Gempachi Lucifer 6 D1700 Yuga Kawada Shozo Sasaki Takeshi Hirano 1:43.7
2023 Don Frankie 4 D1400 Kenichi Ikezoe Takashi Saito Makoto Hayano 1:23.0
2024 Yamanin Ours 4 D1700 Yutaka Take Takashi Saito Hajime Doi 1:42.7
2025 Sunday Funday 5 D1800 Katsuma Sameshima Hidetaka Otonashi Yoshizawa Holdings Co. Ltd. 1:50.6
2026 Lord Couronne 5 D1800 Kazuo Yokoyama Hirofumi Shii Lord Horse Club Co. Ltd. 1:51.0

See also

Netkeiba

Source:[10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "プロキオンＳ". ahonoora.com. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  2. ^ "２０２５年度第１回中京競馬特別レース名解説" [2025 First Chukyo Racecourse Special Race Name Explanation] (PDF). jra.jp (in Japanese).
  3. ^ a b "List of JRA Graded Races 2025｜List of JRA Graded Races｜Horse Racing in Japan". Horse Racing in Japan. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  4. ^ a b "JRAホームページ｜今週の注目レース－プロキオンステークス". jra.jp. Archived from the original on 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  5. ^ "中央競馬指定交流競走に出走する地方競馬所属馬の決定方法" [Method for determining which horses from local racing associations will compete in designated JRA races] (PDF). jra.jp (in Japanese).
  6. ^ "競馬データベース | 競走馬・騎手など情報満載". netkeiba (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  7. ^ "競馬データベース | 競走馬・騎手など情報満載". netkeiba (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  8. ^ "競馬データベース | 競走馬・騎手など情報満載". netkeiba (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  9. ^ "令和 ３ 年度の重賞競走の主な変更点について" [Major changes to Grade 1 races in 2021] (PDF). jra.jp (in Japanese).
  10. ^ "プロキオンS". Netkeiba.
  11. ^ "Procyon Stakes". Netkeiba.
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