<p>The Japan Cup sits at the absolute pinnacle of Asian horse racing. Created in 1981 by the Japan Racing Association, this Group 1 invitational has evolved from an ambitious experiment into one of the world's <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/horse-racing/news/richest-horse-races-in-world-2025">richest and most prestigious horse races in the world</a>.</p> <p>With a total prize pool of<strong> ¥648 million (approximately $8 million AUD)</strong>, it's the kind of money that gets international attention, even if international horses have stopped showing up to claim it.</p> <p>Run over 2,400 meters on the left-handed turf track at Tokyo Racecourse, the Japan Cup is held every year on the <strong>last Sunday of November</strong>.</p> <p>That timing is deliberate. It sits perfectly after Europe's Arc weekend and Australia's Spring Carnival, positioning itself as the grand finale of the global racing calendar.</p> <p>For decades, it served its intended purpose: drawing the world's best horses to Japan. These days? It's become a showcase for Japanese dominance, with local champions ruling the race since 2006.</p> <p>If you're into international racing or looking for opportunities to <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/punter-iq/guide/how-to-bet-on-horses-a-horse-racing-betting-guide">bet on horses</a> beyond the usual Australian circuit, the Japan Cup deserves your attention. It's a race with rich history, serious money, and a track that produces proper staying tests.</p> <p>Here's everything you need to know about what makes the Japan Cup special, why it pays what it pays, and how you can actually bet on it from Australia.</p> <h2>Japan Cup Basics: Format and Distance</h2> <p>The Japan Cup is a <strong>Group 1 race restricted to horses aged three years and older</strong>. It's an invitation-only event, which means the Japan Racing Association handpicks the field based on international and domestic performances throughout the year.</p> <p>The maximum field size is 18 runners, and competition for those spots - especially among Japanese horses - is fierce.</p> <ul> <li><strong>When</strong>: Sunday, November 30, 2025</li> <li><strong>Where</strong>: Tokyo Racecourse</li> <li><strong>Distance</strong>: 2,400 meters (approximately 1.5 miles, or 12 furlongs)</li> <li><strong>Surface</strong>: Turf (grass)</li> <li><strong>Track</strong>: Left-handed oval at Tokyo Racecourse</li> <li><strong>Weight conditions</strong>: 56kg for three-year-olds, 58kg for four-year-olds and up</li> <li><strong>Allowances</strong>: Fillies and mares receive a 2kg weight allowance; Southern Hemisphere horses born in the equivalent three-year-old year also get 2kg off</li> </ul> <p>The race runs under what's called "weight-for-age" conditions, meaning younger horses carry less weight than their older competitors.</p> <p>It's designed to level the playing field between a promising three-year-old and a battle-hardened five-year-old champion.&nbsp;</p> <p>That 2kg concession for fillies has proven significant. For example, Japanese superstar Gentildonna won back-to-back Japan Cups in 2012 and 2013, showing that female horses can absolutely compete at this level.</p> <p>The 2,400-meter distance sits in that sweet spot between middle-distance and staying races. You need a horse with tactical speed to position early, but also the stamina to sustain a strong finish over the final 600 meters.</p> <p>If you are familiar with some of the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/horse-racing/news/biggest-horse-racing-events-attendance">biggest horse racing events</a>, you’ll notice it's not a pure stamina grind like the Melbourne Cup's 3,200 meters, but it's far from a sprint either.</p> <h2>Japan Cup Prize Money: One of the World's Richest</h2> <p>Let's talk about what makes this race such a big deal financially. The Japan Cup carries a total prize pool of<strong> ¥1 billion</strong>, which translates to roughly<strong> $11 million AUD</strong> depending on exchange rates.</p> <p>The winner alone takes home approximately <strong>$5 million AUD</strong>. To put that in perspective, that's in line with what Melbourne Cup winners earn, and it eclipses most other international Group 1 races outside the Breeders' Cup and the Arc.</p> <p>When the Japan Cup launched in 1981, the total purse was ¥123 million (about $282,600 USD at the time for the winner). The prize money has grown steadily over four decades, crossing the billion-yen mark in 2023.</p> <p>Upping the prize pool has been a deliberate choice made by the JRA to position the race as a financial drawcard to attract the world's best horses.</p> <p>The breakdown typically looks like this:</p> <ul> <li><strong>1st place</strong>: Approximately $5M AUD</li> <li><strong>2nd place</strong>: Around $2M AUD</li> <li><strong>3rd place</strong>: Around $1.3M AUD</li> <li><strong>4th place</strong>: Around $750K AUD</li> <li><strong>5th place</strong>: Around $500K AUD</li> </ul> <p>The Japan Cup also operates a bonus system for Japanese horses that perform well in designated lead-up races.&nbsp;</p> <p>Win the Autumn Tenno Sho (Emperor's Cup) two weeks before the Japan Cup? You're eligible for additional prizemoney if you back it up with a strong Japan Cup run. It's a clever incentive structure designed to ensure the best local horses target the race rather than skip it.</p> <h2>Tokyo Racecourse: Where Champions Are Made</h2> <p>The Japan Cup is held at<strong> Tokyo Racecourse</strong>, located in Fuchu, a western suburb of Tokyo. If you've never seen this venue, it's genuinely impressive and it can compete with most of <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/horse-racing/news/most-beautiful-racecourses-world-bucket-list">the most beautiful racecourses in the world</a>.</p> <p>The facility regularly draws crowds exceeding 100,000 people for the Japan Cup, making it one of the most attended horse races in the world each year.</p> <p>The track itself is what separates this race from other 2,400-meter contests globally. Tokyo's turf course is a left-handed oval with a<strong> circumference of 2,083 meters</strong> when running the A-course configuration (where the running rail sits in its innermost position).</p> <p>The track width varies between 31 and 41 meters, which is significantly wider than many European courses. That width matters since it means that horses rarely get boxed in, and jockeys have plenty of room to maneuver and find gaps in the straight.</p> <p>The surface is a blend of <strong>Noshiba grass and Italian ryegrass</strong>, maintained to an incredibly high standard year-round. Japanese tracks don't mess around with maintenance and that’s why the turf is consistently excellent.</p> <p><strong>The track features several undulations</strong> throughout the 2,400-meter journey and there's a particularly sharp rise of 1.2 meters over just 60 meters at the halfway point of the race.</p> <p>That might not sound like much, but at race pace, it's a genuine test of stamina and balance, and that’s why horses that struggle with undulating terrain usually get found out at Tokyo.</p> <p>The left-handed nature of the track also favors horses with experience racing that direction. Many Japanese tracks run left-handed, which is an element that gives local runners a familiarity advantage over international raiders who might be more accustomed to right-handed circuits.</p> <h2>Japan Cup History: From Global Stage to Local Dominance</h2> <p>The Japan Cup was conceived with a clear purpose: <strong>bring the world's best horses to Japan</strong>.</p> <p>Before 1981, Japanese racing was largely isolated from the international scene. Most high-level races in Japan were restricted to Japanese-trained horses, and there was genuine curiosity about how local champions would measure up against European and American elite.</p> <p>The inaugural 1981 Japan Cup delivered on that promise. American horse<strong> Mairzy Doates</strong> won the first edition, and the early years saw a parade of international success.</p> <p>Between 1981 and 2005,<strong> 14 of the first 25 Japan Cup winners came from outside Japan</strong>.</p> <p>Horses from the United States, Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand all claimed victories, which made the race genuinely felt like a global championship.</p> <p>Some legendary names grace the Japan Cup honor roll from those early decades:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Jupiter Island</strong> (1986): Trained in Britain, won at 33/1</li> <li><strong>Horlicks</strong> (1989): New Zealand-trained mare who needed a dressing mirror in her stall to combat loneliness after the long journey</li> <li><strong>Lando</strong> (1995): First German-trained winner</li> <li><strong>Pilsudski</strong> (1997): Irish champion who dominated under Michael Kinane</li> <li><strong>Falbrav</strong> (2002): Italian-trained star ridden by Frankie Dettori</li> <li><strong>Alkaased</strong> (2005): The last foreign-trained winner, an American horse who scraped home by a nose</li> </ul> <p><strong>Since 2006, not a single horse trained outside Japan has won the Japan Cup</strong>. Not one.</p> <p>It may seem hard to believe but in nearly two decades, Japanese-trained horses have swept all 18 editions of the race.&nbsp;</p> <p>Only two international horses have even placed in the top three since 2005: British raider Ouija Board ran third in 2006, and French horse Shin Emperor grabbed second in 2024.</p> <p>This happened because Japanese breeding and training improved dramatically, to the point that the quality of domestic horses caught up to (and in many cases surpassed) international standards.</p> <p>At the same time (and this may be equally important), the logistical challenges of traveling horses to Japan became less appealing for international trainers.</p> <p>Long flights, quarantine requirements, and the stress of travel made the Japan Cup a harder sell, especially when European and American horses had plenty of lucrative Group 1 opportunities closer to home.</p> <h2>How to Bet on the Japan Cup&nbsp;</h2> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/horse-racing/futures-international/japan-cup">Betting on the Japan Cup</a> from Australia presents unique challenges since you are not dealing with the domestic racing you watch every weekend here at Sportsbet.</p> <p>Japanese form is different, track biases matter, and information isn't as readily available in English - so you need to approach it intelligently.</p> <p><strong>Study the lead-up races</strong>. The Japan Cup sits at the end of the Japanese autumn racing season, and several key Group 1 races serve as form references.</p> <p>The <strong>Autumn Tenno Sho (Emperor's Cup)</strong>, run two weeks before the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse over 2,000 meters, is the single best form guide.</p> <p>Horses that run well in the Tenno Sho often back up successfully. Other relevant races include the <strong>Shuka Sho</strong> (for three-year-old fillies), the <strong>Kikuka Sho</strong> (Japanese St Leger), and the<strong> Mile Championship</strong> (though that's 1,600m, so less relevant for stamina).</p> <p><strong>Respect Tokyo Racecourse experience</strong>. Horses that have raced successfully at Tokyo before have a distinct advantage. The track's undulations and left-handed configuration aren't universal and, as we’ve mentioned earlier, some horses handle it beautifully, others struggle..</p> <p><strong>Don't dismiss fillies</strong>. That 2kg weight allowance is real, and Gentildonna proved fillies can dominate this race. If a high-class three-year-old or four-year-old filly is in the field and has strong recent form, she's worth serious consideration.</p> <p><strong>Avoid international raiders... probably</strong>. It pains me to say this because the romance of international racing is half the fun. But the stats do tell a story and no foreign-trained horse has won since 2005. If an international horse does enter, you'd need exceptional circumstances to back them: proven 2,400m form on good turf, minimal travel disruption, a top-tier jockey who knows Tokyo, and real class. Even then, you're fighting history.</p> <h2>Nominated Horses from Overseas</h2> <p>As of November 10, 2025, the list of nominated horses to race in the 2025 Japan Cup includes:</p> <ul> <li><strong>GB</strong> – DUBAI HONOUR (IRE), G7, Trainer: W. Haggas<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>GB</strong> – RASHABAR (IRE), C3, Trainer: B. Meehan<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>GB</strong> – WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE (GB), C3, Trainer: J. Owen<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>IRE</strong> – AL RIFFA (FR), H5, Trainer: A. O'Brien<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>IRE</strong> – BEDTIME STORY (IRE), F3, Trainer: A. O'Brien<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>IRE</strong> – LOS ANGELES (IRE), C4, Trainer: A. O'Brien<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>IRE</strong> – MINNIE HAUK (IRE), F3, Trainer: A. O'Brien<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>IRE</strong> – QUEENSTOWN (IRE), G5, Trainer: A. O'Brien<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>IRE</strong> – STAY TRUE (IRE), H3, Trainer: A. O'Brien<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>FR</strong> – CALANDAGAN (IRE), G4, Trainer: F. Graffard<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>FR</strong> – GOLIATH (GER), G5, Trainer: F. Graffard<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>USA</strong> – MYSTIK DAN (USA), C4, Trainer: K. McPeek<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>AUS</strong> – DEAKIN (FR), G5, Trainer: P. Stokes<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>AUS</strong> – SIR DELIUS (GB), C4, Trainer: G. Waterhouse &amp; A. Bott</li> </ul> <p>Out of these, France’s Calandagan has been the first one to accept the invitation and be included in the list of participants.</p>