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SARGA.CO — The victory of Forever Young in the prestigious Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic in early November 2025 has put Japan’s horse racing scene in the global spotlight. Not only in the United States, but the adrenaline-filled and nerve-wracking atmosphere will also appear in another major racing championship held in the Land of the Rising Sun later this month.
Just like the Breeders’ Cup, which attracts horses from various countries, Japan also hosts an international-scale championship known as the Japan Cup, scheduled for 30 November 2025 at Tokyo Racecourse. The Japan Cup will be run on a 2,400-meter turf track with a total purse of US$7.2 million, or around Rp119.8 billion at today’s exchange rate (Rp16,640/US$).
The Japan Racing Association is known to have held the first Japan Cup in 1981, three years before the Breeder's Cup was established. Designed to attract international competition, this race invited winners from prestigious races in other countries.
The first foreign horse to claim victory in the Japan Cup was the American-bred mare Mairzy Doates, who had previously won major stakes races in New York and California.
During the first 11 editions of the Japan Cup, foreign horses dominated the winner’s list. However, the ratio of foreign to Japanese winners began to shift in the 1990s. By the mid-2000s, Japanese-bred horses consistently claimed podium finishes.
According to Americasbestracing.net, no foreign horse has won the Japan Cup since 2005. Japanese horses have instead secured 19 consecutive victories in this prestigious race.
In recent years, the Japan Cup has not attracted many international participants — a trend likely to continue this year. However, one foreign contender may break that pattern: Calandagan, recently crowned Cartier Horse of the Year (2025) in Europe, is expected to enter this year's Japan Cup.
If Calandagan wins, he will take home US$3 million in prize money.
Almost all Japan Cup runners are domestically bred. Only one competitor this year comes from foreign breeding lines: Shin Emperor, a French-bred colt.
Comparable to Churchill Downs in the United States, Tokyo Racecourse, opened in 1993, is located in western Tokyo and is easily accessible by public transportation. It hosts major events such as the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and several other world-class races.
Tokyo Racecourse offers advanced facilities, including turf, dirt, and steeplechase tracks, along with a massive 743-square-meter video screen. The venue is very family-friendly, featuring an in-field Children’s Park with rides, shows, and playgrounds.
Last year, the Japan Cup attracted nearly 80,000 spectators, well below the venue’s extraordinary recorded capacity of 223,000 people. The attendance record was set in 1995 at 187,524 spectators.
The Japan Cup is one of Japan’s most eagerly awaited races this weekend. The event opens on Saturday, 29 November, with a qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, held at Tokyo Racecourse.
The Cattleya Stakes, run on the dirt track, offers qualifying points for the 2026 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs to the top five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale.
Other major races are also scheduled, and with an expected crowd of 75,000–80,000 spectators, the atmosphere is set to be electric.
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