Kyōto Kinen
| Grade 2 race | |
| Location | Kyoto Racecourse, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | May 17, 1942 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred Flat racing |
| Website | japanracing.jp/ |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2200 meters |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | 4-y-o & Up, Thoroughbreds |
| Weight |
4-y-o 56kg, 5-y-o & up 57kg filly allowance -2kg |
| Purse | ¥135,440,000 (2010) |
The Kyōto Kinen (京都記念 Kyōto Kinen) is a Grade II race in Japan that is open to international horses. It is held mid February at Kyoto Racecourse in Kyoto, Japan.
The race was first run in 1942. It was not run from 1944 to 1947 due to World War II. Initially the race was run over 3,500 metres (about 2 miles or 1.5 furlongs) and the present race is run over 2,200 metres (about 11 furlongs).
Kyōto Kinen has been rated as a Grade II race since 1984 and was opened for foreign trained horses at that time, although foreign horses have never run the race until recently.
It is a popular prep race for Tenno Sho (spring). Takeshiba O, Ten Point, Biwa Hayahide and T M Opera O are horses that won both the Kyōto Kinen and the Tenno Sho. Some horses run this race before going to Dubai. In 2007, Admire Moon won this race and the Dubai Duty Free.
Autumn part
Initially Kyōto Kinen was held twice a year in spring and autumn. The autumn race was abolished 1984 when Japanese domestic race grading was started.
Before the autumn part was abolished, some horses ran both races and five horses won both. Notably, Final Score (1954) and Sky Leader (1974) won both races in the same year.
List of recent winners
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | T M Opera O | 4 | Ryūji Wada | Ichizō Iwamoto | Masatsugu Takezono | 2:13.8 |
| 2001 | Maquereau | 4 | Yasuhiko Yasuda | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Katsumi Yoshida | 2:12.3 |
| 2002 | Narita Top Road | 6 | Kunihiko Watanabe | Yoshio Oki | Hidenori Yamaji | 2:11.8 |
| 2003 | My Sole Sound | 4 | Masaru Honda | Katsuichi Nishiura | Kiyoshi Sano | 2:16.5 |
| 2004 | Silk Famous | 5 | Hirofumi Shii | Ippo Sameshima | Silk Co. Ltd. | 2:12.8 |
| 2005 | Narita Century | 6 | Hirokazu Tajima | Norio Fujisawa | Hidenori Yamaji | 2:15.7 |
| 2006 | Six Sense | 4 | Yutaka Take | Hiroyuki Nagahama | Shadai Race Horse | 2:13.5 |
| 2007 | Admire Moon | 4 | Yutaka Take | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Riichi Kondō & Katsumi Yoshida | 2:17.2 |
| 2008 | Admire Aura | 4 | Katsumi Andō | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Riichi Kondō | 2:13.6 |
| 2009 | Asakusa Kings | 5 | Hirofumi Shii | Ryūji Ōkubo | Keiko Tahara | 2:14.6 |
| 2010 | Buena Vista | 4 | Norihiro Yakoyama | Hiroyoshi Matsuda | Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. | 2:14.4 |
| 2011 | To the Glory | 4 | Umberto Rispoli | Yasuo Ikee | Carrot Farm | 2:13.9 |
| 2012 | Trailblazer | 5 | Yutaka Take | Yasuo Ikee | Yoko Maeda | 2:12.4 |
| 2013 | Tosen Ra | 5 | Yutaka Take | Hideaki Fujiwara | Takaya Shimakawa | 2:12.5 |
External links
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