Nikkei Sho

Flat horse race in Japan

Horse race

Nikkei Sho
日経賞

2012 Nikkei Sho

Class| Grade 2
Location| Nakayama Racecourse
Race type| Thoroughbred Flat racing
Race information
Distance| 2500 metres
Surface| Turf
Track| Right-handed
Qualification| 4-y-o+
Weight| Special Weight
Purse| ¥ 145,220,000 (as of 2025)
1st: ¥ 67,000,000
2nd: ¥ 27,000,000
3rd: ¥ 17,000,000

The Nikkei Sho (Japanese 日経賞) is an annual Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds of at least four years of age. It is run over a distance of 2,500 metres at Nakayama Racecourse in March.[1]

The Nikkei Sho was first run in 1953 and was elevated to Grade 2 status in 1984.

Among the winners of the race have been Symboli Rudolf, Rice Shower, Meisho Doto, Matsurida Gogh, Fenomeno and Gold Actor.

## Race details

[edit]

The race is run at Nakayama Racecourse over a distance of 2,500 meters on turf, using the right-handed (clockwise) inner curve.

### Weight

[edit]

56 kg for four-year-olds, and 57 kg for five-year-olds and above.[2]
Allowances:
2 kg for fillies / mares

* 1 kg for southern hemisphere-bred three-year-olds

Penalties:

* If a graded stakes race has been won within a year, 2 kg for a Grade 1 win (1 kg for fillies / mares), 1 kg for a Grade 2 win

* If a graded stakes race has been won for more than a year (excluding two-year-old race performance), 1 kg for a Grade 1 win

## Winners since 2000

[edit]

Year
| Winner
| Age
| Jockey
| Trainer
| Owner  | Time

|
|
|
|
|
|

2000  | Leo Ryuho  | 5  | Takanori Kikuzawa  | Hiroaki Sugiura  | Leo  | 2:35.4
2001  | Meisho Doto  | 5  | Yasuhiko Yasuda  | Isao Yasuda  | Yoshio Matsumoto  | 2:33.7
2002  | Active Bio  | 5  | Hiroki Goto  | Hiroki Sakiyama  | Bio  | 2:37.0
2003  | Ingrandire  | 4  | Junichi Kobayashi  | Yoshinami Shimizu  | Chizu Yoshida  | 2:31.3
2004  | Win Generale  | 4  | Masayoshi Ebina | Sakae Kunieda  | WIN  | 2:32.8
2005  | Yukina Sun Royal  | 8  | Jiro Ono  | Sueo Masuzawa  | Motoyuki Ito  | 2:33.3
2006  | Lincoln  | 6  | Norihiro Yokoyama | Hidetaka Otonashi  | Eiko Kondo  | 2:33.0
2007  | Never Bouchon  | 4  | Hiroshi Kitamura  | Masanori Ito  | T H  | 2:31.8
2008  | Matsurida Gogh | 5  | Masayoshi Ebina  | Sakae Kunieda  | Fumie Takahashi  | 2:32.7
2009  | Al Nasrain  | 5  | Masayoshi Ebina  | Shigeki Matsumoto  | Sunday Racing  | 2:31.2
2010  | Meiner Kitz  | 7  | Masami Matsuoka  | Sakae Kunieda  | Thoroughbred Club Ruffian  | 2:34.1
2011  | To The Glory [1] | 4  | Yuichi Fukunaga | Yasutoshi Ikee  | Carrot Farm  | 2:25.4
2012  | Neko Punch  | 6  | Teruo Eda  | Shinobu Hoshino  | Shigeru Kiritani  | 2:37.4
2013  | Fenomeno | 4  | Masayoshi Ebina  | Hirofumi Toda  | Sunday Racing  | 2:32.0
2014  | Win Variation  | 6  | Yasunari Iwata | Masahiro Matsunaga  | WIN  | 2:34.4
2015  | Admire Deus  | 4  | Yasunari Iwata  | Mitsuru Hashida  | Riichi Kondo  | 2:30.2
2016  | Gold Actor | 5  | Hayato Yoshida  | Tadashige Nakagawa  | Kaname Ishiro  | 2:36.8[3]
2017  | Sciacchetra  | 4  | Hironobu Tanabe  | Katsuhiko Sumii | Makoto Kaneko | 2:32.8[4]
2018  | Ganko  | 5  | Yusuke Fujioka  | Shigeki Matsumoto  | Mitsuo Sugisawa  | 2:33.9[5]
2019  | Meisho Tekkon  | 4  | Yutaka Take | Yoshitada Takahashi  | Yoshio Matsumoto  | 2:34.2
2020  | Mikki Swallow  | 6  | Norihiro Yokoyama  | Takanori Kikuzawa  | Mizuki Noda  | 2:32.9
2021  | Win Marilyn  | 4  | Takeshi Yokoyama | Takahisa Tezuka  | WIN  | 2:33.3
2022  | Titleholder | 4  | Kazuo Yokoyama | Toru Kurita  | Hiroshi Yamada  | 2:35.4
2023  | Titleholder  | 5  | Kazuo Yokoyama  | Toru Kurita  | Hiroshi Yamada  | 2:36.8
2024  | Struve  | 5  | Katsuma Sameshima  | Noriyuki Hori  | Katsuko Muraki  | 2:31.4
2025  | Meiner Emperor  | 5  | Yuji Tannai  | Hisashi Shimizu  | Thoroughbred Club Ruffian  | 2:36.1

1 The 2011 race took place at Hanshin Racecourse over a distance of 2,400 metres.

## Earlier winners

[edit]

* 1983 - Asahi Teio
* 1984 - Hayate Mig
* 1985 - Symboli Rudolf
* 1986 - Chestnut Valley
* 1987 - Miho Shinzan
* 1988 - Mejiro Fulmar
* 1989 - Running Free
* 1990 - Osumi Shadai
* 1991 - Kiri Sancy
* 1992 - Mejiro Ryan
* 1993 - Rice Shower
* 1994 - Stage Champ
* 1995 - Inter Liner
* 1996 - Hokkai Rousseau
* 1997 - Rosen Kavalier
* 1998 - Tenjin Shogun
* 1999 - Seiun Sky

## See also

[edit]

* Horse racing in Japan
* List of Japanese flat horse races

## References

[edit]

* Netkeiba:[6][7]
* 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

1. ^ "Nikkei Sho". Horse Racing in Japan.
2. ^ "List of JRA Graded Races 2024｜List of JRA Graded Races｜Horse Racing in Japan". Horse Racing in Japan. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
3. ^ "2016 result". Racing Post. 26 March 2016.
4. ^ "2017 result". Racing Post. 25 March 2017.
5. ^ "2018 result". Racing Post. 24 March 2018.
6. ^ "日経賞". Netkeiba.
7. ^ "Nikkei Sho". Netkeiba.

* v
* t
* e

List of Japanese Grade II horse races

(Note: JRA races bracketed with "exchange" below, and all dirt/3-year-old races are Japan Racing Association(JRA)-National Association of Racing(NAR) exchange races)

Japan Racing Association(JRA) GII races
(International GII)|

* Nikkei Shinshun Hai
* American Jockey Club Cup
* Procyon Stakes
* Kyoto Kinen
* Nakayama Kinen
* Tulip Sho
* Yayoi Sho
* Fillies' Revue
* Hanshin Daishōten
* Spring Stakes
* Kinko Sho
* Nikkei Shō
* Hanshin Himba Stakes
* New Zealand Trophy
* Yomiuri Milers Cup
* Flora Stakes
* Aoba Sho
* Kyoto Shimbun Hai
* Keio Hai Spring Cup
* Meguro Kinen
* Sapporo Kinen
* Shion Stakes
* Centaur Stakes
* St. Lite Kinen
* Rose Stakes
* Sankei Sho All Comers
* Kobe Shimbun Hai
* Mainichi Ōkan
* Kyōto Daishōten
* Daily Hai Nisai Stakes
* Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes
* Ireland Trophy
* Fuji Stakes
* Swan Stakes
* Copa Republica Argentina
* Keio Hai Nisai Stakes
* Stayers Stakes
* Hanshin Cup

National Association of Racing(NAR) JpnII races
(Domestic GII, dirt)|

* Empress Hai (fillies and mares)
* Diolite Kinen
* Keihin Hai (3-year-old)
* Hyōgo Championship (3-year-old)
* Kantō Oaks (3-year-old fillies)
* Kozukata Sho (3-year-old)
* Nippon TV Hai
* Tōkyo Hai
* Ladies' Prelude
* Urawa Kinen
* Hyōgo Junior Grand Prix (2-year-old)
* Nagoya Grand Prix

JRA Steeplechase Races (J-GII races)|

* Hanshin Spring Jump
* Kyōto High Jump
* Tōkyō High Jump

See also|

* Japan Racing Association
* National Association of Racing
* Horse racing in Japan

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template