Japan Dirt Classic

The is Japanese Domestic Grade 1 flat race for three year old thoroughbred colts and fillies run over a distance of 2,000 meters (approximately 1 mile 2 furlongs) at the Ohi Racecourse, Shinagawa, Tokyo in early October. It is the third and final leg of the Japanese Triple Crown of Dirt.

History The race was first run in 1999 as the Japan Dirt Derby and was the Japanese equivalent of the American Kentucky Derby, though the race was the last leg of Triple Crown of Horseracing, while the Kentucky Derby is the first race of American Triple Crown.

The majority of winners come from the Japan Racing Association (JRA), another Japanese horse racing governing body, as the JRA does not host any Grade 1 dirt races exclusively for 3-year-old horses.

In June 2022, it was announced that from 2024 that it would become the third leg of the Japanese Triple Crown of Dirt along with the Haneda Hai and the Tokyo Derby. The name of the race was changed to the Japan Dirt Classic, and the race scheduling was moved from July to October. Geldings are no longer able to enter, and the prize money for 1st place was increased to 70,000,000 yen.

Trial races Trial races provide automatic berths to the winning horses or placed horses as specified.

+ Race Name Class Racecourse Distance Condition Leopard Stakes GIII Niigata 1,800 meters Winner Kuroshio Hai SIII Ohi 1,800 meters Top 2 horses Kozukata Sho JpnII Morioka 2,000 meters Winner

Winners since 1999

Year Winner Jockey Trainer Owner Time 1999 Kiyomatsu Akama (OHI) 2:06.9 2000 Ryuichi Inaba (JRA) 2:06.4 2001 Kenji Sato (FUN) 2:05.8 2002 Yasuo Ikee (JRA) 2:04.1 2003 Tadashi Nakao (JRA) 2:04.9 2004 Yasuhisa Matsuyama (JRA) 2:04.5 2005 Katsuhiko Sumii (JRA) 2:04.9 2006 Katsuhiko Sumii (JRA) 2:06.1 2007 Masayuki Kawashima (FUN) 2:02.9 2008 Hideaki Fujiwara (JRA) 2:04.5 2009 Akira Murayama (JRA) 2:04.5 2010 Masayuki Kawashima (FUN) 2:05.2 2011 Takayuki Yasuda (JRA) 2:04.9 2012 Mitsugu Kon (JRA) 2:05.3 2013 Hidetaka Otonashi (JRA) 2:04.8 2014 Kenji Nonaka (JRA) 2:03.9 2015 Yukihiro Kato (JRA) 2:05.6 2016 Yoshito Yahagi (JRA) 2:05.7 2017 Kenji Sato (FUN) 2:05.8 2018 Kiyoshi Hagiwara (JRA) 2:05.8 2019 Hidetaka Otonashi (JRA) 2:06.1 2020 Yoshito Yahagi (JRA) 2:05.9 2021 Nobuhiro Shibuya (FUN) 2:05.9 2022 Hidetaka Otonashi (JRA) 2:04.6 2023 Kazuo Watanabe (OHI) 2:04.6Triple Crown of Dirt Series 2024 Yoshito Yahagi (JRA) 2:04.1 2025 Hiroyasu Tanaka (JRA) 2:03.7

Records

Leading jockey(s) : 4 – Yutaka Take : Gold Allure (2002), Big Wolf (2003), Kane Hekili (2005), Notturno (2022)

Leading trainer(s) : 3 – Hidetaka Otonashi : Chrysolite (2013), Chrysoberyl (2019), Notturno (2022) 3 – Yoshito Yahagi : Kyoei Gere (2016), Danon Pharaoh (2020), Forever Young (2024)

Leading owner(s) : 2 – Shadai Race Horse : Kane Hekili (2005), Notturno (2022) 2 – Kaneko Makoto Holdings : Gold Allure (2002), Grape Brandy (2011) 2 – Carrot Farm : Chrysolite (2013), Chrysoberyl (2019)

Fastest winning time : 2:02.9 – Furioso (2007) Slowest winning time : 2:06.9 – Orion the Thanks (1999)

Japan Dirt Classic

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