The Hopeful Stakes (ホープフルステークス) is a Grade 1 race for two-year-old thoroughbreds held at Nakayama Racecourse, Japan.
History The Hopeful Stakes is the only Grade 1 middle-distance race for two-year-old thoroughbreds in the JRA. This race was started as the Radio Tampa Hai Sansai Himba Stakes (Grade 3) in 1984, which was a mile race that was held at Hanshin Racecourse for two-year-old fillies. In 1991, the race was changed from a filly-only race to a colt-and-gelding only race, with the distance extended to the current 2,000 meters. Its name was changed several times (Radio Tampa Hai Sansai Stakes (1991-2000), Radio Tampa Hai Nisai Stakes (2001-2005) and Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes (2006-2013)). This race was considered important because no other graded race over 2,000 meters for two-year-olds existed in those days (and to date the only other graded race held on a middle distance by the JRA is the Kyoto Nisai Stakes). In particular, it was a good chance for horses with ambition for Triple Crown Races to experience a middle-distance race. In fact, some triple crown race winners had previously won this race. Logi Universe (2008), One and Only (2013), Rey de Oro (2016), and Croix du Nord (2024) won the Japanese Derby, Victoire Pisa (also Dubai World Cup winner) (2009) won the Satsuki Shō, Epiphaneia (2012) won the Kikuka Shō, and Contrail, who won the race in 2019, became the winner of the Triple Crown in 2020. Lovcen, who won the most recent running of the race in 2025, has also since gone on both the Satsuki Shō and Japanese Derby, with the last leg of the Triple Crown, the Kikuka Shō, to be held on October 25th.
In 2014, the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, a grade 1 race for two-year-old colts previously held at Nakayama Racecourse, was moved to Hanshin Racecourse. Then the Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes was moved to Nakayama Racecourse. With this transfer, its name was changed to Hopeful Stakes, and the grade of the race was elevated to Grade 2, and the race was once again opened to fillies, although this time geldings were barred from entering. The race was later promoted to Grade 1 level in 2017.
Until 2016, this race was held on Arima Kinen day. But since 2017, the race was moved to December 28, which is the final day of the JRA racing season. However, if the Arima Kinen is scheduled on December 28, the Hopeful Stakes would be held a day earlier on December 27, on the same day as the Nakayama Daishogai.
Past Winners Year Winner Jockey Trainer Owner TimeRadio Tampa Hai Sansai Himba Stakes (Grade 3) Hanshin Turf 1,600 metres, 2yo fillies only1984Nihon Pillow VickyHiroshi KawachiKotaro TanakaHyakutaro Kobayashi1:35:91985Dyna Campari Hiroshi HiguchiMitsumasa HamadaShadai Race Horse1:37:11986DokanjoNobuyuki TajimaYasuo IkeeArai Kogyo1:35:51987Princess SkiYoshiyasu TajimaKota TanakaKiyoharu Okuyama1:36.61988Tanino TargetSadahiro KojimaTameo ToyamaYuzo Tanimizu1:36.11989Legacy WiceYutaka TakeMasahiro SakaguchiHorse Tajima1:35.81990Isono RoublesTadashi IgarashiHisao ShimizuToshio Isono1:35:0Radio Tampa Hai Sansai Stakes (Grade 3) Hanshin Turf 2,000 metres, 2yo colts and geldings only1991Northern ConductShinji FujitaShuji ItoShadai Race Horse2:05:91992Narita TaishinEiji ShimizuMasaaki OkuboHidenori Yamaji2:05.81993Namura KokuoHiroyuki UemuraAkihiko NomuraNobushige Namura2:05.71994Tayasu TsuyoshiSadahiro KojimaAkio TsurudomeKanichi Yokose2:03.41995Royal TouchOlivier PeslierYuji ItoYoshimi Ota2:02.71996Mejiro BrightMikio MatsunagaKuniichi AsamiMejiro Farm2:03.11997Lord AxYukio OkabeKazuo FujisawaLord Horse Club2:03.81998Admire VegaYutaka TakeMitsuru HashidaRiichi Kondo2:04.11999Rugger RegulusTetsuzo SatoMasaaki OkuboKeiji Okumura2:03:72000Agnes TachyonHiroshi KawachiHiroyuki NagahamaTakao Watanabe2:00.8Radio Tampa Hai Nisai Stakes (Grade 3) Hanshin Turf 2,000 metres, 2yo colts and geldings only2001Mega StardomKunihiko WatanabeShoji YamamotoNorth Hills Management2:03.42002That's the PlentyHiroshi KawachiKojiro HashiguchiShadai Race Horse2:04.52003Cosmo BulkFuyuki IgarashiKazunori TabeMisako Okada2:01.62004VermilionYutaka TakeSei IshisakaSunday Racing Co. Ltd.2:03.52005Sakura Mega WonderKatsumi AndoYasuo TomomichiSakura Commerce2:01.9Radio NIKKEI Hai Nisai Stakes (Grade 3) Hanshin Turf 2,000 metres, 2yo colts and geldings only2006Fusaichi Ho OKatsumi AndoKunihide MatsudaFusao Sekiguchi2:02:12007SubjectOlivier PeslierYasuo IkeeNorth Hills Management2:07:02008Logi UniverseNorihiro YokoyamaKiyoshi HagiwaraMasaaki Kumeta2:01:72009Victoire PisaYutaka TakeKatsuhiko SumiiYoshimi Ichikawa2:01:32010Danon BalladeYutaka TakeYasuo IkeeDanox2:02:22011Adam's PeakChristophe LemaireSei IshizakaCarrot Farm Co. Ltd.2:02:42012EpiphaneiaYuichi FukunagaKatsuhiko SumiiCarrot Farm Co. Ltd.2:05:42013One and OnlyChristophe LemaireKojiro HashiguchiNorth Hills2:04.3Hopeful Stakes (Grade 2) Nakayama Turf 2,000 metres, 2yo colts and fillies only2014 Shining Lei Yuga KawadaTomokazu Takano U Carrot Farm2:01.92015 Hartley Hugh Bowman Takahisa Tezuka Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. 2:01.82016 Rey de Oro Christophe Lemaire Kazuo FujisawaU Carrot Farm 2:01.3Hopeful Stakes (Grade 1) Nakayama Turf 2,000 metres, 2yo colts and fillies only2017 Time FlyerCristian Demuro Kunihide MatsudaSunday Racing Co. Ltd.2:01.42018 Saturnalia Mirco DemuroKazuya NakatakeU Carrot Farm2:01.62019 Contrail Yuichi Fukunaga Yoshito YahagiShinji Maeda2:01.42020 Danon The Kid Yuga KawadaTakayuki Yasuda Danox2:02.82021 Killer AbilityTakeshi YokoyamaTakashi SaitoCarrot Farm Co. Ltd.2:00.62022 Dura EredeBauyrzhan MurzabayevManabu IkezoeThree H Racing2:01.52023 RegaleiraChristophe LemaireTetsuya KimuraSunday Racing Co. Ltd.2:00.22024Croix du NordYuichi KitamuraTakashi SaitoSunday Racing Co. Ltd.2:00.52025LovcenKohei MatsuyamaHaruki SugiyamaForest Racing2:01.0
Set the current race record with current race grade and distance (since 2014).
See also Horse racing in Japan List of Japanese flat horse races
References Netkeiba: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , JRA Hopeful Stakes
External links Horse Racing in Japan