The is a Grade 3 (GIII) flat horse race in Japan.
Background The Fairy Stakes is a Grade III Thoroughbred race in Japan restricted exclusively to 3-year-old fillies. It is held annually in early to mid-January at Nakayama Racecourse over a distance of 1,600 meters on turf (outer course). Eligible entrants must have raced at least once and cannot be unraced or maiden horses. The field includes JRA-trained fillies, up to two certified NAR (local) fillies, and foreign-trained fillies with priority entry.
The race is run under weight-for-age conditions, with all fillies carrying 55 kg. The first-place prize in 2026 is ¥38 million.
History The Fairy Stakes originated as the “TV Tokyo Sho 3-Year-Old Fillies Stakes”, first run on December 15, 1984, at Nakayama Racecourse over 1,600 meters. It was created as a late-season test for juvenile fillies. In 1991, the distance was shortened to 1,200 meters, aligning it more with sprint-oriented development. This format lasted until 2007. In 1994, the race was renamed “Fairy Stakes” after TV Tokyo shifted its sponsorship to the Aoba Sho. Internationalization progressed gradually: foreign-bred fillies were allowed from 1993, NAR fillies from 1996 (initially 3 runners, later reduced to 2 in 2009), and foreign-trained fillies from 2009, when the race became an international GIII event.https://jra.jp/datafile/tokubetsu/2025/0106.pdf#page=2
A restructuring occurred in 2008: the race was not held that year due to a schedule shift, and from 2009 onward, it moved to January and reverted to 1,600 meters, positioning it as a key early prep race for the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) within Japan’s 3-year-old filly classic trail. Weight conditions also evolved: originally 54 kg under international age standards (post-2001), it briefly used special weight from 2009–2023 before returning to fixed weight-for-age (55 kg) in 2024.
Past winners YearWinnerAgeLength (in m)JockeyTrainerOwnerTime1984Elps2T1600Kito TakayukiHisatsune HisaoYasuo Obata1:35.41985Mejiro Ramonu2T1600Kasazaki MasatsuguOkudaira ShinjiMejiro Farm Ltd.1:34.91986Kosei2T1600Masuzawa SueoOshida MoritsuguIKT Owners Co. Ltd.1:35.71987Shino Cross2T1600Shimada IsaoNishizuka TokachiYutaka Fukui1:36.31988Cutting Edge2T1600Ebisawa SeijiTakahashi HideoShadai Race Horse Ltd.1:35.31989Yamatake Sally2T1600Shibata YoshitomiHatakeyama ShigenoriTakeyuki Yamanaka1:35.51990Blue Bay Bridge2T1600Fujiwara HideyukiYamada YoichiKingo Sakurai1:35.51991Disco Hall2T1200Okabe YukioYamauchi KenjiShadai Race Horse Ltd.1:09.31992Mazato Toshou2T1200Hori NoriyukiOkudaira ShinjiTosho Sangyo Co. Ltd.1:09.61993Nagara Flash2T1200Yasuda TakayukiSeguchi TsutomuNagara Tourism Co. Ltd.1:09.61994Prime Stage2T1200Okabe YukioIto YujiHideo Yokoyama1:09.21995Max Rose2T1200Shibata YoshitomiIto YujiYu Tadokoro1:09.21996Hishi Nile2T1200Mato HitoshiNakano RyunenMasaichiro Abe1:10.81997Lady Stella2T1200Hori NoriyukiIkegami TaroRoyal Farm1:10.41998Tayasu Bloom2T1200Ebina MasayoshiYamauchi KenjiKanichi Yokose1:09.81999Belle G. Ticket2T1200Shibata YoshitomiTezuka TakahisaShunichi Yamada1:10.32000Tenshino Kiseki2T1200Teruo EdaKojiro HashiguchiMasuo Sugiya1:09.42001Saga Novel2T1200Norihiro YokoyamaFumio KogaKoji Maeda1:07.82002White Carnival2T1200Dario VargiuKeizo ItoGrand Ranch Ltd.1:09.22003Maltese Heat2T1200Dario VargiuMasahiro SakaguchiYoshio Fujita1:09.22004Felicia2T1200Norihiro YokoyamaHiroyuki UeharaSunday Racing Ltd.1:08.52005Daiwa Passion2T1200Kodai HasegawaSueo MasuzawaKeizo Oshiro1:09.82006Apollo Tiara2T1200Masaki KatsuuraIsamu ShibasakiApollo Thoroughbred Club1:09.42007Le Lupin Bleu2T1200Hayato YoshidaKatsumi SakamotoYoshie Iida1:09.8(No Race in 2008)2009Germinal3T1600Yuichi FukunagaHideaki FujiwaraShadai Race Horse Ltd.1:36.52010Cosmo Nemo Shin3T1600Shu IshibashiHidekatsu ShimizuBig Red Farm Ltd.1:34.82011Dance Fantasia3T1600Anthony CrastusKazuo FujisawaShadai Race Horse Ltd.1:33.72012Tosen Benizakura3T1600Akihide TsumuraIsamu ShibasakiTakaya Shimakawa1:35.52013Crown Rose3T1600Kousei MiuraShoichi TemmaYasuhiro Yano1:34.72014Omega Heart Rock3T1600Keita TosakiNoriyuki HoriReiko Hara1:36.32015Not Formal3T1600Hiroto MayuzumiEiji NakanoKatsuya Haga1:35.22016B B Barrel3T1600Shu IshibashiHideki KakugawaKatsuhiko Bando1:34.32017Rising Reason3T1600Kyosuke MarutaTakeshi OkumuraMakio Okada1:34.72018Primo Scene3T1600Keita TosakiTetsuya KimuraSilk Racing Ltd.1:34.62019Figlia Pura3T1600Genki MaruyamaTakanori KikuzawaCarrot Farm Ltd.1:36.02020Smile Kana3T1600Daichi ShibataYoshiyasu TakahashiShigeyuki Okada1:34.02021Fine Rouge3T1600Christophe LemaireTetsuya KimuraKenichi Mutsui1:34.42022Lilac3T1600Mirco DemuroIkuo AizawaSeiichi Serizawa1:35.22023Kita Wing3T1600Makoto SugiharaShigeyuki KojimaMill Farm Ltd.1:34.32024Ipheion3T1600Atsuya NishimuraYoshiaki SugiyamaShadai Race Horse Ltd.1:34.02025Erika Express3T1600Keita TosakiHaruki SugiyamaMasahiro Miki1:32.82026Black Chalice3T1600Akihide TsumuraKoshiro TakeField Racing1:33.6
See also Horse racing in Japan List of Japanese flat horse races
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