Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2025 Japan Cup Preview
Scheduled to take place in November of each year at the Tokyo racecourse is the Japan Cup, one of the most prestigious races to take place in Japan and attracts plenty of interest from around the world. The race features on the last Sunday of November each year and is a Grade 1 race that is contested over a distance of one mile and four furlongs (2,400m) in which runners aged three or older can enter.
Established in 1981, the race was originally restricted which meant there were no European entries into the race but that was scraped and in 1986, Clive Brittain's Jupiter Island became the first British raider to win the race. Both Singspiel (1996) and Pilsudski (1997) won the race giving Sir Michael Stoute back-to-back winners in the race, he is only one of two trainers to do so, Sei Ishizaka (2012-13) was the other. The only other British success came in 2005 when Frankie rode Alkaased to success for Luca Cumani.
Success for any raider has been hard to come by, a Japanese trained runner has now won the race every year since 2006 and all bar one of those (Admire Moon in 2007 was UAE-owned) were also Japanese-owned runners. There has been plenty of success for European jockeys, Christophe Lemaire is a three-time winner including in both 2018 & 2020, Frankie Dettori is also a three-time winner with his last coming in 2005, Oisin Murphy won the race in 2019 and Ryan Moore won it in 2013.
Japan Cup Information:
You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Other Principal Races in Japan section for links to these.
How competitive is the Japan Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2006 when the race had an over-round of 124%. The race in 2018 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 130%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Japan Cup, the over-round has been 127%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £127 which is bet.
Japan Cup Trends:
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Japan Cup next time out then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 14 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -10.60. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 2:20.60 was set by Almond Eye in 2018, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by Sakae Kunieda and ridden by Christophe-Patrice Lemaire. The slowest winning time was set in 2013 when Gentildonna won in a time of 2:26.10, booked to ride was Ryan Moore by the trainer Sei Ishizaka.
These are the top three quickest-run Japan Cup over the last 20 renewals:
- Almond Eye (2:20.60) in 2018
- Equinox (2:21.80) in 2023
- Alkaased (2:22.10) in 2005
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Japan Cup Past Winners
Here are the Japan Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Japan Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 2:25.50 | Do Deuce (JPN) 5yo 9-2 (3 of 14) 13/10F | Yutaka Take Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
| 2023 2:21.80 | Equinox (JPN) 4yo 9-2 (2 of 18) 30/100F | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Tetsuya Kimura (JPN) |
| 2022 2:23.70 | Vela Azul (JPN) 5yo 9-0 (6 of 18) 7/2 | Ryan Moore Kunihiko Watanabe (JPN) |
| 2021 2:24.70 | Contrail (JPN) 4yo 9-0 (2 of 18) 3/5F | Yuichi Fukunaga Yoshito Yahagi (JPN) |
| 2020 2:23.00 | Almond Eye (JPN) 5yo 8-9 (2 of 15) 6/5F | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Sakae Kunieda (JPN) |
| 2019 2:25.90 | Suave Richard (JPN) 5yo 9-0 (5 of 15) 41/10 | Oisin Murphy Yasushi Shono (JPN) |
| 2018 2:20.60 | Almond Eye (JPN) 3yo 8-5 (1 of 14) 2/5F | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Sakae Kunieda (JPN) |
| 2017 2:23.70 | Cheval Grand (JPN) 5yo 9-0 (1 of 17) 123/10 | Hugh Bowman Yasuo Tomomichi (JPN) |
| 2016 2:25.80 | Kitasan Black (JPN) 4yo 9-0 (1 of 17) 14/5F | Yutaka Take Hisashi Shimizu (JPN) |
| 2015 2:24.70 | Shonan Pandora (JPN) 4yo 8-9 (15 of 18) 41/5 | Kenichi Ikezoe Tomokazu Takano (JPN) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Japan Cup have been based:
- JPN: 19 winners with an additional 39 placings from 264 runners
- GB: 1 winner with an additional 1 placing from 19 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 18 runners
- GER: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 11 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 8 runners
- USA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 7 runners
- CAN: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- HK: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- ITY: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
Japan Cup Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the Japan Cup over the last 20 renewals with Yasuo Tomomichi, Katsuhiko Sumii, Hiroyoshi Matsuda, Sakae Kunieda and Sei Ishizaka having all won the race two times. Yasuo Tomomichi winners have been with Cheval Grand (2017) and Do Deuce (2024). Katsuhiko Sumii winners have been with Vodka (2009) and Epiphaneia (2014). Hiroyoshi Matsuda winners have been with Admire Moon (2007) and Buena Vista (2011). Sakae Kunieda winners have been with Almond Eye (2018 & 2020). Sei Ishizaka winners have been with Gentildonna (2012 & 2013). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Japan Cup, Yasutoshi Ikee (0-12), Kazuo Fujisawa (0-11), Noriyuki Hori (0-11), Hidetaka Otonashi (0-10) and Hideaki Fujiwara (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Japan Cup trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yasuo Tomomichi | 18-2-4 | -2.40 | -7.74 |
| Katsuhiko Sumii | 16-2-7 | -3.50 | -6.25 |
| Hiroyoshi Matsuda | 9-2-5 | +5.30 | +2.17 |
| Sakae Kunieda | 7-2-3 | -3.40 | -2.59 |
| Sei Ishizaka | 4-2-2 | +4.70 | +1.35 |
| Kojiro Hashiguchi | 9-1-2 | -0.20 | -3.60 |
| Yoshito Yahagi | 9-1-3 | -7.40 | -3.92 |
| Yuichi Shikato | 3-1-1 | +38.00 | +18.00 |
| Luca Cumani | 3-1-1 | +7.60 | +2.80 |
| Tetsuya Kimura | 3-1-2 | -1.70 | -1.35 |
Japan Cup Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Japan Cup over the last 20 renewals with both Christophe-Patrice Lemaire and Yutaka Take who have both won the race four times. Christophe-Patrice Lemaire winners have been with Vodka (2009), Almond Eye (2018 & 2020) and Equinox (2023). Yutaka Take winners have been Deep Impact (2006), Rose Kingdom (2010), Kitasan Black (2016) and Do Deuce (2024). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Japan Cup are Yasunari Iwata (3 wins) and Ryan Moore (2 wins). Multiple jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Japan Cup, Yuga Kawada (0-12), Norihiro Yokoyama (0-12), Keita Tosaki (0-10) and Hiroyuki Uchida (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple rides to the race.
Here are some of the top Japan Cup jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christophe-Patrice Lemaire | 18-4-7 | -9.50 | -10.09 |
| Yutaka Take | 16-4-6 | +0.20 | -4.74 |
| Yasunari Iwata | 12-3-5 | +8.90 | +2.47 |
| Ryan Moore | 15-2-3 | -8.40 | -10.20 |
| Mirco Demuro | 15-1-3 | +26.00 | +7.55 |
| Yuichi Fukunaga | 8-1-4 | -6.40 | -5.02 |
| Christophe Soumillon | 7-1-2 | +1.90 | -1.55 |
| Kenichi Ikezoe | 6-1-2 | +3.20 | -0.40 |
| Frankie Dettori | 3-1-2 | +7.60 | +4.15 |
| Hugh Bowman | 1-1-1 | +12.30 | +6.15 |
2025 Japan Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 3, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 6, 2, 1, 4, 3, 1, 3, 1, 11, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well. The trend information is based on the available information on the racing post in terms of previous runs etc.
- 20 / 20 (49%) - No bigger than 40/1
- 20 / 20 (54%) - Within the first 9 of the market
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Achieved an RPR of 109+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Furthest Won 1m3f - 2m
- 20 / 20 (70%) - No bigger than 62/5 (Career Win)
- 20 / 20 (71%) - No older than a 5yo
- 20 / 20 (73%) - Beaten no more -5½l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - In a field of 10 - 18 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Ran over 7f - 1m2f (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Beaten no more -3½l (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Not in a G3/Cl3 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Off a break of 21 - 56 days
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Is not AUS/CAN/FR/GB/GER/IRE bred
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Placed within last 3 starts
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Had 3 - 16 placings (Career)
If you are looking to place a bet on this race well in advance of the actual running, then there may be an ante-post market available for you to place your bet. If you are unfamiliar with this type of betting then head over to the OLBG Betting School and read our Ante-Post Horse Racing article which explains how ante-post betting works.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts here.
Japan Cup Trend Analysis
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 1 career place in the class, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-63.
Here are the most recent winning draws along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2024: Winner in 3 (7,10) [14 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 2 (1,17) [18 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 6 (15,3) [18 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 2 (7,4) [18 Runners]
- 2020: Winner in 2 (6,5) [15 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Japan Cup is Tokyo, there has been a total number of 12 winners of this race who ran at Tokyo last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Kyoto, there has been a total number of 5 winners of this race who ran at Kyoto last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 13 winners from a total of 284 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 7 winners from a total of 48 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Japan Cup:
- Deep Impact (4 Wins)
- Hearts Cry (3 Wins)
- Lord Kanaloa (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Japan Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Jungle Pocket (0 Wins from 17 runners)
- Stay Gold (0 Wins from 15 runners)
- Montjeu (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Neo Universe (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Rulership (0 Wins from 6 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Screen Hero in 2008, winning for Yuichi Shikato at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Mirco Demuro. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 9 winning favourites in the race. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs are based on the information that is available on the racing post.
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Japan Cup Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
