The Breeders’ Cup is the premier international horse racing event held in the US, involving runners from several countries. This coming Sunday, November 30, Japan’s own international showcase, the Japan Cupis held at the Tokyo Racecourse. It’s an annual highlight of the Japanese racing calendar, just as the Breeders’ Cup takes place here – and for the first time, America’s Best Racing will be on site to cover the race and the entire event. Here’s what you need to know about the Japan Cup:
The race:
The Japan Cup is held on artificial grass at a distance of 2,400 meters, or approximately 1.5 kilometers. It features a purse similar to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, at approximately 1.09 billion yen, which is equivalent to approximately $7.2 million.
The race was founded by the Japan Racing Association in 1981, three years before the first Breeders’ Cup event. It was designed to attract international competition, with invitations for winners of prestigious races in other countries, and the first winner came from American Mairzy Doates, a mare who had won stakes in both New York and California and scored under jockey Cash Asmussen, older brother of all-time leading North American trainer Steve Asmussen.
Foreign runners won nine of the first eleven Japan Cups, but the ratio of native Japanese winners to international invaders began to level off in the 1990s, and by the mid-2000s horses from the home country took over. There hasn’t been an international winner of the Japan Cup since 2005 – Japanese horses have won 19 in a row!
The runners:
Especially in recent years, not many foreign shippers have participated in the Japan Cup, and that will be the case again in 2025. However, the only foreign runner expected to take part could very well be the race favourite: top European horse Calandagan.
Calandagan enters the Japan Cup on the back of three consecutive Group 1 wins in England and France, and last week he was named Cartier Horse of the Year – Europe’s best racehorse for 2025. Two of Calandagan’s Group 1 wins qualified him for a $3 million bonus if he wins the Japan Cup, in addition to first-place money of around $3.3 million, which is part of a Japan Racing Association incentive program to increase international competition to pull.
All but one of the other participants in this year’s Japan Cup were bred in the host country – with the exception of the French-bred Shin Emperor. That colt has done most of his racing in Japan with several international starts, and he is owned and trained by the same team that campaigns Forever Young: owner Susumu Fujita and trainer Yoshito Yahagi. Shin Emperor finished second in a dead heat in the Japan Cup last year with Durezza, both just a neck behind the winner. These horses are both expected to start on Sunday.
The number:
Tokyo Racecourse is the equivalent of Churchill Downs in Japan. Located in the western suburbs of Tokyo and easily accessible by public transportation, the venue opened in 1933. In addition to the Japan Cup, Tokyo Racecourse hosts the Tokyo Yushun, also known as the Japanese Derby, and several other internationally prestigious races.
It is a state-of-the-art facility with grass, dirt and jump tracks (steeplechase) and an approximately 800 square meter video screen. The course presents itself as a very family-friendly venue, with a Kid’s Garden area in the infield with various rides, shows and a playground. Just under 80,000 fans attended last year’s Japan Cup, well below the stated capacity of a whopping 223,000. The record attendance for a Japan Cup was set at 187,524 in 1995.
The weekend:
The entire weekend at Tokyo Racecourse, culminating in the Japan Cup, is one of Japan’s most anticipated and exciting sporting events. On Saturday, November 29, the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve starts in Tokyo with a qualifying race. The Cattleya Stakes, held on dirt tracks, offers qualifying points for the 2026 Derby at Churchill Downs to the top five finishers on a scale of 10-5-3-2-1. The top horse to win the Cattleya and then come to the U.S. was 2015 winner Lani, who ran ninth in the 2016 Derby, fifth in the Preakness Stakes and then third in the Belmont Stakes.
Other major races are on the schedule, and with a crowd of around 75,000-80,000 the atmosphere promises to be electric.
Where to watch:
Viewers in the US can watch the Japan Cup live for free FanDuel TV if that network is part of the cable package. The Japan Cup has a post time of approximately 3:40 PM local time, which is 14 hours ahead of the US Eastern time zone (1:40 AM on Sunday) and 17 hours ahead of the US Pacific time zone (10:40 PM on Saturday).
How to follow:
As mentioned, America’s Best Racing will be at Tokyo Racecourse and will also film around the track to highlight popular attractions for visiting fans. On Thursday, November 27, a team arrives with plans to provide American fans with a compelling and fun series of vignettes that capture the excitement of horse racing in Japan and how passionate the fan base is.
Follow America’s best races TikTok And Instagram accounts for full coverage, and videos will also be posted on our Facebook And X accounts.
Get ready to experience an exciting and memorable Japan Cup 2025!
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